Undergraduate Catalog 2017-18

Graduate Admissions

Graduate Admissions

The Office of Graduate Admissions offers advanced study under the direction of dedicated educators.

Students in the graduate programs benefit from a faculty whose commitment to teaching, to research, and to other professional activities has resulted in national recognition in widely varying fields. Guidance from this faculty helps strengthen the academic and professional ability of students by increasing their knowledge of a subject, improving their capacity for independent study, familiarizing them with the research in their fields and training them to conduct meaningful research of their own.

The mission of the graduate programs is not confined within the perimeters of the university. The programs also make a significant contribution to the community at large. As a result of their intense, concentrated study at Western, students are well prepared to enter society, not only as trained professionals and specialists, but also, in a wider context, as thoughtful, sensitive human beings with personal integrity and an appreciation of intellectual and political freedom.

Much of this understanding is developed in professional in-service and pre-service programs through cooperative efforts with regional businesses, industry, government, social service, and educational agencies. Western’s faculty and programs are dedicated to forging and maintaining such ties through the assessment of regional needs and continual interaction with community, business, professional, and academic organizations, an interaction which also helps to refine the graduate curriculum.

Students applying for the first time should contact the Office of Graduate Admissions. An appointment with an adviser will be arranged upon the student’s request.

Western Connecticut State University is authorized by the State of Connecticut to award the degrees of Master of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Music Education, Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Health Administration, and Doctor of Education to candidates who have successfully fulfilled the requirements for these degrees and diplomas.

The Master of Science in Education degree is awarded to elementary and secondary school teachers upon completion of one of the following option programs:

  • Curriculum Leadership
  • English
  • Instructional Technology
  • Mathematics
  • Reading (Non-Certification)
  • Special Education (Non- Certification)

Master of Science degree programs are offered in Counselor Education with concentrations in Clinical Mental Health Counseling or School Counseling.

The Master of Science in Nursing offers an option to prepare as an adult nurse practitioner, as well as an option to prepare for other advanced practice roles, such as clinical nurse specialist, case manager, staff development educator and nurse manager.

Master of Arts degree programs are offered in English with options in literature and writing; history; biological; earth and planetary sciences; and mathematics.

Western offers a Master of Fine Arts in Art with tracks in illustration and painting and an Master of Fine Arts in Creative & Professional Writing.

Doctor of Education degrees are offered at Western in Instructional Leadership and in Nursing Education.

Requirements for all degree programs must be completed within a six-year period. Students in the Master of Business Administration program are allowed up to eight years to complete their degree.

For further information, including information about transfer credit:

Graduate Admissions, Old Main 101
Western Connecticut State University
Danbury, CT 06810
(203) 837-8244

External Programs

The university offers bachelor-completion programs in Management (BBA) and Nursing (RN to BSN) through Western at Waterbury, located on the campus of Naugatuck Valley Community College. For more information, call (203) 596-8777.