Degree/Non-degree Requirements
The University requirements for all doctorate, education specialist, master's, graduate certificates, and non-degrees are:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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A maximum of nine credit hours may be earned through independent study, directed study, special problems or workshops.
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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.
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Must be unconditionally admitted to the program.