Graduate Frequently Asked Questions
Currently, GRE or GMAT scores are not required for admission to our graduate programs.
Yes, you can start any semester. For deadlines, please review our Admission page.
Please refer to the Graduate School website for deadlines.
It depends on the program. For example:
- Master's degree: The program requires 33 hours. Depending on how many courses taken per semester, most students can complete the program within 1-2 years.
- Specialist degree: The program requires 31 hours, and most students can complete it within 1-2 years.
- Doctoral degree: The program requires 90 hours after a bachelor's degree, including 20 dissertation hours. Depending on the number of transferred hours from a master’s or specialist program, most students spend the first 2-3 years on coursework. The remaining time depends on the student’s progress on their proposal and dissertation. According to MSU policy, students have 5 years to finish their dissertation after they pass the comprehensive exams.
After you are admitted to our graduate program, you will receive a departmental acceptance letter that indicates your advisor(s) and contact information. You can contact him or her directly, and/or the graduate or program coordinator too.
Yes, our graduate programs are completely online. So, it is not required for students to travel to the campus at all.
No travel is required at any time for our MSIT, EDs, and PhD graduate programs. The department and committee allows students to take their comprehensive exams and complete the dissertation/proposal defenses online as well.
Please refer to the program's curriculum page. All graduate courses are offered online, so you don’t need to live nearby.
There are approximately 16 weeks in a regular fall or spring semester. In the summer, we offer 10-week and 5-week classes as well.
The Community College Leadership program does not offer 5-week summer courses.
Yes, you can work with the faculty on a one-on-one basis. You are also welcome to contact the faculty anytime to schedule face-to-face or online meetings as well.
Currently, MSU uses Canvas.
It’s up to the student. For a graduate student, a full-time course load in fall and spring semesters is enrollment in 9-13 credit hours, that’s approximately 3-4 classes. Some students only take 2 classes per semester (6 credit hours). It's also possible to take more than 13 credit hours within a semester, you can by filling out the overload form.
The Community College Leadership program has cohorts. The other programs are individually paced based on student planning and available course offerings.
Our graduates are making a difference in a wide range of fields. Positions include faculty members or administrators at other universities, directors, supervisors and more. If you would like to explore more, please check out our alumni page.
It depends on the student. Overall, the more courses you take, the earlier you can expect to graduate. In general, it takes 1-2 years to complete the MSIT and Ed.S. programs, and 4-5 years to complete a Ph.D. degree.
In the Instructional Technology program, you can choose from the concentrations and elective credits we offer.
In the Instructional Systems and Workforce Development program and the Technology specialist program, you can choose elective courses based on your interest and career plan. You can also have a minor in a different program. We encourage you to speak with your advisor about your coursework, individualized curriculum options, and research interests.
The Community College Leadership and Workforce Education Leadership programs do not offer elective courses.
You can discuss your previous graduate coursework with your advisor (or Graduate Coordinator) who can help review and finalize your transfer hours.
You may be able to choose your own advisor, but it is not guaranteed. Please review our faculty page and contact the faculty member to discuss your research agenda and its potential fit with the faculty member's interests and expertise.
You can check tuition for graduate programs at this link: https://online.msstate.edu/iswd/tuition/
We have assistantships (students working as our departmental graduate assistants) available in our department, but they are limited. We also encourage you to search for other units on campus, for example, the MSU library, the Center for Distance Education, and other campus departments offer assistantships as well. Current graduate assistants have to enroll as a full-time student and likely need to be physically present on campus due to the nature of their work responsibilities.
Yes, that is right. As an unclassified student, you can apply for the ‘official’ program later on. A maximum of 9 unclassified hours can be transferred to the program when you are officially admitted.
Yes, it is possible. The majority of our students are working full-time and taking graduate courses at the same time.