Graduate Programs

Graduate Education at Fitchburg State University is an exciting and challenging adventure. It offers diverse perspectives for part time and full time advanced study in a variety of professional and academic fields.

The Office of Graduate and Continuing Education is committed to engaging excellence as it promotes learning in every aspect of its educational mission—to consistently offer its students affordable high quality evening degree programs, courses and other lifelong learning opportunities. The commitment to quality is evident in the dedicated cadre of faculty who are actively involved in their professional and academic fields and bring their focused expertise and experience to their classrooms, laboratories and studios.

Fitchburg State University’s Office of Graduate and Continuing Education is proud of the contributions its faculty, graduates and former students have made, and will continue to make, to their chosen fields.

Graduate Faculty

Fitchburg State University faculty holding terminal degrees are eligible for graduate faculty status. Faculty with advanced degrees and special recognition in their field are qualified for associate graduate faculty status. Experts from other universities or the community-at-large may serve, by invitation, as visiting lecturers.

Administration

The Office of Graduate and Continuing Education is administered by the Dean of Graduate and Continuing Education.

The Graduate Council consists of five members of the graduate faculty (selected by the Fitchburg State University Faculty Association), three administrators (appointed by the university’s president) and a degree seeking graduate student. The Graduate Council makes reports and recommendations on the following matters:

The changing of course requirements within an existing graduate curricula, the addition of new courses within such curricula and the criteria to be applied in designating, as such, members of the graduate faculty. The council shall also hear appeals from graduate students to the university’s graduate program.

Reports and recommendations made by the Graduate Council are transmitted to the president of the university through the academic vice president; copies are transmitted to the university faculty association’s chapter president and the chairperson of each department that sponsors a graduate program. The Graduate Council shall send copies of minutes and its agenda to the All University Committee.

Graduate Program Chair

Each graduate program has a graduate program chairperson who, among other things, is responsible for:

• Quality control of the graduate curriculum.
• Evaluation of course content and degree program relevancy.
• Developing and maintaining a two-year plan of course offerings.
• Developing course schedules for yearly offerings (summer, fall, winter, spring).
• Working with the Graduate Council, the Dean of Graduate and Continuing Education, and the Dean of Education in administration and policy matters.
• Evaluating graduate students each semester and reviewing student folders.
• Recommending and approving courses to be taken by matriculated students each semester.
• Advising and assisting in appropriate policy actions needed by graduate students such as acceptance of transfer credits and graduation review.
• Reviewing applications for admission.

Professional Education Programs

The professional education programs at Fitchburg State University are under the broad coordination of the Education Unit that includes the following licensure and degree program areas: Undergraduate and Graduate Teacher Preparation Programs, Graduate Guidance Counseling Program and Graduate Educational Leadership and Management Programs. Effective October 2003, Massachusetts teacher licensure requirements changed. Professional licensure (formerly standard certification) will require three years of employment in the role of the license, and a one year induction program (working with a mentor in the school district.)

For more detailed information about educational licensure, contact the Educator Licensure Office at (978) 665-3239 or visit the Web site at www.fitchburgstate.edu/edunit.

Programs

Fitchburg State’s Office of Graduate and Continuing Education schedules both undergraduate and graduate-level courses. Most programs are offered in the evenings; some may be offered on weekends, online, or during the days in summer or winter session.

The Office of Graduate and Continuing Education offers programs of study leading to the following graduate degrees: