Message from the Graduate Dean

Welcome to St. Cloud State University. Whether you are a prospective student or a student who has already chosen to pursue graduate study at SCSU, I am sure you will find that the University lives up to its tradition of excellence and opportunity. Although preparing teachers was once its primary focus, the University now has five outstanding academic colleges: Business, Education, Fine Arts and Humanities, Science and Engineering, and Social Science. It has become a multi-focused, comprehensive institution encompassing a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs.

The University has excellent facilities; however, we are most proud of our outstanding faculty. The faculty at St. Cloud State University pride themselves in their commitment to student learning. The University fosters an environment where learning takes precedence over all else. The student's academic program will provide a mix of research, theory, and application with a focus upon teaching and learning. The majority of our graduate programs are professionally oriented, allowing the students to prepare themselves for career advancement or career change.

In this changing world with increasing demands for life-long learning and educational attainment, St. Cloud State University offers the opportunity for you to meet the challenges and reap the rewards associated with your participation in one of our excellent graduate programs. We, in the School of Graduate Studies, will assist you in any way we can to help you achieve your educational goals. We will be happy to meet with you or direct you to faculty or staff who can assist you.

Dennis Nunes, Dean
School of Graduate Studies

School of Graduate Studies Mission

The School of Graduate Studies at St. Cloud State University has the mission of providing high quality, accessible graduate degree programs that are responsive to the need for professional development and educational enrichment. The offerings reflect a wide range of master's programs as well as a selected number of specialist and other post-master's programs that serve students and practitioners throughout the state and upper Midwest. The graduate programs should be integrated with the research and development functions of the University.

The goals of graduate study at this University are:

• To increase the professional skills and academic competence of students who show promise of making important contributions to their profession.
• To prepare students for further graduate study.
• To meet the specialized needs of students whose educational or career goals can best be served by programs that provide advanced study in two or more related disciplines.
• To foster an attitude of intellectual inquiry and to develop research skills that may be applied in a professional context.