Master's and Specialist Degree Requirements

To complete a master’s or specialist degree, a candidate must:

Complete the minimum number of credit hours required for the graduate program. Keep in mind that courses taken for undergraduate credit may not be used for a master’s or specialist degree;
Complete at least one-half of the minimum semester hours in courses numbered 700 or higher, which signifies that there are no undergraduate parallel courses associated with them. Graduate courses provide a graduate-level experience, and differ from undergraduate courses in the expectations/requirements;
No more than 49% of the required semester hours may be fulfilled by combining senior permission (up to 12 hours), courses taken prior to admission to the program (up to 30%), transfer (up to 30%), and assessment of prior learning;
Attain a grade point average of at least 3.0 on all graduate work utilized in the degree program that includes Missouri State University and transfer courses;
Satisfy a research requirement;
Pass a comprehensive examination. (Not all programs require a comprehensive examination so see specific program requirements);
Meet all additional program-specific degree requirements; and
Complete all requirements within an eight-year period (exclusive of time spent in the U.S. Armed Forces).

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