Admission to Programs
Admission to Specialist Degree Programs
To be considered for admission to an educational administration and leadership specialist degree, an applicant must have:
- A master's degree from an accredited college or university.
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general section test scores.
- One official undergraduate and graduate transcript sent directly from the granting institution to the School of Graduate Studies.
- A 3.0 or higher GPA in the master's degree program is required for admission.
Students holding a specialist or higher degree will complete a minimum of 16 credits, including a field study, to earn a second specialist degree.
Admission to Master's Degree Programs
To be considered for admission to a master's degree program an applicant must have:
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
- A 2.75 grade point average over the last half of undergraduate education (four full semesters or equivalent).
- Met the minimum score requirement on the GRE or GMAT.
Applicants who do not meet the standard admission requirements may be permitted to demonstrate their scholarship and qualify for acceptance by completing a limited program of graduate course work. This option is not available to candidates wishing to pursue the Master of Business Administration degree. Further information pertaining to this alternative may be obtained from the director of graduate admissions.
Higher standards for admission to a degree program may be established by a department.
Applicants who hold a baccalaureate degree from a non-accredited college or university may be considered for acceptance to a master's degree program. A careful examination of the applicant's previous record and the entrance examination scores are used as the basis for recommendation for admission. Applicants who are admitted under these conditions will be re-evaluated upon completion of eight graduate credits earned at SCSU.
Admission to an Additional Master's Degree Program
Additional master's degrees may be awarded. Each additional degree program will require a minimum of 30 credits (see credit requirements for desired program) beyond those earned for the previous master's degrees. Courses taken as a part of a previous master's degree at St. Cloud State University or at a different institution may not be counted toward the credit requirement for an additional master's degree. Credits can only be counted once toward a degree.
If your first master's degree is from SCSU, you will need to submit an updated admission application, new statement, new recommendation forms, and new examination scores if a different examination is required (GRE and GMAT). It will not be necessary to pay the $35 application fee, nor secure transcripts unless additional course work has been attempted or completed at another institution since the completion of your previous degree program.
Applicants holding a master's degree from another institution, and wish to complete an additional master's degree at SCSU, need to follow the complete application process (see How to Apply).
Admission to Double Major, Second Major, Major Equivalent
These terms are defined as follows:
Double
Major: This term applies to the completion of two majors earned within
one graduate degree program.
Second Major: This
term applies to students whose graduate degree was earned through SCSU and
who subsequently elect to complete another major. A second major is not allowed in Special Studies if the first major was in Special Studies.
Major Equivalent:
This term applies to students whose graduate degree was earned through another
institution, but who elect to complete a second major through SCSU.
If a student wishes to complete a major in a second field, the following requirements must be satisfied:
- The student must be fully accepted for graduate study by the department and the School of Graduate Studies.
- The student must submit an approved program of study which meets all of the requirements of the degree program. Courses taken as part of a previous master's degree may be applied to these requirements. However, not less than 10 additional credits must be earned at SCSU. The program must be completed with a satisfactory grade point average as defined in graduate policies.
- The student must satisfactorily complete a final written or oral examination in the major field in which the double major, second major, or major equivalent is being pursued.
- The student must satisfy all other requirements as specified at the time of acceptance into the program, or as described in graduate policies.
Admission Procedures for Specialist and Master's Degree Programs
All application materials should be returned to the School of Graduate Studies far enough in advance of the proposed date of registration to allow adequate time for complete processing of the application prior to registration. The following materials are required:
- Completed Application for Admission to Advanced Study accompanied by a $35 non-refundable application fee made payable to St. Cloud State University.
- Recommendations: Three recommendation forms are provided with the application. It is the student's responsibility to distribute these forms to the people they wish to use as references. Provide your recommender with a recommendation form and a stamped envelope addressed to SCSU. The person completing your recommendation form is to directly mail or fax the recommendation form to the School of Graduate Studies. Graduate application materials will not be considered complete and cannot be sent to the graduate program for an admission decision until all three recommendation forms have been received. Recommendation letters submitted on letterhead paper can be used in place of the recommendation forms. It is the preference of the graduate school though that the recommendation form be used as it addresses the attributes we wish identified.
- Official transcripts: One copy of the applicant's official transcripts must be sent directly to the School of Graduate Studies by each college or university previously attended. Applicants who apply before receiving the baccalaureate degree are required to submit supplementary transcripts showing that the degree has been conferred. Transcripts submitted personally by the student will not be accepted. Students whose previous course work was completed at SCSU do not need to send transcripts. International students must provide an English translation of all educational transcripts.
- Entrance test score: Students seeking the specialist degree, master of arts degree, master of engineering management degree, master of music degree, master of science degree, or sixth-year program are required to take and submit official scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test. Students seeking the master of business administration degree must take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Exceptions to this policy are included in the section entitled Admission Test Information.
- Notarized resident-alien card: Any student who has changed immigration status from international to resident-alien must present their resident-alien card or a notarized copy of the card (front and back) to the School of Graduate Studies.
