West Texas A&M University

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Degree Programs Offered at West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University appears in our ranking of the 30 Best Online Bachelor’s in Emergency Management Degrees. West Texas A&M University offers eight graduate degree options and one major for doctoral students. Students can earn a:
  • Master of Science
  • Master of Arts
  • Master of Business Administration
  • Master of Fine Arts
  • Master of Music
Many of these programs are available with or without a thesis track. Students who decide against doing a thesis can do an independent research project or take classes to make up for a lack of a thesis. Thesis students get credit for both the research they do and for the thesis work they present. The various majors offered by the university for graduate students include:
  • criminal justice studies
  • teaching,
  • studio art
  • social work
  • history
  • finance and economics
  • communication
  • animal science
The 21 colleges and departments at the university offer more than 50 majors for undergraduate students. Some of these programs include practicum and internship requirements, including its athletic training program. It offers concentrations in applied sports and exercise sports science. The history program allows students to either earn a bachelor’s degree or get their teaching certificates and become licensed teachers. West Texas A&M University also offers other bachelor’s degree programs in fields that include:
  • English language arts and reading
  • civil engineering
  • general business
  • pre-veterinary medicine and equine industry
  • business

About West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University is a public university that is part of the Texas A&M system. The main campus of the university is less than 20 minutes from Amarillo in the small town of Canyon. Founded in 1910 as the West Texas State Normal College, it originally had just one building on its campus, which was where both students took their classes and workers had their offices. A fire burned down this building, but the college continued offering classes as it rebuilt that building. Though it also served as a state college and a teachers college, the university became West Texas A&M University in 1990 after joining the A&M system. That led to big changes to the university, including an expansion of its curriculum and course offerings and new buildings such as residence halls for students. Some of the names that the university uses today include WTAMU and WT, though it used the name West Texas State for many years. It was one of the first schools of higher learning in Texas to introduce distance education programs. Some of these early programs required that students spend a few days on the campus each year and do all their other work at home and through the mail. Its distance education programs are now available online. WT ranks as one of the best online colleges today and is home to one of the nation’s best online MBA programs. More than 10,000 students attend WT annually.

West Texas A&M University Accreditation Details

Prior to applying to college, students need to look at whether the school has both program and regional accreditation. Regional accreditation is what the U.S. Department of Education requires for students who want to seek financial aid. WTAMU has this type of accreditation, which comes from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Though program accreditation only applies to programs in one specific group or subject, it is worthwhile for students. The program accreditation held by WTAMU comes from the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and other organizations.

West Texas A&M University Application Requirements

Prospective undergrads who finished in the top 25% of their high school classes receive full acceptance to WTAMU. Those who graduate within the top 50% need to score at least 960 on the SAT or 18 on the ACT. The minimum scores required on those tests will increase as the student’s class ranking drops. Though the university has an application deadline of August 1, it must receive all documents by the middle of that month for a student to start classes in the fall. Those who submit their applications by May 1 will receive priority when it comes to on-campus housing and will receive their housing assignments by the middle of June. WTAMU also requires a test score and transcript from each student. Students applying to any graduate program must have an undergrad GPA of at least 3.0 to receive full acceptance to the university. A GPA of 2.5 to 3.0 qualifies the student for conditional acceptance, and the university will only accept those with a lower GPA on a case by case basis. Students will need to submit a GMAT or GRE score or file out a waiver and show just cause why they don’t need to submit this score. Most programs also have some prerequisites that students should take in a bachelor’s program. The deadline for graduate student applications is the first of December. Some of the requirements for those students include:
  • Official transcripts
  • Resumes that show they have experience in the field
  • Goals statement
  • Three letters of recommendation that use the university’s official recommendation form

Tuition and Financial Aid

The average amount that students spend to attend WTAMU is $9,803 per year. Those students take at least 12 credits of classes each semester. The university charges nonresidents an extra rate of $30 per credit hour, which helps keep their costs down. Students pay extra for on-campus housing and for a meal plan. WTAMU requires that students who live in a residence hall to purchase a meal plan. Graduate students pay $3,367 for full-time enrollment if they live in Texas or a county in a state that borders Texas. Those from outside this area pay $3,780 per semester. WTAMU awards more than $4 million in funds each year. The average amount that undergrads receive is more than $1,200 a year. Some students qualify for much more in financial aid. Students who want to see if they qualify for any scholarships must submit their financial aid applications and information by the first of February. Some scholarships go to students who cannot afford the cost of taking classes in the summer. Traditional financial aid is also available for any student who completes the FAFSA. Students can get grants, subsidized and unsubsidized loans and find out if they can work for the university through this form. Both graduate students and undergrads attending West Texas A&M University can qualify for the Federal Work Study program to get money for their degree programs.

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