Types of Admission

The Graduate Non-degree student classification is for those who wish to enroll in graduate courses but who do not wish to pursue any graduate degree at the university.

This option is for those seeking personal development, those fulfilling professional renewal requirements, those returning for educational workshops, and transient students. Students who have been admitted to another accredited graduate school and wish to take courses for transfer may establish Non-degree status by submitting an application for admission and a graduate transcript indicating good standing from the other institution.

Non-degree students may take an undergraduate and/or graduate course for which they qualify, with concurrence of the department offering the course. Departments, however, may restrict non-degree students from enrolling in designated courses. Departments also may require that non-degree students must consult with an adviser from the department before enrolling in any classes. Former or currently-enrolled non-degree students who want to apply for admission to a degree program must meet all requirements of that program. 

Admission as a non-degree student does not imply that the student meets either Unconditional Status or graduate degree program admission requirements. Graduate credit earned as a non-degree student may be applied to a degree program only with approval of the appropriate department chair and the graduate dean. No more than 12 hours earned in non-degree status and no courses with a grade lower than "B" may be applied to a graduate degree. Non-degree admission does not entitle the student to enroll in the 7000 or 8000 level courses. Exceptions may be made for those holding an appropriate master's degree in a relevant field as accepted by the Department of Educational Leadership, Curriculum, and Special Education. Enrollment in 7000-level courses with COUN and PSY prefixes requires admission to the Ed.S. in Psychology and Counseling, unconditional admission to another university's accredited post-master degree program with a major in psychology or counseling, or (with permission) admission to the Ed.S. in Educational Administration, the Specialist in Community College Teaching Program, or the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. Enrollment in 8000-level courses is restricted to those who have been admitted to pursue the doctoral degrees.

The Accelerated Master’s degree option provides a transition that enables outstanding Arkansas State University undergraduate students to begin taking graduate course work in their junior or senior year and thus combine components of the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Students admitted into an approved Accelerated Masters Degree Program may have a limited number of graduate level courses counted toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree. Students must apply and be admitted to the accelerated master’s program
by the department and the Graduate School before enrolling for any courses to apply to the graduate degree. Graduate programs at Arkansas State University offering an accelerated option are listed:

• Accounting (M.Acc.)
• Agriculture (M.S.A.) - All Concentrations
• Chemistry (M.S.)
• Computer Science (M.S.)
• Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (M.S.)
• Engineering (M.S.Engr.)
• Engineering Management (M.E.M.)
• History (M.A.)
• Mathematics (M.S.)
• Political Science (M.A.)
• Public Administration (M.P.A.) - online only
• Special Education - Instructional Specialist Grades K-12 (M.S.E.)

Depending on the program, up to 12 hours of graduate credits will apply toward completion of the undergraduate degree requirements. Under the Accelerated Master’s degree option, a student will be fully admitted to the Graduate School upon completion of the baccalaureate degree. This dual counting of a course for both undergraduate and graduate credit will only occur after the student completes the baccalaureate degree. Only courses with grades B or better will be eligible to count toward graduate credit. Undergraduate students interested in the Accelerated Master’s opportunity should contact their department or the Graduate School 5 for admission information.

Graduate students transferring to Arkansas State University from other institutions must be in good standing with that institution from which they seek to transfer graduate coursework.

Subject to the approval of the student's A-State Adviser and the Graduate Dean, a student who has a "B" grade average or above in graduate work from another approved institution may be permitted to transfer a maximum of nine semester hours of credit.  Only work with "B" or better grades earned at an accredited graduate school and acceptable toward a graduate degree at that institution will be considered for transfer.  No correspondence courses may be transferred.

Graduate work completed prior to six years from the students' date of completion of the degree cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements.  Transfer credit taken prior to admission at Arkansas State University will be included in the six year limit.

In individual cases, when permitted by the program and upon the recommendation of the adviser, credits earned at Arkansas State University for one master's degree may, if appropriate to another degree plan, be applied toward the requirements for a second master's degree. No more than one-half of the total hours for the second degree may come from a previous degree program and credits applied under this policy must have been earned within the six year limit for completion of the second degree.