Michigan State University Degree Programs
Michigan State University appears in our ranking of the 20 Best Online Schools for Education (Graduate).
Several colleges make up Michigan State University, and students may enroll in undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs offered by more than a dozen divisions. Colleges and departments where students might find their programs include the College of Human Medicine, the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Music, and the College of Natural Science.
Students who have earned credits through concurrent enrollment may apply to have those credits transferred to Michigan State University, and the school also offers dual enrollment opportunities through its Gifted and Talented Education Department, too. Students may be eligible for dual enrollment if they are in grades nine through 12 and have already exhausted the advanced courses available at their school. Students may enroll for two classes each semester from ninth through 11th grade when they start dual enrollment as freshmen in high school and may enroll in four college classes during their senior year. Tuition assistance is available to students who pursue dual enrollment, but only for the first ten classes students take in the program.
The university has highly ranked programs in the areas of higher education, bio-systems and agricultural engineering, production & operations, and veterinary medicine. Popular majors include business, communication, biology, social science, and engineering. The university boasts a high freshman retention rate of 92 percent.
For undergraduate programs, the university offers degrees in areas like anthropology, economics, history, zoology, Russian, and statistics. Some undergraduate degrees feature multiple pathways and degree types. For example, students may earn a Bachelor of Science in Economics or a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Similarly, the university has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology.
For graduate degrees, the university offers more than 160 programs in areas like digital rhetoric and professional writing, construction management, theatre, plant breeding, public health, and organization & community leadership.
The university offers several certificate programs in diverse areas like conservation law, applied behavior analysis in special education, digital humanities, food safety, organizational communication for leadership, and music theory. Further, the university offers more than 130 doctoral programs on topics like strategic management, plant pathology, nursing practice, music conducting, and applied mathematics.
About Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university with a campus in East Lansing. The university has operated since 1855 and was one of the first land-grant universities built under the auspices of the Morrill Act. The university was once known as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, and it was one of the first to include programs on scientific agriculture. The college was quick to become coeducational and expanded its class offerings accordingly.
Today, more than 50,000 students attend the university, and its campus covers 10,000 acres. Several successful sports teams have played at the university with the Spartans playing in several bowl games for NCAA Division I sports. The university’s basketball team has also reached the finals in several seasons. The university’s official colors are white and green, and the school’s mascot is named Sparty.
Michigan State University Accreditation Details
Regional and institutional accreditation for Michigan State University has been granted by the Higher Learning Commission, which is one of several organizations throughout the country tasked with accrediting institutions of higher learning. The commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and the university may award college degrees based on its active accreditation status.
There are some programs within the university that are further accredited by programmatic and specialized agencies. For example, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) has accredited the Broad College of Business. The college has been accredited since 1953. Additional approvals have been granted by the American Academy for Liberal Education, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Psychological Association, and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Michigan State University Application Requirements
Admission for first-year students at Michigan State University is based on several factors that include academic performance, class rank, the strength of the student’s curriculum, and standardized test results. The university also grades its applications on ancillary factors like talent, leadership qualities, and the diversity of the student’s experiences. The average incoming freshman has a GPA between 3.5 and 4.0 and an SAT score of 1,130 to 1,310.
There is no single department that handles graduate admissions at Michigan State University, and students apply directly to the department or program they wish to pursue. Students may submit up to two applications each semester, but both applications must include full sets of documentation as required by the student’s intended programs. Applicants who want to enter one of the graduate certificate programs will complete a separate graduate certificate application.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition for students who attend Michigan State University comes to $14,524 for students who enroll in 12 to 18 credits. Room and board for a double occupancy room add an additional $10,522 to the total. For two semesters, in-state students can expect to pay $25,046 per semester. For non-residents, the rate for tuition and fees is $39,830 for 12 to 18 credits per semester. Room and board for a double occupancy room add an additional $10,522. The total cost for two semesters is $50,352.
Students who pursue graduate study at Michigan State University will pay $755.50 per credit if they’re residents and $1,484.50 per credit hour if they’re from outside the state. Doctoral students will pay the same rates. The rate for classes offered by the College of Engineering is $842.00 per credit for residents and $1,578.00 per unit for non-residents. Students may also pay some program fees for accounting and education programs.
Financial aid is available to students who apply at Michigan State University, and the university may offer a combination of loans, scholarships, and grants to students who qualify. Each year, the university offers financial aid to more than 37,000 students, and the total amount awarded exceeds $530 million. To receive a financial aid package, students must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
High school students who want to attend the university should apply to the university by November 1 for the best chance of obtaining a merit-based scholarship. Students will have their GPA, standardized test scores, and personal essay examined to see if they qualify for scholarships at Michigan State University.
