Graduate School

The College of Arts and Sciences, which includes the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, contains sixteen departments and three divisions, each of which offers graduate degrees. Candidates for each of these degrees must pursue a curriculum plan that has the approval of their major advisor, the department chair or division director, and the Graduate Dean. Every graduate student is expected to comply with the general requirements of the Graduate School (see Admissions Regulations, Academic Regulations, and Minimum Degree Requirements) and the program requirements of the degree being pursued (see departmental or divisional listings in this section).

MASTER’S DEGREES:

The programs for the MASTER OF ARTS degree are generally open to those who have completed the Bachelor of Arts degree. Those with a Bachelor of Science degree may enroll in these programs if undergraduate prerequisites are met. Students majoring in the following areas may pursue the Master of Arts degree: Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Earth Sciences, English, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Romance Languages, Sociology, and Women’s and Gender Studies (see departmental listings).

The MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN CREATIVE WRITING is a 48-semester-hour program for students who plan to pursue a career in fiction writing or poetry. Admission to the program is based primarily on a portfolio of work in the student’s chosen genre. The course work includes both literature and writing classes, and culminates with submission of a publishable collection of fiction or poetry as the thesis.

The MASTER OF HEALTH ADMINISTRATION is a 48-semester-hour program for those interested in managerial and administrative careers in the health care community.

The program for the MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION is generally open to students with preparation in the social sciences or in business courses. Students working toward this inter-disciplinary degree complete a core curriculum in public and non-profit administration courses and a concentration in one of the following areas: General Public Administration or Nonprofit Administration.

The MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (MPH) is an interdisciplinary program that integrates the academic study of public health theory with principles of public health practice. A strong partnership with the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department facilitates the exchange of ideas and translation of research to practice.

The programs for the MASTER OF SCIENCE degree are generally open to students with a science background. Students enrolled in the following areas may pursue the Master of Science degree: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physics, and Psychology (see departmental listings).

The MASTER OF CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING is a professional degree for students interested in government and business careers. Students complete the following: a core curriculum of 30 semester hours; a 15-hour elective curriculum with possible subjects in economic development planning, urban design, land use and transportation planning, planning information systems, housing and community development, planning law, and environmental planning; and a 3-hour Capstone Project that integrates one or more elective subjects with the core curriculum.

The Doctor of Philosophy Degree is offered in the following departments within the College of Arts and Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, English, History, Mathematical Sciences, Philosophy, and Psychology. General requirements for the PhD Degree are outlined in these departmental istings. More detailed information about prerequisites, course work, research requirements, etc., may be obtained from the chair or graduate coordinator of the respective departments. Any of these departments may choose to admit a student to doctoral study without requiring the master’s degree as a prerequisite.

GRADUATE CERTIFICATES

Graduate certificates are offered in African American Literature (Department of English), Geographic Information Systems (Department of Earth Sciences), Information Assurance (Department of Computer Science), Local Government Management (Public and Nonprofit Administration), Museum Studies (Departments of Anthropology and Art), Teaching English as a Second Language (Department of English), and Women's and Gender Studies (Center for Interdisciplinary Studies).