Graduate Degree Programs
Major Program--A student’s major program is the field of primary interest and the one in which the greater portion of graduate work is taken. Programs are designed to prepare students to assume positions of informed and responsible authority in their fields and to contribute creatively to them. They promote not only specialization, but also breadth of scholarship, the ability to study and think independently, and familiarity with the principal techniques and important literature in the field. The research undertaken by the candidate should deal with a problem that can yield a significant contribution to knowledge.
In general, departments of the University are identified with specific major programs. Thus, Aerospace Engineering is the program of study that is offered by the Department of Aerospace Engineering. In some cases, a single department offers work in more than one degree program. Occasionally, two or more departments within a college collaborate in offering an interdisciplinary program.
Intercollege Graduate Programs--When faculty members from departments in two or more colleges collaborate in offering a graduate major, the program is designated as an intercollege graduate degree program. A committee of graduate faculty members approved by the Graduate School is responsible for administering the program under a program chair. The University currently offers more than a dozen such programs, primarily at the doctoral level. They are included and identified in the listings at the beginning of this bulletin. Students interested in these programs should contact the program chair listed in the program description in this bulletin.
The degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Education, and Doctor of Musical Arts are conferred by the University. The Ph.D. places a strong emphasis on research. The D.Ed. strongly emphasizes professional competence in a field of education. All require high attainment and productive scholarship.
The Master of Arts and the Master of Science degrees are academic in nature, the programs placing emphasis on basic knowledge and research. A number of professional master's degrees also are conferred: Master of Accounting, Master of Agriculture, Master of Applied Statistics, Master of Architecture, Master of Biotechnology, Master of Business Administration, Master of Education, Master of Engineering, Master of Environmental Pollution Control, Master of Finance, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Forest Resources, Master of Geographic Information Systems, Master of Health Administration, Master of International Affairs, Master of Landscape Architecture, Master of Leadership Development, Master of Manufacturing Management, Master of Music, Master of Music Education, Master of Professional Studies, Master of Project Management, Master of Public Administration, and Master of Software Engineering.
Graduate degree programs are offered at five campuses of the University: University Park (State College); Penn State Erie, The Behrend College (Erie); Penn State Harrisburg (Harrisburg); the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (Hershey); and Penn State Great Valley (Malvern). Some graduate programs also are offered online through Penn State's World Campus at www.worldcampus.psu.edu(Opens New Window).
A graduate student who has been admitted for work in one major program but who wants to transfer to another should complete a “Resume Study/Change of Degree or Major” form and submit the request to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services. The student’s credentials will be reviewed and the proposed new major department head or committee chair consulted. If the change is approved but the student is inadequately prepared for the new major, the student may be required to make up certain deficiencies.
A graduate student admitted for either an academic degree (M.A., M.S., or Ph.D.) or a professional degree (M.Acc., M.Agr., M.A.S., M.Arch., M.Biot., M.B.A., M.C.P., M.E.P.C., M.Ed., M.Eng., M.F.A., M.Fin., M.F.R., M.G.I.S., M.H.A., M.I.A., M.L.A., M.L.D., M.M.E., M.M.M., M.Mus., M.P.A., M.P.M., M.P.S., M.S.E., D.Ed., or D.M.A.) who wants to change from one type of degree program to another must complete a “Resume Study/Change of Degree or Major” form and submit the request to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services. Similarly, a student who has earned a master’s degree but who wants to earn a doctoral degree in a different field must complete a “Resume Study/Change of Degree or Major” form and submit the request ot the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services. A student may be required to make up certain deficiencies if inadequately prepared for the new program.
In general, graduate students are best advised to focus on one degree objective at a time. However, a candidate for a master’s degree in one major field who wishes to begin work for either a master’s or a doctoral degree in a second field; or a candidate for a doctoral degree who wishes to begin work on a master’s degree in a second field while concurrently completing the doctoral program can petition to do so (approval will not be granted for concurrent double Ph.D. or D.Ed. degrees). The department heads of both fields and the director of Graduate Enrollment Services must approve any such plan. Guidelines for preparation of a proposal for concurrent candidacies have been established by the Graduate Council and are available in the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services, 114 Kern Building.
Students may apply for dual-title degrees in one of the dual-title programs approved by the Graduate Council. Students wishing to follow this course of action must already be enrolled in an existing graduate program and have a primary program in which the greater portion of the work will be conducted. The primary program will be supplemented by a secondary program in which substantial work is carried out under the supervision of a faculty adviser from the secondary program. Guidelines and information are available from the dean of the Graduate School.
Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate Study--The Schreyer Honors College offers selected baccalaureate degree candidates the opportunity to integrate undergraduate and graduate courses of study in a continuous program culminating in both a baccalaureate and a master’s degree.
A University Scholar who is granted Integrated Undergraduate–Graduate (IUG) status will have dual enrollment in an undergraduate program and in the Graduate School. Some credits earned as an under-graduate may be applied to both degree programs. Guidelines and information are available from The Schreyer Honors College.
Other Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate Programs--A limited number of approved Integrated Undergraduate–Graduate programs other than those in The Schreyer Honors College are also offered. These programs allow students to work on an undergraduate and a graduate degree at the same time and are intended for exceptional students who can perform their academic studies at an accelerated pace and take on the challenges of graduate courses and research while still enrolled as undergraduates. Typically, a certain number of credits may be applied to both degrees, and the total time for completing both degrees is less than if the degrees were earned separately. These programs include those within a single department, such as the B.L.A./M.L.A. in Landscape Architecture, the B.Arch.-M.S.Arch. program, the B.A./M.A. in Comparative Literature, and B.A.E./M.A.E. in Architectural Engineering; and also those that are interdepartmental or intercollegiate programs, and the integrated five-year science/business B.S./M.B.A. program. Guidelines and information are available from the dean of the Graduate School.