Undergrad and Graduate Degree Programs
Northern State University appears in our ranking of the 10 Most Affordable Bachelor’s in Spanish Degrees Online. Northern State University offers nearly 30 undergrad degree programs and seven graduate programs. Some of these options, like Spanish and Criminal Justice, are available online as well as on its campus. Undergrads can major in chemistry and choose an emphasis in either education or forensic science. The chemistry major is also available as a general program. The forensic science program prepares students for working as crime scene analysts and investigators. They can take classes in forensic biology also. The university’s College of Arts and Sciences offers an environmental sciences degree program with concentrations in bioremediation and wildlife management. Students in the wildlife management program will take ecology and biology classes to learn more about animal behavior. The bioremediation concentration focuses more on the skills that investigators and consultants use in the field. Students can also earn a GIS certificate from the university. Though this program requires the completion of 12 credits, many of those credits will count towards the environmental sciences degree. Graduate students can earn a counseling degree from the university. This program offers concentrations in school counseling and mental health counseling. The mental health counseling concentration focuses on working with patients diagnosed with mental diseases, while the school program deals more with the issues that students face in different settings today. Both programs require that students take two years of classes and attend summer classes. Each one also features both an internship and a practicum. The internship requires that students do 600 hours of fieldwork, while the practicum asks students to do an additional 100 hours of fieldwork with more direct patient contact. Students can also earn graduate teaching degrees from the university. Its Teaching and Learning program is open to teachers who already have a license and want to improve their skills. Northern State University offers a second graduate program through its College of Education that allows students to meet the requirements to get a teaching license.About Northern State University
Northern State University is a small school in South Dakota. Though the state agreed to set aside funds for a new college in Aberdeen in the 1880s, it wasn’t until 1901 that the school actually opened. It originally served as the Northern Normal and Industrial School, which offered programs designed to help students prepare for careers in different industries. The school also offered training programs for future teachers. It later operated as the Northern State Teachers College and offered a number of education degree programs that featured practical training. Though the college used the name Northern State College for nearly two decades, it later became Northern State University. The NSU campus in Aberdeen sits on more than 72 acres of land and features a number of older buildings that date back to its earliest years. One of its oldest residence halls appears on lists of the top haunted spots in the state and is home to a floor that the university once used as a psychiatric ward. Its athletic complex is popular with students and features a basketball court and spaces for offices and classes. Around 3,600 students attend NSU every year.Northern State University Accreditation Details
Undergrads and graduate students attending NSU can apply for financial aid because the university has regional accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS). Students who have college credits and want to transfer those credits into a degree program can do so because of this type of accreditation. NSU also has accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). Those two are a type of specialty accreditation that covers the university’s degree programs in both education and music.Northern State University Application Requirements
NSU accepts more students and has fewer application requirements than larger schools do. It asks that undergrads submit some type of application. They can either download a paper copy and send it to the university or use the NSU online application. Those who use the online application will typically receive a response faster than those who use the paper application do. The university recommends that students apply for housing at the same time if they plan on living on the NSU campus. Undergrads must also submit an ACT or SAT score and an official high school transcript. The university then allows students to go online and register for classes. Prospective graduate students must also submit an application and an official transcript. The university will only accept grad students who maintained a 3.0 in the last 64 credits of classes they took and those who maintained a 3.25 grade point average in all the classes they took from within their majors. Transfer students must show that they maintained a grade point average of 3.25 in any grad classes taken too. The university requires that students pay a $35 application fee and submit two letters of recommendation also. Any student born after 1965 must provide their immunization records before taking any classes on the NSU campus.Tuition and Financial Aid
Any student who is a South Dakota resident can take classes from the university and pay just $243.30 per credit hour. NSU allows students who live in North Dakota or Iowa to pay the same tuition rate. Students from Minnesota qualify for a reciprocity program that charges them around $275 per credit hour. Undergrads from all other states pay $342.40 per credit hour. NSU graduate students will pay around $320 per credit hour as a South Dakota resident and around $597 per credit hour as a nonresident. The university’s reciprocity program reduces the rate for Minnesota residents down to less than $460 per credit hour. NSU awards more than $18 million in financial aid each year and sees more than 90% of its student body receiving some type of aid. Both undergrads and grad students who use the FAFSA can take out federal student loans and find out if they qualify for grants or PLUS loans. Undergrads can also for one of the university’s scholarships. It awards scholarships to incoming freshmen, honors students and those majoring in select areas. Graduate students can also work for the university as an assistant and receive money that reduces their tuition costs. Northern State University recommends that students apply for scholarships and other funding sources as soon as possible.Related Resources:
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