Programs of Study

Admission Requirements

Students applying for admission to the Master of Science program must obtain general admission to the
Division of Graduate Studies; however, this does not guarantee admission to the Master of Science program. Applications are accepted prior to March 1 of each year for summer and fall admission. Applications are accepted prior to October 15 of each year for spring admission.

Departmental Admission requirements for the program are as follows:

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
2. An overall GPA of 3.0 or above (on a 4.0 scale) on the bachelor’s degree.
3. A completed Master of Science program application.
4. Recommendations from three persons, one of whom must be the applicant’s supervising principal, or school district superintendent or assistant superintendent.
5. Acceptable evidence of the applicant’s writing ability as determined by a writing assessment completed under the supervision of the screening committee.
6. A successful interview with the program screening committee.
7. A recommendation for admission by the screening committee.
8. Valid teaching certificate.
9. At least 3 years of full-time teaching experience.

Academic Programs

• Masters in Educational Administration and Supervision

Admission Requirements

Students applying for admission to the Specialist in Education program must obtain general admission to and submit required documents to the Division of Graduate Studies; however, this does not guarantee admission to the Department of Educational Administration, Foundations, and Research Specialist degree program in the specific area of concentration.

Departmental Admission requirements for the program are as follows:

1. A master’s degree from an accredited college or university
2. An overall GPA of 3.0 or above (on a 4.0 scale) on the master’s degree
3. A completed Specialist program application
4. Three letters of recommendation
5. Acceptable evidence of the applicant’s writing ability as determined by a writing assessment
   completed under the supervision of the screening committee
6. A successful interview with the program screening committee
7. A recommendation for admission by the screening committee
8. A valid teaching license
9. Deadline for applications for summer/fall admissions is March 1 and spring deadline is October 15.

Retention Requirements

A minimum grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) on all graduate work earned in the Specialist in Education degree program is required.

Academic Programs

• Specialist in K12 Administration

Admission Requirements

Students applying for admission to the Ph.D. program must first obtain general admission through the Division of Graduate Studies; however, this admission does not mean automatic admission to the Ph.D. Program. Applications are accepted year-round for admission each fall. Applications must be submitted prior to March 1. All students seeking admission to the Ph.D. Program must meet the following criteria:

1. A Master’s degree from an accredited university.
2. A completed Ph.D. program application.
3. An overall GPA of 3.5 or above (on a 4.0 scale) on the highest earned degree.
4. Transcripts for all post-secondary, graduate work attempted prior to submitting a program application.
5. Recommendations from three (3) persons knowledgeable of the applicant’s professional academic ability, job experiences, and leadership potential.
6. Acceptable evidence of a student’s writing ability as determined by a writing assessment completed under the supervision of the department admissions committee
7. A successful interview with the program committee.
8. Recommendation for admission by the Admissions committee.
9. Concentration in K-12 administration requires evidence of the past three years of successful classroom teaching documentation.
10. At least three years of full-time teaching experience.
11. A minimum of 5 years of successful employment in a public, private, or proprietary community college, college, or university, municipal, state or federal government agency.

Conditional Program Admission

Conditional admission may be granted to individuals who have obtained general admission to the Division of Graduate Studies but who do not meet regular program admission requirements. All students admitted via the conditional program admission will be required to take a common core of nine (9) semester hours of regular graduate courses during their first semester of enrollment. During this specified period, conditional students must earn a minimum 3.0 GPA in the program of study taken at Jackson State University (transfer hours will not apply) in order to achieve regular status.
Once the nine hours are completed, conditionally admitted students will be interviewed a second time by the program screening committee before they are allowed to continue to matriculate in the Ph.D. program. The department screening committee will notify the chair of the department of the results of the second interview. The chair of the department will notify the student by certified mail or university email and a conference with the student will occur before further enrollment. All conditionally admitted students will follow the “Time Limits” policy as stated in this Catalog. If a 3.0 GPA is not attained in the first nine (9) hours attempted, the student will be discontinued from the program. Conditional route admission is based on the following criteria:

1. A Master’s degree from an accredited university.
2. A completed program application
3. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above on all graduate work (4.0 scale)
4. Outstanding compensating strengths measured by the following criteria:
   • Earned Master’s degree from an accredited institution.
   • Earned GPA on all graduate courses completed.
   • Writing ability
   • Success in current employment
   • Administrative experience and/or potential for administrative experience.
   • Teaching/ work experience
   • Communication skills.
5. Transcripts of all post-secondary graduate work attempted prior to program application
6. Recommendations from three (3) persons knowledgeable of applicant’s professional academic ability, job experiences and leadership potential such as previous college professors and supervisors
7. Acceptable evidence of student’s writing ability as determined by writing a sample under the supervision of the screening committee member.
8. A successful interview with the program screening committee.
9. Concentration in K-12 administration requires evidence of the past three years of successful classroom teaching documentation.
10. Higher Education Concentration requires a minimum of (5) years of successful employment in a community college, education institution or with a state and federal government program.

Academic Programs

• Ph.D. in K12 Administration
   
  Ph.D. in Higher Education

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