valparaiso university graduate school viewbook

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valpo.edu/grad

Graduate Student Life and Culture

The Value of a Valpo Graduate Degree

About Valparaiso University

Founded in 1859, Valparaiso University is well known for the integration of its outstanding liberal arts education and professional programs. Graduate programs at Valpo extend this tradition of excellence to include a number of areas of advanced study. Our programs are intentionally limited to the kinds of graduate study that fit our larger mission of both service and scholarship and that blend liberal and professional education.

U.S. News & World Report has ranked Valparaiso University a top masters-level university in the Midwest for quality and value for more than 25 years.

The Universitys location in Northwest Indiana provides students the benefits of Chicago and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan as well as the friendliness and safety of the residential community of Valparaiso. Visit Valpo and experience the community firsthand.

Graduate school is your time to specialize. To delve deeper into a subject you discovered as an undergraduate. To sharpen your professional skills, broaden your perspective at work and even change careers. To expand your horizons and to deepen your personal commitments. Its an exciting time for you, and its an exciting time to consider Valparaiso University for graduate study.

With its stellar reputation for undergraduate studies, some are surprised to learn that Valparaiso University offers graduate degrees and certificates. Indeed, through the Graduate School, which is now in its 51st year, Valpo offers more than two dozen graduate degree programs that are fully integrated into academic departments in three Colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business, and Nursing and Health Professions. Some programs, like education, psychology, nursing, and business, are nationally accredited. We offer unique interdisciplinary degrees that can be customized to your interests and career goals.

Your route to quality graduate programs at Valparaiso University begins with an application through the Graduate School (and through MBA in the College of Business for graduate programs in management). After enrolling at Valpo, you work closely with a faculty advisor to design a plan of study to help you reach your goals. Our service-oriented Graduate School staff remains on hand to assist you from matriculation through graduation. The Graduate School sponsors events throughout the year for the academic, social, and professional development of our students, including orientation, social gatherings, academic symposia, celebration dinners, and even international study trips for credit.

This viewbook is your introduction to our programs and the many benefits of a graduate degree at Valpo. We invite you to learn more by visiting our website (valpo.edu/grad), by scheduling a campus visit, or by calling 219.464.5313.

Pursue your specialty. Join us at Valpo.

Jennifer A. Ziegler, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Professor of Communication

Greetings from Dean Jennifer A. Ziegler

Graduate Student Life and Culture

The Value of a Valpo Graduate Degree

More than 750 students in the Graduate School form a select group, not only because of their academic credentials, but also because they value the community learning experience that characterizes Valparaiso University.

Valpo graduate students:

Flourish in an environment that emphasizes strong mentoring through frequent interaction with faculty.

Develop a sense of identity within their degree programs and bond with other students in their cohorts.

Benefit from small class sizes characterized by discussion, interaction, and hands-on learning.

Explore career pathways and pursue internships and career opportunities in their fields of study.

Participate in events and activities, including international study trips, throughout their course of study.

Collaborate with faculty, making presentations, and contributing to scholarly publications and creative work.

Serve in important leadership roles on campus and within the Valparaiso community.

Many Valparaiso University graduate students hail from the Great Lakes region, but students and alumni also represent numerous states and countries from around the world. Nearly all have chosen Valpo because of its reputation for quality.

About Valparaiso University

Greetings from Dean Jennifer A. Ziegler

The value of a Valparaiso University degree goes beyond our very affordable cost per credit hour. Valpo faculty prepare our graduates for leadership and service in an increasingly globalized workforce. Specialty courses just for graduate students help you to explore and articulate your identity as a scholar and a professional, preparing you for internships and career opportunities that are in line with your career goals.

Many programs also offer add-on certificates that can add tremendous value to your graduate degree. (See the complete list of certificates on the programs page).

I had an outstanding experience at Valpo. The small class sizes allowed for one-on-one interaction with the professors, and the classes allowed me to get the real-world experiences necessary for a journalist in todays media landscape. The students at Valpo possess different areas of expertise, and I was able to learn from them as well as the professors to gain a well-rounded and beneficial educational experience. Andrew Stem 13

Sports Media

Awards andRecognition

No. 5 among U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges in the Midwest for 2015.

No. 3 among masters level universities in the nation for contribution to public good, according to Washington Monthly magazine.

In the top 100 schools in the country among those offering a masters degree in nursing, according to U.S. News.

Among the best 295 Business Schools for 2014, according to Princeton Review; part-time MBA on U.S. News 2013 Best Business Schools list.

Recipient of the prestigious Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, and featured in Internationalizing the Campus 2008: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities.

On Forbes top 100 list for universities in the Midwest.

PROGRAMS OF STUDY AND PRIORITY APPLICATION DATESDEGREE PROGRAMS

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ADMINISTRATIONM.A. in Arts & Entertainment AdministrationSee also Media and Communications

BUSINESS MBA (Master of Business Administration) with concentrations in: General Business Business Intelligence Engineering Management Entrepreneurship Finance Management Marketing Sustainability

Dual J.D./MBAJune 30 Application Deadlines for Full-time MBA (only) Rolling Admissions for Part-time Professional MBA

CHINESE STUDIES M.A. in Chinese StudiesApril 1 Application Deadline for Summer

COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SCIENCES M.S. in Information Technology Computing Track Management Track

M.S. in Cyber Security

COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Dual J.D./M.A. in: Clinical Mental Health Counseling Psychology

Feb. 15 Priority Application Deadline See also Education, Health Professions

EDUCATION M.Ed. (Master of Education) Initial Licensure in: Primary Education Secondary Education Humane Education* Instructional LeadershipApplication Deadlines: March 1, Aug. 1, and Nov. 1

LEAPs (Lutheran Education Alliance with Parochial Schools)Jan.15 Application Deadline

Woodrow Wilson Teachers Fellowship ProgramOct. 13, Nov.14, and Jan. 31 Application Deadlines

M.Ed. in School CounselingM.Ed. and Ed.S. (Education Specialist) in School Psychology

March 1 Priority Application Deadline See also Humane Education, Liberal Studies

ECONOMICS M.S. in International Economics & Finance

ENGLISH STUDIES M.A. in English Studies and Communication M.A. in TESOL (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Language) MALS (Master of Arts and Liberal Studies) in English Dual J.D./English M.A.

HEALTH PROFESSIONS* Master of Health Administration (MHA) M.S. in International Human Services and Counseling (IHSC)Ask about our new five-year BSPH/MSPH (Public Health) ProgramSee also Nursing

HUMANE EDUCATION*M.A. in Humane Education Master of Arts and Liberal Studies, (MALS) in Humane EducationSee also Education, Liberal Studies

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES M.A. in Comparative Global InquiryM.S. in International Commerce & Policy Dual J.D./M.S. in International Commerce & Policy

LIBERAL STUDIES Master of Arts in Liber