Graduate Courses and Degree Requirements
All courses counted toward graduate degrees must be graduate-level courses. Graduate courses are numbered at the following levels: 5000, 6000, 7000, and 8000. Prior to Fall 2025, graduate courses were numbered at the following levels: 500, 600, 700, and 800. Also prior to Fall 2025, some graduate-level sections were offered at the 400-level.
Some, but not all, 400-level courses have a graduate-level section designated as a 5000 to 5099 course number for which graduate students may enroll and receive graduate-level credit counted toward their graduate degrees. A student who has taken one of these 400-level equivalent courses as an undergraduate may not take the course again at the graduate level for graduate credit.
At least one-half of the graduate courses for the master’s degree must be at the 5100-level. Individual programs may limit the number of hours of 5000-5099 level graduate coursework that may be counted for the degree. See the individual programs for these limits.
Students pursuing the Master of Science in Education degree, with the exception of specific Secondary Education programs, may not count 5000-5099 level graduate courses toward the degree. Coursework for the Master of Science in Education must be taken at the 5100-level or higher. See the individual programs for these limits.
All coursework for the EdS must be at the 5100+ and 6000-level. Courses taken at the 5100-5999 level while matriculating in a Class A master’s level program, and not used as credit toward the Class A master’s level program, may be used as credit toward the EdS Class AA level, up to the prescribed limit for course transfer (six hours) as indicated in the Transfer of Graduate Credit section of this catalog.
Students pursuing the EdS degree may not count 5000-5099 level graduate courses toward the degree. Half of the EdS coursework must be at the 6000-level.
Courses at the 6000-level are offered only to students who hold a master’s degree (except for the MFA in Visual Communication Design – those courses are at the 6000-level because the MFA is a terminal degree).
All coursework for the DNP must be at the 7000 to 8000-level, unless otherwise specified by the director of the program.
All coursework for the DSc must be at the 8000-level, unless otherwise specified by the director of the program.
Course descriptions are provided in each academic department section of this catalog, arranged by academic school, and are listed in numeric order. Graduate semester hour credit value for each course is indicated after its title. Prerequisites and corequisites, if any, are listed at the beginning of the course description. The minimum degree requirements are listed by program, and programs may be found within their academic departments.
Second Master's Degree
A student may be permitted to apply some credit earned from one master’s degree toward a second master’s degree at JSU. Such permission is granted at the discretion of the Dean of the Graduate School in collaboration with the graduate program coordinator/director of the specific program. It is the student’s responsibility to apply for this credit from the first master’s by completing the Internal Course Transfer Request form found on the Graduate School's Forms and Helpful Links page. The total amount of credit applied from a previously earned graduate degree at JSU and external transfer credit combined is limited to the same maximums as transfer credit that are specified in the Transfer of Graduate Credit section of this Bulletin:
- Six (6) hours toward a 30-semester-hour program;
- Nine (9) hours toward a 33-semester-hour program; and
- Twelve (12) hours toward a 36 or more semester hour program.
NOTE: Some programs, such as Instructional Leadership, may prohibit the application of any previously earned credit.
Second Concentration
Students may elect a second concentration in certain majors. If all requirements for each concentration have been completed prior to awarding of the degree, the comprehensive examination will cover coursework for both concentrations and each concentration will be noted on the student transcript. After completing a degree with one concentration, a student may elect to return to JSU to complete an additional concentration. In this case, the additional concentration will not appear on the transcript. At the request of the student, a letter of verification will be written by the Dean of the Graduate School, certifying that the student has satisfied the requirements for a second concentration.