- In
addition to all the steps listed above, international students must complete
two additional procedures.
- All applicants whose language of origin is not English are required, as part of the admission process, to present evidence of their level of English proficiency. For more information about this requirement see the section entitled Admission Test Information.
- All applicants who are not citizens of the United States or who do not have a resident-alien card must provide a completed Confidential Financial Information form and submit it to the School of Graduate Studies along with documentation of finances to be eligible for an I-20 or other documentation needed to obtain a visa to attend SCSU.
NOTE: All application materials, transcripts, recommendation letters and forms are collected for the express purpose of consideration for admissions to the School of Graduate Studies. Application materials are not transferable to the student or to another institution. The materials are not meant for purposes other than consideration for admission.
Once all application materials are received, the School of Graduate Studies will send the completed file to the graduate program for consideration. The application file will be reviewed by a departmental faculty committee who will make an admission decision. Departments may have additional questions of students during the review process thus it is important that applicants respond immediately to all departmental correspondence regarding their admission to graduate school. The department will return their admission recommendation to the School of Graduate Studies who will then notify the applicant by letter of the admission outcome. The admission letter will inform the applicant of the graduate faculty advisor assigned to him/her by the department. Accepted students should contact the adviser to formulate a plan of study. |
Admission
to Educational Administration and Leadership
Sixth-Year Certificate Program
The sixth-year program is available only in educational administration and leadership. To be eligible a student must have completed a master's degree with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
Admission Procedures
The following materials will be needed to be considered for admission to the sixth-year program:
- Application to the School of Graduate Studies with a $35 nonrefundable application fee.
- One copy of both the undergraduate and graduate transcripts sent directly from the granting institution to the School of Graduate Studies .
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test scores.
- Three completed recommendation forms.
Students holding a specialist or higher degree complete a minimum of 16 credits.
Admission to Child and Family Studies Fifth-Year Certificate Program
A planned fifth-year program is available for those teachers who do not desire to work for a master's degree, or for those who do not otherwise qualify to work for a master's degree.
Through careful advising, it is anticipated that the fifth year of work will be integrated with the first four years of the student's preparation. A minimum of 30 credits is required, about one-third of which must be taken at the graduate level. The minimum grade point average required for successful completion of this program is 2.75.
Admission Procedures
Students seeking admission to the fifth-year program must complete the following:
- Application to the School of Graduate Studies with a $35 non-refundable application fee.
- One official copy of the undergraduate transcript sent from the college or university where the work was completed. If a student received his or her degree from St. Cloud State University, the School of Graduate Studies will obtain the transcript from our records office.
- Three completed recommendation forms.
An applicant is granted admission to the fifth-year program if:
- A baccalaureate degree is held in teacher education from a college or university accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) or accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting agency.
- If the student has earned a 2.75 or higher grade point average overall in undergraduate course work.
If the applicant holds a baccalaureate degree from a non-accredited institution, admission to the fifth-year program may take place:
- Upon the submission of evidence that a valid teaching license is held in the state where the applicant teaches;
- And upon successful completion of 10 semester credits of creditable work at this University.
Upon formal admission to the program, the student is assigned an adviser. The adviser assists in planning a program that has clear relevance to professional goals of the student.
Admission to a Graduate Certificate Program
The following materials are required to complete the application process:
- A completed certificate program application form.
- A $35 application fee. (The fee is waived if a student has been admitted to a master's degree program at St. Cloud State University. Should a student subsequently begin a master's program, this fee will not be charged again.)
- Official undergraduate and graduate transcript(s) showing completion of a baccalaureate degree and if appropriate, a graduate degree. If a student received his or her degree from St. Cloud State University, the School of Graduate Studies will obtain the transcript from our records office. If already in a master's program at SCSU, additional transcripts will not be needed.
For the graduate certificate in Geographic Information Sciences a student needs scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test.
For the graduate certificate in Chemical Dependency, a student needs to be formally admitted to a counseling program at St. Cloud State University.
For the graduate certificate in Gerontology, a student needs to satisfy one of the following:
- Be admitted to or have completed a graduate degree program at St. Cloud State University.
- Have completed a graduate degree program at another institution. An official transcript showing completion of a graduate degree program will be required.
- Be currently enrolled in a graduate program at another institution. The student will need to provide documentation of admission status.
Once a student has received notification of admission to a certificate program from the School of Graduate Studies, he or she should meet with a departmental certificate coordinator to complete a certificate program form which lists the courses the student will need to take for certificate completion.
Changing Your Graduate Program
Occasionally, students will decide to change their graduate program after being admitted to or starting a program. To do so, students must meet the admission requirements of the new program, including a review and acceptance by that program's admission committee. To initiate a change in graduate program, a student needs to complete the front page of the graduate application and provide a new statement of interest and objectives for the new program.
International students should visit (future link) for policy governing changing graduate programs.
