Below are some of the Frequently
Asked Questions received by the Graduate School. Please look to
see if your question is below before calling the Graduate School.
If you are a U.S. citizen and you intend to pursue
a graduate degree, you must:
1. Complete
an application, either on line or we can send you an application
packet. 2. Pay the $30.00 application
fee, $35.00 effective January 1, 2007. 3.Provide letters of recommendation
and entrance examination results, if applicable, for your area
of study. Some departments require other documents, such as
a personal letter, resume, teaching certificate, etc. 4. Provide documentation
that you have been awarded a bachelor's degree from an accredited
institution. 5. Provide an official bachelor's
degree transcript or master's degree transcript and official
transcripts of all post-secondary educational institutions you
have attended.
If you are an International Student, you are
also required to submit:
1. A $35.00
application fee. 2. A completed financial
statement. 3. A personal letter. 4. Evidence of English language
proficiency (i.e., verification that your native language is
English, evidence of a baccalaureate degree, or higher, from
an accredited educational institution of higher education, a
TOEFL score of 550 on the paper-based version or a 213 on the
computer-based exam, or documentation that you have completed
a recognized and approved intensive English language program. 5. If transferring from
another U.S. educational institution, a completed transfer authorization
document. 6. A completed health form.
Please note that international students requiring visas are
not eligible for non-degree admission status.
Non-degree applicants must:
1. Submit
a completed application (no application fee). 2. Provide a copy of a bachelor's
or master's degree transcript from an accredited institution.
Do I have to apply to the Graduate
School just to take one class?
You must apply and be admitted to the Graduate
School to earn graduate credit. Graduate credit can be earned
by graduate students in courses numbered above 500.
I want to sign up for the GRE (Graduate
Record Exam).
The Kelly Testing Center provides registration
materials for the GRE, GMAT, MAT, TOEFL, etc. They are located
in Picken Hall #308, telephone (785) 628-4401.
Please check out the ETS web site at www.ets.org
for information on the GRE, GMAT, or TOEFL.
You can either
call and request that an application be sent
to you, or you can download the form within
this site on the Forms & Applications
page. You will also be required to submit a
personal letter stating the reasons you desire
the award and a brief statement about your work
experience.
The deadline
for applying for a graduate assistantship is
March 1.
If you are
an international student, you are also required
to take the SPEAK or TSE and achieve a minimum
score of 50, and you should provide a memo from
the department chair signed by two faculty members
and one current student attesting that your
English ability is adequate.
How
many hours do I have to be enrolled in to
be a Graduate Assistant?
If you have a graduate assistantship, you must
be enrolled in at least 6 hours of graduate
credit that are on your approved program of
study for the fall and spring semesters, and
3 hours during the summer session.
How many hours do I
have to be enrolled in to be considered full time?
You need to
be enrolled in 9 hours to be considered full
time (without an assistantship) during the fall
and spring semesters, and 6 hours to be considered
half time.
During the
summer, full time is 4 hours (without an assistantship).
What if I want to change
my emphasis area within my major?
If you
wish to change your emphasis area, you will need to
complete a new application and personal statement form
so that the department may approve the new emphasis
area.
Most departments
don't have a deadline for their applications to Graduate
School; however, Psychology has a deadline of November
1st for Spring, Speech-Language Pathology is October
15th for Spring, and both departments have a deadline
of March 1st for Fall.
What is the deadline for submitting an Intent to Graduate
and to sign up for comps?
If you
plan to graduate at the end of a given semester or term,
you must file an Intent to
Graduate at the time of enrollment or before
the deadline given in the class schedule. You must be
admitted to candidacy before being eligible to file
an Intent to Graduate.
Deadlines
vary by semester, but the deadlines are posted in the
class schedule, the campus newspaper, and on our web
site.
After the
end of the semester, all theses are sent to Forsyth
Library. The library sends the theses to
the bindery, and they are usually returned within
four to six weeks. Your copies will be mailed
to you.
What if I have changed my mind about Graduate
School and now I want to take undergraduate courses?
You will need
to send a short note to the Graduate School
stating that you want to disband your graduate
status in order to take undergraduate courses.
If you decide to take graduate
courses again at a later date, you will need
to reapply, and if applying to a degree program,
pay the $25 application fee.
Can courses I took at another
college or university count towards my master's
degree at FHSU?
You must earn
a minimum of 15 resident credit hours at FHSU.
However, individual departments may require
more hours than 15 hours. You should contact
the department of your major about departmental
requirements concerning transfer credit.
Transfer credit will not
be added to your program until an official transcript
for the course(s) has been received in the Graduate
School.
If you are an FHSU senior, you may take courses
for graduate credit but only in the final semester
of your senior year. You must apply and
be accepted to the Graduate School and have your
undergraduate advisor send a memo to the Graduate
Dean asking permission for you to enroll in graduate
courses. Seniors pay undergraduate fees
for graduate-level courses.
How long can I take to complete
my Master’s or Specialist in Education
degree?
All graduate
courses for a Master's or Specialist in Education
degree program must be completed within six
years.
The time begins with the
beginning of the semester or summer term that
the first course is taken on the degree program.
Outdated courses may be validated upon approval
of the Graduate Dean.
