School
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Graduate Admission Requirements

Graduate Degrees
The Master of Arts (M.A.) is the basic graduate degree which offers further specialized study beyond the baccalaureate degree. The M.A. is offered in a variety of disciplines. The M.A. may be completed with or without a thesis.
 
The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) is a non-thesis option degree. The purpose of the program is to add to the competence of educators in academic as well as pedagogical and research skills. Previous teaching experience is not required for every program.
 
Regular Graduate Student Admission
A regular graduate student is one who meets all Graduate Division and program requirements for admission as a graduate student.To be admitted as a regular graduate student, an applicant must:
 
1. Complete the form, ``Application for Graduate Admission to the University''
through the Admissions Office;

2. Pay a $10 non-refundable application fee (for first-time WNMU students only);

3. Provide the Admissions Office with copies of official transcripts showing the award of a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution recognized by the Council on Post-Secondary Accreditation (COPA) and the last 64 hours of undergraduate work. These transcripts must be on file before an applicant is admitted to graduate study;

4. M.A. and M.A.T. applicants with an overall grade-point average of at least 3.20 for the last 64 credit hours of undergraduate/graduate work will be admitted on REGULAR status and will not be required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applicants who have a GPA of between 3.00 and 3.19 for the last 64 credit hours of undergraduate/graduate work will be admitted on regular status as long as they provide combined scores of at least 720 for any two of the three sub-tests of the GRE. Applicants who have a GPA of between 2.75 and 2.99 for the last 64 credit hours of undergraduate/graduate work will be admitted on provisional status and must provide combined scores of at least 720 for any two of the three sub-tests of the GRE. A student may take up to nine credit hours while on provisional status. If a 3.20 GPA is maintained, the student may request a review of his/her admission status.

5. M.B.A. program M.B.A. applicants must submit a minimum score of 400 from the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). The GMAT score must be on file with the Graduate Division and the department office before an applicant will be admitted to graduate study or permitted to enroll in any 500 level M.B.A. courses that apply toward the M.B.A. degree. Generally, acceptance to the program is based on the following formula: Undergraduate G.P.A. x 200 ;pl GMAT score = 950 or higher. Applicants not meeting the above criterion may petition the Department of Business Administration Graduate Admissions Committee to be admitted on special consideration. The petition must include a written definitive statement as to why the applicant believes that he/she will be able to successfully complete the M.B.A. program. M.B.A. applicants not meeting the 950 qualifying score must meet with the M.B.A. Graduate Admissions Committee for a personal interview to enable the Committee to assess the applicant's potential for successfully completing the M.B.A. program. In any given year, no more than 20% of all candidates selected for the M.B.A. program will be admitted with a qualifying score lower than 950.
 
Provisional Graduate Student Admission for the M.A. and M.A.T. Programs
A provisional graduate student is one who does not meet the regular graduate admissions standards of the Graduate Division. This classification is for a beginning graduate student who does not have an overall grade-point average of at least 3.20 out of a possible 4.0 for the last 64 credit hours of undergraduate and graduate work, but who does have a grade-point average of at least 2.75. To remedy a grade-point deficiency, the student who has completed the bachelor's degree requirement 3 (see above for regular graduate student admission), must complete nine (9) credits of graduate work, designated by his or her graduate advisor, with a grade of B or better in each course and provide the designated GRE score. Failure to meet these requirements will preclude further progress toward a graduate degree. A student admitted with provisional status must complete requirements 1 through 5 above for regular admission as a graduate student. Once the student has completed the nine (9) credits of graduate work designated by his or her graduate advisor with a grade of B or better in each course and submitted appropriate GRE scores, the student must request, in writing, to have the file reviewed by the Graduate Division for a change in status. A maximum of nine (9) credit hours of graduate work, in which the student has earned a grade of B or better while a provisional student will be counted toward a master's degree at WNMU.

Graduate Credit
Only graduate students are admitted to 500-level courses. However, when a senior at WNMU has fewer than 12 credit hours to complete the bachelor's degree, has a minimum grade point average of 3.20, and expects to complete the bachelor's degree during the same semester, he/she may be admitted to a maximum of six (6) graduate credit hours while completing the undergraduate degree. Students who are deficient in certain undergraduate courses in the major field will be expected to remove these deficiencies without graduate credit. When it is apparent that further work in auxiliary subjects may make a substantial contribution to the M.A. and M.A.T. graduate program, the student may be allowed to take up to 6 credit hours of courses at the undergraduate 400-level. Registration for such courses must have the approval of the student's advisor, the Department Chair/Dean in which the courses are offered, and the Director of the Graduate Division. The instructor is required to submit an outline of all extra work undertaken by the graduate student to justify graduate credit in a 400 level course. When the student registers for a course numbered below 500 for graduate credit, he/she must make certain that the registration form carries official notation of the fact.
 
Enrollment Certification (Graduate)
WNMU is frequently requested to certify a student's enrollment status as to full-time, half-time, etc. The attached guidelines are used primarily to verify enrollment for the purpose of financial aid eligibility and loan deferments.
 
Load Limitations
The graduate student is limited to a maximum of 12 credit hours during each semester of the regular academic year. During each five-week summer session, the student is limited to six credit hours. Those students who are recipients of graduate assistantships cannot take more than twelve (12) or fewer than six (6) credit hours during a regular term. Enrollment for only six (6) credit hours (three in summer) results in reduced remuneration for the graduate assistant.
 
Grade Requirements
No more than three credit hours with a grade of C will count toward fulfillment of the requirements for the master's degree. A cumulative average of 3.0 is required for graduation.
 
Earning a Second Master's Degree
Earning a second master's degree will require that a student complete at least 30 credit hours beyond the original master's degree.
 
Graduate Assistant Program
The purpose of the Graduate Assistant (GA) program at WNMU is to provide graduate students with a supplemental learning experience which enhances their graduate education program.Graduate students who have been admitted as regular students, to the graduate school, are eligible to apply for a GA position. In addition to meeting the Graduate School's academic standards, a GA must also achieve a 3.0 GPA each semester. Failure to maintain a 3.0 GPA jeopardizes the graduate assistantship, which may be revoked upon review by the Director of the Graduate Division. Graduate assistantships are offered in two categories: academic (nine-month contracts usually beginning in the fall semester); and administrative (twelve-month contracts beginning at the start of the fiscal year, July 1). Graduate Assistants normally enroll for 9 graduate credit hours, and may not take more than 12 or fewer than 6 credit hours each regular semester.Enrollment in fewer than 9 graduate credit hours results in reduced remuneration for the graduate assistant. Enrollment in 3 graduate credit hours is needed by administrative assistants during each summer session.
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