Degree and Certification Information

Comprehensive Exit Examination

The student must pass a final comprehensive examination oral and/or written in the field of study. This examination will include the defense of the student's thesis, if one is written. For further information, contact the appropriate program coordinator or department chair.

Degree/Non-degree Requirements

The University requirements for all doctorate, education specialist, master's, graduate certificates, and non-degrees are:

1. A master's degree requires a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours. Some master's programs are more than 30 hours. For the education specialist program, a minimum of 60 hours including the master's degree must be completed. Doctoral programs require a minimum of 60 hours along with completion of a capstone or dissertation; the doctor of education program requires a minimum of 60 hours beyond the master’s degree, but other doctoral programs may allow master’s degree courses, along with completion of a capstone or dissertation to fulfill the 60 hour requirement.

2. No credit earned by correspondence or through testing programs may be applied to the requirements for the master's degree, Ed.S., doctoral, certificate, and non-degree programs.

3. Residence credit is awarded for all MSU coursework, whether completed on campus, online, or at regional campus centers. Transfer credit may not exceed one-third of the total requirements for master’s degrees, education specialist degrees, the Doctor of Education, and graduate certificate programs. Transfer credit may not exceed fifty percent of the total requirements for the Doctor of Engineering program.

4. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for the degree or non-degree, and no credit is allowed for a mark below "C."

5. A maximum of nine credit hours may be earned through independent study, directed study, special problems or workshops.

6. Satisfactory completion of a comprehensive exit examination. For specific requirements of a particular program (which may go beyond the minimum), consult the section on the appropriate program.

7. Must be unconditionally admitted to the program.

Second Master's Degree

Students completing one master's degree at MSU may apply for admission to another degree program. To complete a second master's degree, a student must:

1. Complete a graduate application;
2. Meet admission requirements;
3. Complete a minimum of 15 new graduate credit hours of MSU residence credit in approved courses beyond the first master's degree (additional courses may be necessary to meet the degree requirements); and
4. Pass a final examination.
5. Credit for Prior Learning may not be used for a second master's degree.

A student who enters the master's degree program after completing the non-degree fifth-year program must:

1. Complete a graduate application;
2. Meet admission requirements;
3. Complete a minimum of 15 new graduate credit hours of Morehead State University residence credit. In meeting specific degree requirements, a minimum of 18 credit hours will be required if only 12 credit hours of graduate work was completed for the fifth-year; and
4. Pass a final examination.

Transfer Credit

Students must request an official transcript be mailed to the Graduate School, 701 Ginger Hall, Morehead, KY 40351.

Transfer credit may not exceed one-third of the requirements for a graduate degree, unless specified by the program, provided:

1. The credit has been earned at an accredited graduate institution within 10 years of the date on which the graduate program requirements are completed;

2. The work is acceptable as credit toward a comparable program at the institution from which transfer is sought;

3. The courses to be transferred carry a mark of "B" or better; and

4. The courses are approved by the advisor, program department chair and/or coordinator and the graduate director. Approval may be based on the evaluation of an institution using these criteria: length of the instructional term, frequency and length of class sessions, availability of library services, course syllabus and/or statement of requirements and faculty member's qualifications.

Transfer credits taken during the final semester of a program will delay program completion until official transcripts of the courses have been received in the Graduate School. To transfer a course, a course substitution form must be completed and submitted with any required documentation to the student's advisor for approval and appropriate signatures. Transfer credit does not compute in the MSU GPA. A course substitution/transfer form can be accessed at https://www.moreheadstate.edu/academics/colleges/gradschool/students/forms or by contacting the Graduate School at 606-783-2039 or graduate@moreheadstate.edu.

Proficiency Evaluation for Teacher Certification

Experienced teachers seeking certification in an additional content area or for another grade level may request a proficiency evaluation to determine their eligibility. This is an individualized process during which appropriate University faculty will review an applicant's prior education, school-based professional development, experience, and/or other specialized training. The applicant is required to provide documentation of mastery of the critical competencies required of candidates completing the program of preparation in the field for which certification is being sought. This documentation can take a variety of forms including academic transcripts, records of in-service training, certificates, letters, work products and other documents.

An applicant requesting a proficiency evaluation must contact the chair of the department that houses the desired certification program. The applicant will meet with the chair who will conduct a preliminary review to determine eligibility. As a guide in conducting this evaluation, the chair will list on the evaluation form the core University courses required of candidates typically obtaining the desired certification. This list of courses is intended to serve as a guideline for assessing the core competencies addressed within each course.

In this process, the applicant is expected to demonstrate these competencies and not necessarily equivalences of work done in courses. Based on the guidelines provided in this meeting and outlined on the evaluation form, the applicant will develop an array of evidence aligned with the required competencies. Upon submission of the evidence, the chair person will refer the applicant and the evidence to faculty member(s) with appropriate expertise who will review the applicant's material, request further documentation (if needed), and identify any areas of deficiency that must be addressed to obtain the requested certification.

The designated faculty member(s) will summarize the results of this process on the proficiency evaluation form. Additionally, transcripts, documentation of experience and faculty reviews of applicant's other supporting evidence (summarized in written memoranda) must be attached to the application. The faculty member(s) shall then submit the completed form and all supporting material to the appropriate department chair who will review and forward all materials to the Graduate School.

If the chair does not concur with the faculty assessment of the applicant's competencies, the chair will meet with the applicant and the relevant faculty member(s) to resolve any concerns and finalize the proficiency evaluation. In the event that the applicant disagrees with the results of the review and this dispute cannot be resolved in meeting with the appropriate chair and the involved faculty member(s), the applicant may file a Student Grievance Form through the Office of the Provost.

From that point forward, the procedures for resolving an academic grievance outlined elsewhere in this catalog will be followed. Upon completion of all identified deficiencies and successful completion of the required PRAXIS examination(s), the graduate certification officer will submit a recommendation for the requested certification to the Education Professional Standards Board. The applicant must have received a grade of at least a "C" in any undergraduate course or at least a "B" in any graduate class that is used to demonstrate competency for a proficiency review. Since proficiency evaluation is not part of a degree program, the University's typical limitation on the number of transfer credit hours will not apply to a proficiency evaluation. Successful proficiency evaluations will not be accepted in lieu of required coursework in graduate programs.

Rank I Change Requests

To qualify for a Rank I recommendation, the student must have 30 credit hours of approved graduate credit in addition to Rank II or 60 credit hours of approved graduate credit including a master's degree. The student must be admitted to an EPSB-approved graduate program and coursework must lead to completion of that program.

For students wanting to obtain a Rank I change outside of an EPSB-approved program, contact should be made with the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB). The rank change would be subject to approval by that agency.

Thesis

Prior to beginning work on a thesis, the student should obtain a copy of the official guidelines from the Graduate School, located in 701 Ginger Hall, or email graduate@moreheadstate.edu. 

After you have successfully completed the thesis defense and no later than two weeks before the degree is to be conferred, upload the final copy of the thesis and the "Committee Approval to Review Graduate Thesis or Applied Project" form to ProQuest. The link to ProQuest is www.etdadmin.com.