Online Degrees at Indiana State University
Indiana State University appears in our ranking of the Top 10 Most Affordable Accelerated Master’s in Education Online.
ISU now offers more than 20 online graduate degree programs. Some of them will be highlighted in this article.
Students interested in the law can earn a Master of Arts or a Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice online. This accredited program features both research and core courses. Students must take three seminars in Law and Society, Criminological Theories and Law and Criminal Justice Administration. They earn three credits for a research class and then six credits for a thesis paper or project that they present to their professors. This program also features a thesis defense. Students will answer questions asked of them by a panel.
The Master of Arts in History program that ISU offers asks students to take a seminar on Europe, The Wider World or The United States. They will then take a course or a seminar that looks at a specific era in American history. This is a unique program because it gives students the option of choosing a concentration in the History of Labor and Reform Movements in the United States. Those who do not want to study this area can instead take 24 credits of history electives. To wrap up their degrees, students must complete a thesis and an oral exam and show proficiency in a foreign language.
ISU also offers business and education programs for online graduate students. Its Occupational Safety Management program allows students to earn a Master of Arts or Science degree. Students in this program take required courses such as Occupational Systems Analysis, Administration Procedures for Occupational Safety Management and Human Factors/Ergonomics in Safety Management. The university requires that students take two research classes also. They can then either do a field research project based on health and safety standards or complete a thesis.
Students who want to work with those who have physical and learning disabilities can enroll in the university’s Master of Science in Special Education program. The university accepts both those with a teaching license and those without a license. This program features 39 credits of work, but those who want to get a teaching license must also complete 24 other credits of classes. They can then get a teaching license in Indiana and meet some of the requirements for getting a license in another state. Though Indiana State University does not require that special education majors do a thesis, it does require that they take a Special Education Action Research class and do some independent research.
About Indiana State University
Indiana State University is one of the largest public university systems in Indiana. Founded in 1865 as the Indiana State Normal School, it took over a small building once used as a seminary school. This new school offered a two-year certificate program that provided students with practical training and courses that taught them how to teach others. After adding bachelor’s degree programs to its curriculum in 1908, the school became the Indiana State Teachers College. Other curriculum changes led to the college becoming the Indiana State College before becoming Indiana State University in 1965.
Called both ISU and Indiana State today, the university has a campus in Terre Haute that is close to the city’s business district. This campus is more than 200 acres large and puts students close to the off-campus jobs and internships available for them. The campus is also home to the Center for Student Success, which offers unique programs for undergrads and graduate students as well as prospective students. Washington Monthly and Forbes both rank ISU as one of the top schools in the United States. The main campus is home to more than 10,000 students, but ISU online, which is its virtual campus, also enrolls students across all levels.
Indiana State University Accreditation Details
The United States Department of Education only allows students who attend a college or university with regional accreditation to apply for financial aid. As ISU has regional accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, prospective and current students can complete the FAFSA. They can also transfer credits between any two schools that have regional accreditation. Its dietetics, nursing, psychology and art and design programs all have accreditation too. ISU also has accreditation for its teaching and some of its therapy programs.
Indiana State University Application Requirements
ISU has the same application requirements as many other online colleges do. Those requirements include a completed application packet and some other information. Students will use the online application to provide the university with information about their backgrounds, including what they studied in school and the degrees that they earned. They must have a college degree before starting most graduate programs. Students will submit official transcripts that show the university where they earned their degrees and the grades they received in undergrad programs. The transcript should have the school’s seal on the front and include both a cumulative GPA and a list of classes the student took.
Students can provide other information online or through the mail. The different programs offered by Indiana State may as for different things such as a resume or a writing sample. Some programs ask for both a writing sample and a research sample or just one sample. Students may need to submit their resumes and a cover letter or a short personal essay too. Select programs and departments will also ask for letters of recommendation.
Tuition and Financial Aid
ISU offers a lower rate for Indiana residents and a slightly higher rate for nonresidents. Nonresidents pay $793 per credit hour, while Indiana residents pay $404 per credit hour. These rates include all university fees. The university provides students living in select Midwestern states a scholarship that reduces their tuition down to $513 per credit hour. Students from Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois all qualify for this discount. Online graduate students pay this same rate when taking classes through ISU online.
In addition to a tuition scholarship, Indiana State also offers other scholarships for grad students. Students can get $500 or more which the university will apply to their accounts. The university has a scholarship search on its website that allows students to search for scholarships based on their majors or where they live. Grad students can also use PLUS loans and traditional student loans from the government as well as alternative loans.
