ADMISSION
The Graduate School is open to persons holding at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and whose undergraduate or graduate work has been of sufficient quality and scope to enable them to profitably pursue graduate study. Arkansas State University offers equal educational opportunity to all persons without regard to race, religion, sex, age, creed, color, national origin, or physical disability.
GENERAL PROCEDURES
Applicants for admission to graduate study should apply online at https://admissions.astate.edu/apply. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work must be submitted to the Office of Admission, Records and Registration, PO Box 1570, State University, AR 72467. All applicants also must submit written proof of measles, mumps and rubella immunization. This immunization must have been received after the first birthday and after January 1, 1968. Arkansas law requires that in order to be eligible for enrollment at a public institution of higher learning an applicant who is a U.S. citizen and a male under the age of 26 must be registered or be exempt from registration with the selective service system. Application materials become the property of the university and may not be returned to the applicant or forwarded to other institutions. Application materials will be kept on file. If seeking admission at a later date, applicants must submit a new on-line application for the degree and term in which they wish to be admitted and may be required to update some or all of their application materials.
All applications must be accompanied by a nonrefundable application fee. The fee is $50 for students seeking admission to doctoral study and $30 for students seeking admission to specialist or master-level study. A $40 fee is required of international students seeking admission to specialist or master-level study. Fees can be remitted online during the application process, over the phone to the Cashier’s Window at 870-972-3847 or by mailing a check or money order payable to Arkansas State University, Cashier’s Window, PO Box 2640, State University, AR 72467. Applications will be processed once the payment is received. If applications are received without payment, the Graduate School will hold all application materials and notify the applicant that no action will be taken until payment is received. International students apply directly to the Office of International Programs.
An application may, depending on the timely submission of the required materials and the extent of review required, take from a few days to many weeks to process. Some programs have specific application deadline dates, while others do not. Because application procedures and requirements vary by program, applicants are encouraged to check for particular program requirements and deadlines in the appropriate section of the Bulletin or online at http://www. astate.edu/college/graduate-school/degrees-offered/. Applications to specific programs are reviewed by program faculty before an admission decision is recommended to the Graduate School. Applicants are encouraged to submit all materials at the earliest possible date, preferably no later than six weeks prior to the beginning of the semester, to assist in a smooth application process. Late application may delay registration and limit course selection.
When consideration of the applications for admission to both the Graduate School and the specific degree program has been completed, the admissions office of the Graduate School will inform the applicant of the admission decision, including any conditions that may be imposed. A student may be admitted into the Graduate School in either Unconditional status or Conditional status.
A-STATE GRADUATE SCHOOL ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants will be required to meet admissions criteria established by the Graduate School for Unconditional or Conditional status in order to enroll in graduate courses. Meeting the minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate School does not necessarily ensure acceptance into a particular graduate degree program. Individual departments may establish requirements for individual degree programs above and beyond the standards for admission to the Graduate School. (See departmental sections of this Bulletin or online at http://www.astate.edu/college/graduate-school/degrees-offered/ for specific program admission requirements.) A degree-seeking student admitted to one program who decides to change to another program must meet the admission requirements of the new program.
UNCONDITIONAL ADMISSION STATUS
The following Graduate School admission requirements are minimum standards which identify the pool of applicants from which departments select students to be admitted to candidacy in a degree program. To be granted Unconditional Admission Status in the Graduate School, applicants must have:
- Submitted a completed application for admission and the designated nonrefundable application fee to the office of the Graduate School at least 30 days in advance of registration.
- Earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution (or its equivalent as determined by the Graduate School).
- Achieved a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale or a 3.00 GPA on the last 60 hours.
- Achieved a minimum 3.00 GPA on any previous graduate courses completed at either Arkansas State University or another accredited university.
- Submitted official transcripts from each college or university as requested by the Graduate School. Official transcripts must be submitted directly from the registrar of other institutions to the office of the Graduate School at Arkansas State University.
CONDITIONAL ADMISSION STATUS
An applicant who fails to meet the GPA requirements for Unconditional Admission Status, who lacks the appropriate undergraduate background for a particular degree program, or whose baccalaureate degree is from an unaccredited institution, may be granted Conditional Admission Status after:
- Submission of a completed application for admission and the designated nonrefundable application fee to the office of the Graduate School.
- Submitted official transcripts from each college or university as requested by the Graduate School. Official transcripts must be submitted directly from the registrar of other institutions to the office of the Graduate School at Arkansas State University.
- Achieving a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.50 on a 4.00 scale or a 2.75 GPA on the last 60 hours for admission into a graduate program or for admission as a non-degree student (see "Admission as a Graduate Non- degree Student").
COLLEGE STUDENT PERSONNEL SERVICES PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
CSPS PROGRAM ADMISSION PROCESS
Specific CSPS admission requirements are listed online in the Arkansas State University Graduate Bulletin under the Graduate School and the College of Education and Behavioral Science.
To be considered for admission to the M.S. degree program in College Student Personnel Services, applicants must have earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education, present evidence of personal qualities consistent with those required for effective practice in student affairs, and present evidence of the academic abilities needed to successfully complete online graduate level work. The grade point averages indicated below reflect minimum criteria for consideration of an applicant, and are weighed with other factors in admitting students. A variety of undergraduate majors are acceptable for admission to the CSPS program. The GRE and letters of recommendation are no longer required for CSPS program admission.
CSPS PROGRAM UNCONDITIONAL ADMISSION STATUS
Applicants who are admitted will be placed in the unconditional admission status if they meet one of the following criteria:
- A minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 2.75, or 3.00 or higher in the last 60 hours of undergraduate study.
- Unconditional admission to the Graduate School and a minimum cumulative graduate grade point average of 3.25 on 12 or more hours with no grade less than a “B”.
CSPS PROGRAM CONDITIONAL ADMISSION STATUS
Applicants who are admitted will be placed in the conditional admission status if they meet one of the following:
- A minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 2.50, or 2.75 on the last 60 hours.
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 on at least 6 hours of previous graduate work with no more than one grade of “C” and no grade less than “C”.
- A minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.70, continuous employment, full or part-time, for at least the previous 12 months in a student affairs position at an accredited institution of higher education, and submission of a letter from the Chief Student Affairs Officer of the employing institution attesting that the applicant has shown considerable promise for college student personnel work.
Application materials for the CSPS Program, defined above should be sent electronically to Astateonline@astate.edu. Questions concerning course work and schedule should be directed to the academic advisor, Dr. Les Wyatt leswyatt@astate.edu All other questions about the CSPS Program should be directed to Dr. Rick Stripling, Dr.Rick@astate.edu.
The online Master of Science in College Student Personnel Services (CSPS) program is ideal for motivated working professionals who are interested in a superior graduate program that is more flexible than traditional programs.
