Emporia State University
Emporia, Kansas 66801
Overview
The University, founded in 1863, has a long, diverse, and exciting history, which is reflected in its twenty-three different graduate programs in teaching, library science and information management, business, and liberal arts and sciences. Although all programs are of high quality, the University is particularly well known for its teacher education and library and information management programs. At ESU, small class sizes are the norm.
The total on-campus enrollment is approximately 5,000, with about 435 full-time and 1,430 part-time graduate students. About 30 percent of the full-time graduate students receive financial assistance of some kind; 6 percent are international students. In 2002, 3 Ed.S. degrees, 381 master's degrees, and 2 Ph.D. degrees were conferred.
Approximately 60 percent of the graduates find employment in their major fields of study within the state of Kansas, 29 percent of the graduates are employed in their major field of study outside the state of Kansas, 2 percent find employment outside their major field of study, 5 percent continue their education, and 4 percent are unemployed.
The Location and Community
Emporia, with a population of more than 26,000, is an educational, industrial, trade, and medical center serving 60,000 people in east-central Kansas. It is situated on the eastern edge of the famous Bluestem region of the Flint Hills and is surrounded by numerous lakes and recreational facilities. The city is located on the Kansas Turnpike, Interstate Highway 35. Three major metropolitan areas of the state-Topeka, Kansas City, and Wichita-are within 100 miles.
Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
Emporia State University (ESU) offers courses leading to the Master of Arts in English, history, and biology. The Master of Science is offered in art therapy, biology, business education, curriculum and instruction (effective practitioner studies, national board certification, curriculum leadership), early childhood, educational administration, health and physical education, instructional design and technology, master teacher studies (subject matter, reading specialist studies, teaching ESL), mathematics, mental health counseling, physical sciences (chemistry, earth science, physics, and physical sciences education options), psychology, rehabilitation counseling, school counseling, school psychology, special education, and student personnel in higher education. The Master of Arts in Teaching is offered in social sciences. The University also offers Master of Business Administration (general or accounting concentration), Master of Library Science, Master of Music, and Master of Legal Information Management degree programs.
The Specialist in Education (Ed.S.) degree is offered in school psychology, and the Ph.D. is offered in library and information management.
The University conducts an academic year of two semesters plus a nine-week summer session in which graduate courses are offered in every field.
The University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States. Its programs are recognized by the AACSB International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the American Chemical Society, and the National Association of Schools of Music and accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the American Library Association, the American Art Therapy Association, the Council on Rehabilitative Education, the Kansas State Department of Education, and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
Facilities & Resources
The William Allen White Library contains more than 1 million books, government documents, periodicals, theses, and nonprint materials. The library provides online access to a large number of bibliographic, full-text, and full-image databases. Other resources are available via the Internet at public access computers located in the library, via Web access through the home page, or through a proxy service for distance education students. Materials not available at ESU can be requested from other libraries throughout the world by utilizing the interlibrary loans service. Other key library resources are the Special Collections Department, located in White Library, and the University Archives, located in Anderson Library on the west campus.
The Departments of Biological Sciences and Physical Sciences have the Jones Biotechnology Laboratories and the Jones Environmental Chemistry Laboratories, with state-of-the-art equipment. The University operates four natural areas for biological research in tall grass prairie, upland and deciduous forest, and marshland. The Department of Psychology and Special Education has a state-of-the-art research laboratory for students and faculty members. The Department of Counselor Education and Rehabilitation Programs supports a state-of-the-art counseling clinic for training students and providing service to the community.
Expenses and Aid
Fees for a full graduate course load were estimated at $2408 per semester for state residents and $5915 per semester for nonresidents. For the summer session, resident fees are $235 per credit hour, and nonresident fees are $587 per credit hour. Fees are subject to change by action of the Board of Regents.
Financial Aid:
Most departments offering graduate work, as well as numerous other units within the University, award graduate assistantships. During the academic year, the University employs at least 185 graduate assistants. To qualify for an assistantship, an applicant must have a minimum overall grade point average of 2.5 for four years or 2.75 for the last two years of undergraduate study, based on a 4.0 scale. Students may be eligible for fee reductions during each term in which they hold an assistantship appointment. Nonresident full-time graduate assistants are assessed fees at the same rate as residents of Kansas.
Housing/Living Expenses:
The Department of Residential Life offers graduate students a number of cost-effective living arrangements. On-campus apartments rent for $230 per month (utilities included). The apartment complex five blocks east of campus features one- and two-bedroom units that rent for $195 to $290 per month, depending on furnishings. Students can contact the department by telephone at 620-341-5264 or by e-mail (reslife@emporia.edu) for more information.
How to Apply
Applications for admission to the Graduate School should be made thirty days before the first day of an enrollment period. Some academic departments have earlier deadlines. For admission as a master's degree student, an applicant must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 in the last 60 hours of undergraduate study. Applicants for the M.A. in English and the M.S. in special education must have at least a 2.75 grade point average or at least a 3.0 in the major. Applicants for the Specialist in Education degree must hold a master's degree from an accredited college or university with grades of B or better in three fourths of the credit hours taken for the degree. Applicants for the M.S. in psychology, school psychology, or art therapy must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 or at least 3.25 for the last 60 hours of an undergraduate program. Applicants for the M.A. in history must have a 3.0 GPA in 12 hours of history.
Who to Contact
Graduate Studies and Research
Emporia State University
Emporia, Kansas 66801-5087
620-341-5403
800-950-GRAD
Fax: 620-341-5909
E-mail: gradinfo@emporia.edu
Graduate Programs
• The following list shows specializations and research of the faculty within each graduate program and the chair or graduate adviser of each department.
