FAQ: Prospective Students
- Is there an application deadline?
- No. However, for guaranteed consideration for all forms of financial support, apply before December 1 of the year before you wish to enter.
- Can a student go part-time?
- Yes, many students do continue working as education professionals, although most students decide that they want to spend at least one year full-time on campus or more to take full advantage of the opportunities the program offers.
- How long does the program take to complete?
- The program can be completed in four to five years. However, most students complete the program in five years, largely because doctoral study affords many opportunites to participate in college-level teaching, curriculum development, and reasearch.
- Can a student transfer courses to the Ph.D. program that were originally counted for an MSU master's degree?
- No.
- Can a student transfer courses taken at another university, whether or not a degree was received?
- There is no fixed limit for transfer courses for other institutions. However, all transfer credits must be approved as part of the student's program plan by his or her guidance committee and confirmed by the program coordinator and associate dean. This means that the question of whether transfer courses will count cannot be firmly resolved until the second year of a student's enrollment, when the program planning process occurs within a guidance committee. The central question is always what courses will best serve the student's program needs. Realistically, students should not expect to transfer in a large number of courses from another institution, since they will need to construct a course of study that reflects the areas of emphasis within this program. It is difficult to imagine an appropriate program plan that would include more than three transfer courses.
- Are there any other limitations on transfer credit?
- In order to count toward the Ph.D. degree, a course must be less than eight years old at the time when the degree is to be conferred. That means, for example, that if a student took courses at Ohio State in 1999, then entered the doctoral program here in 2001, was here for seven years and was getting the degree in 2008, credit for the Ohio State courses would not count since they were taken more than eight years prior to graduation.
- Can a student apply MSU courses taken through Lifelong Learning toward doctoral program requirements? (Typically this arises in cases where the student took doctoral courses prior to enrollment in the doctoral program.)
- Yes, but only as part of an approved program plan. The procedure is this: First, the student and guidance committee develop an appropriate program plan that includes one or more Lifelong Learning course. Then, once this plan has received approval, the advisor needs to file an administrative action form. (Check "Other" and request that courses be transferred to doctoral program.) According to the Academic Programs book, "No more than 10 credits earned while under the Lifelong Education status may be applied to the graduate degree program. Courses earned under the Undergraduate Lifelong Education status may not be applied to a graduate degree program."
- How can I financially support myself while in graduate school?
- There are a variety of fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships available, most of which cover a tuition and provide a stipend.
View information on the various financial supports available.
Curriculum, Teaching,
