Accredited, Accelerated Ball State Online Master’s Degrees
Ranked the U.S. News & World Report’s 38th best online graduate school, Ball State University is a public, research-based MAC member with Quality Matters certification to grant 23 online master’s programs in condensed eight-week formats at a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. For example, the M.S. in Interior Design offers a 33-credit, CIDA-accredited socially responsible curriculum on an 18-month Fast Track with virtual practice in the Health Environment Design Research Lab. Chaired by Dr. David McIntosh, the 30-credit M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis delivers Indiana’s first Autism Emphasis online with 280 classroom hours for a 62 percent first-time BCBA certification pass rate.
Online via Canvas, the NLN Center of Excellence offers a 36-credit, CCNE-accredited path to the M.S. in Nursing Administration that combines asynchronous 600-level classes like Financial Management with 180-hour internship placements, such as Hancock Regional or Deaconess Hospital. Directed by Dr. Robin Blom, the M.A. in Journalism at David Letterman’s alma mater grants 36-credit specializations for Emerging Media, Visual Reporting, Literary Journalism, and Digital Storytelling fully online with Cardinal Metrics labs plus Ball State Daily publishing. Additional online degrees include the M.A. in Athletic Coaching, M.S. in Nutrition, M.S. in Quantitative Psychology, M.A. in Mathematics Education, M.S. in Information Science, M.B.A. in Entrepreneurship, and M.A. in Elementary Education.
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About Ball State University
Ball State University originated in 1899 when President F.A.Z. Kumler ran the Eastern Indiana Normal School for 256 aspiring teachers paying just $10 annual tuition. Closed in 1901, it was reopened by banker Francis Palmer for $100,000 as Palmer University in 1902. Three years later, it became the Indiana Normal College under President Francis Ingler. On July 25, 1917, the five Ball Corporation brothers bought the foreclosed institution. The next year, it became the Eastern Branch to Indiana State University in Terre Haute. In 1922, it was named Ball Teachers College to honor Lucius, William, Edmund, Frank, and George Ball’s generosity. By 1965, the General Assembly granted it independence as Ball State College. In Fall 1975, the 320,000-square-foot Alexander M. Bracken Library was opened to collect over 1.5 million works. In 1999, the Master of Science in Nursing started BSU’s first online courses.
Endowed for $201.8 million, Ball State University now employs 1,245 staff serving 22,513 Cardinals from 50 states and 55 countries online or face-to-face at three Indiana locations with 440+ clubs like Alpha Phi Sigma. In 2018, BSU earned the Indiana Society of Chicago’s Institution of the Year Award. In 2014, BSU won the Sloan Consortium’s Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Education Award. Ball State accepted the 2014 UPCEA Strategic Innovation in Online Education Award too. Forbes ranked BSU the 178th best public university and 204th top research institution. On Niche, BSU boasts America’s 101st best criminal justice, 104th top kinesiology, and 137th best communications degrees. The Wall Street Journal placed Ball State University among its top 600 overall. College Magazine picked BSU as the #1 school for students with disabilities. WalletHub declared BSU the 246th best national value.
Ball State University Accreditation Details
On January 21, 2014, Ball State University received formal notification from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC-NCA) that the Institutional Actions Council reaffirmed the maximum Level VI accreditation through 2023-24 under its 17th president, Dr. Geoffrey S. Mearns, who earned the St. Thomas More Award for Outstanding Legal Service. Located 212 miles west via Route 30 in Chicago, this huge 19-state Heartland Region accreditor is authorized by the U.S. Education Department to review BSU’s 123 undergrads, 76 master’s, and 14 doctoral degrees. The Office of Institutional Research & Decision Support also lists the following accreditations:
- Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
- Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
- American Psychological Association
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology
- National Association of Schools of Art and Design
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
- National Association of Schools of Music
- American Council for Construction Education
- Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs
- American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
- National Association of Schools of Theatre
- Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications
- Council for Interior Design Accreditation
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
- Council on Social Work Education
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
Ball State University Application Requirements
Enrolling at Ball State University is classified “moderately difficult” by Peterson’s because only 15,017 of the 24,191 Fall 2017 applicants were selected for competitive 62 percent acceptance. Post-grad Cardinals must hold four-year bachelor’s degrees from regionally accredited colleges or the foreign equivalent. Basic admission criteria stipulate 2.75 cumulative GPAs or higher. Some online programs, such as the M.A. in Public Relations and M.A. in History, require 3.0 GPAs. The Online M.B.A. admits an average 3.21 GPA. At a minimum, the Miller College of Business requires 450 GMAT, 149 GRE Verbal, or 149 GRE Quantitative scores. Online M.S. in Quantitative Psychology applicants need GRE scores in the 50th percentile. The Teachers College seeks online master’s majors with current K-12 certification plus one year of experience. The Online M.A. in Athletic Coaching strongly prefers sport-specific certifications and five years of experience. Online M.S.N. programs mandate 500+ hours of licensed RN work.
Ball State University has many different program deadlines in Graduate School. For instance, the Online M.A. in Journalism has July 1st, December 1st, and April 1st deadlines. Online M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis cohorts must file by April 15th, July 10th, or December 7th. The M.A. in Public Relations Online accepts entrants until August 17th, January 6th, and May 11th. The Low-Residency M.A. in Emerging Media Design & Development only admits Fall cohorts until July 15th. Accordingly, check degree dates before submitting the BSU Application online with $60 by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover. Have registrars mail official transcripts to 2000 West University Avenue in Muncie, IN 47306. Electronic GRE test reports require institutional code 1051. Master’s checklist items may include the current résumé, 2-3 recommendations, one-page purpose statement, design portfolio, 2,500-word writing sample, teaching certificate, and RN license. Contact (765) 285-1581 or online@bsu.edu for more info.
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2018-19, Ball State Online charged basic graduate tuition of $410 per credit for Indiana residents. Out-of-state master’s students spent $616 per online credit. Taking 0-6 credits incurred a $110 technology fee. Full-time online graduates paid a $168 technology fee by term. The Online M.A. in Interior Design added a $15 fee per credit. The Miller College billed a $500 M.B.A. fee each semester. The M.S.N. Online options require a $150 program fee every term. Clinical practicum courses cost $400 apiece. Student teaching also adds a $200 fee. Average annual Graduate School costs are $9,626 in-state and $20,322 out-of-state.
According to the NCES College Navigator, the Office of Financial Aid in Lucina Hall Room 245 links 66 percent of full-time BSU Cardinals to tuition assistance averaging $10,387 apiece for $116.06 million combined. Graduate funds include the Frances Mayhew Rippy Scholarship, Dr. Janet Ross Scholarship, Patricia & Anthony Martone Scholarship, Paul Allen Bennett Student Scholarship, Ruth Myers Nursing Scholarship, Sally Gibson Memorial Scholarship, Evelyn Reynolds Wible Endowed Scholarship, Reach Out to the Handicapped Scholarship, William Jennings Casey Transition to Teaching Scholarship, and Nellie Gantz Scholarship. The Midwest Student Exchange Program lowers the out-of-state cost to 150 percent of the Indiana rate. The Employer Assistance Program allows up to $5,250 in tax-free tuition reimbursement annually. Filing FAFSA forms coded 001786 unlocks federal aid, such as the Federal Teach Grant and Graduate Plus Loan. External programs like the ASH Foundation Graduate Scholarship, Paul & Daisy Soros Graduate Fellowship, and Barbara Cooley Master’s Scholarship also help.
Learn more about Ball State University at the Online & Distance Education Department website.
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