• Biological Sciences (M.S., M.A.): David Saunders, Ph.D., Coordinator of Graduate Studies. Animal and plant ecology, animal behavior, cellular and molecular biology, ecology and physiology of grassland plants, endocrinology, entomology, environmental biochemistry and physiology, evolutionary biology, fisheries and wildlife management, ichthyology, immunology, invertebrate and vertebrate zoology, mammalogy, microbiology, ornithology, population and molecular genetics, plant and animal anatomy/physiology, plant and animal taxonomy/systematics, biology education, soil science, virology.
• Business (M.B.A., M.S. in business education): Robert Hite, Ph.D., Dean. M.B.A. faculty research interests include accounting, computer information systems, finance, economics, international business, management, and marketing. The research interests of faculty members teaching in the Master of Science in business education program include business teacher education and vocational education.
• Counselor Education and Rehabilitation Programs (M.S.): Patricia Neufeld, Ph.D., Interim Chair. Mental health counseling, K-12 school counseling, rehabilitation counseling, student personnel services in higher education.
• Early Childhood/Elementary Teacher Education (M.S.): Lawrence Lyman, Ph.D., Chair. Master teacher (reading specialist, teaching ESL, elementary subject matter), early childhood education, postbaccalaureate teacher certification. Faculty specializations include authentic assessment, cooperative learning, curriculum integration, Reading Recovery, inclusion, and multicultural education. Distance learning is available for many courses in all programs.
• English (M.A.): Mel Storm, Ph.D., Director of Graduate Studies. Emphases include rhetoric and composition, creative writing, and English and American literatures. Courses for in-service teachers and for those who wish to pursue careers in community college teaching are also available. Dual master's degrees are offered with the School of Library and Information Management. Faculty specializations include medieval literature and language, Renaissance literature, eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British literature, nineteenth-century American literature, twentieth-century American literature, contemporary literature, world literature, women's studies, American studies, young adult fiction, English education, creative writing, folklore, popular culture, gender and ethnic studies, critical theory, rhetoric and composition, linguistics, and journalism.
• Health, Physical Education and Recreation (M.S.): Kathy Ermler, Ed.D., Chair. Pedagogy, exercise physiology, technology in health and physical education, sports ethics, administration, psychology of sport and physical education, motor behavior, health promotion and health education. The entire Master of Science in physical education may be completed through the Internet.
• History (M.A.): Deborah Gerish, Ph.D., Coordinator. World history (cultural, religious, and intellectual history of medieval and early modern Europe; military and political history of modern Germany, France, Russia, Eastern Europe), U.S. history (Native American cultures, colonial history, nineteenth-century U.S., political history of the South, women's history, twentieth-century political history, Kansas history, public history). Dual master's degrees are offered with the School of Library and Information Management.
• Instructional Design and Technology (M.S.): Marcus Childress, Ph.D., Chair. Instructional design and technology. A number of courses are offered via the World Wide Web (http://idt.emporia.edu).
• Library and Information Management (M.L.S., Ph.D.): Ann L. O'Neill, Ph.D., Dean. Analysis of information services and delivery systems, community analysis, economics of information, information brokering, information management, information transfer, library and information science education, management of library and information systems, organization and retrieval of information, psychology of information use, sociology of information, technology applications to information storage and retrieval. Dual master's degrees offered with the Departments of Music, History, Social Sciences, and English and the School of Business. School library media and information management certification is also available. Regional programs are offered in various locations in the western half of the country.
• Mathematics (M.S.): Larry Scott, Ph.D., Chair. Applied mathematics, combinatorics, commutative algebra and field theory, computer science, functional analysis, mathematics education, numerical solutions of differential equations, optimization, probability and statistics, real and complex analysis, topology.
• Music (M.M.): Marie C. Miller, Ph.D., Chair. Concentration in music education or performance. Areas of study and research include elementary and secondary music education; choral and instrumental conducting; vocal and instrumental methods and performance; jazz performance and instruction; applied studies in voice, keyboard, woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion; music computer applications; digital audio recordings.
• Physical Sciences (M.S.): DeWayne Backhus, Ph.D., Chair. Emphasis in chemistry, earth science (with an online option), physical science teaching, or physics. All programs are designed to prepare students for additional degree work at the doctoral level, for industrial or government employment, or for teaching. Research opportunities are available in a number of areas within each discipline; NASA-funded research exists in each discipline emphasis.
• Psychology and Special Education (M.S., Ed.S.): Kenneth A. Weaver, Ph.D., Chair. Clinical, general-experimental, and industrial/organizational psychology; mental health counseling; special education: interrelated, teaching the gifted; art therapy; school psychology. Faculty specializations: teaching psychology at the secondary level; psychometrics; inclusion; assessment; neuropsychology; cognition/retrieval process; child abuse; special education attrition; behavioral toxicology, smoking, and stress; clinical applications of art; developmental psychology; psychology of gender; cheating; statistics learning; performance appraisal; control theory; language abilities; autobiographical memory; narrative development; adolescent art therapy; human resources practices in organizations; mental retardation; and autism. A number of courses are delivered via ITV, Telenet, and the Internet.
• School Leadership/Middle and Secondary Teacher Education (M.S.): Jerry Will, Ph.D., Chair. Degree and certification programs in elementary and secondary school leadership (i.e., building, program, and district levels), curriculum and instruction (effective practitioner studies, national board certification, curriculum leadership), secondary education, and postbaccalaureate teacher certification. Varied courses are offered via ITV, the World Wide Web, Telenet, and ATM.
• Social Sciences (M.A.T.): Darla Mallein, Ph.D., Coordinator. American history, world history, geography, political science, social studies education, anthropology, sociology.