Graduate Programs

Graduate Education at Fitchburg State University offers part time and full time advanced study in a variety of professional and academic fields to meet the needs of a diverse population of students, in accordance with the Mission of the University.

The Office of Graduate and Continuing Education is committed to 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 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 ten 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 matters of policy and curriculum as the pertain to the graduate programs, faculty, and students, including:

• Changing of course requirements within an existing graduate curricula;
• The addition of new courses, the identification of the department to which the courses are to be assigned, and the deletion of texisting 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 Academic Deans in administration and policy matters.
• Evaluating graduate students each semester and reviewing student records.
• 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, GraduateSchool Counseling Program and Graduate Educational Leadership and Management Programs.

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, during the days in summer, or online in winter session.

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