School of Graduate Studies

www.usi.edu/graduatestudies

812-465-7015

The School of Graduate Studies, located on the first floor of the Orr Center (OC 1060), serves graduate students and graduate faculty whose primary goals are the advancement of scholarship, research, and creative activity. It is through the encouragement and support of these goals that the institution contributes to the development of knowledge and the professional preparation of its graduate students.

Face-to-face, online, and hybrid instruction through formal directed study, seminars, and independent research provides graduate students with ample opportunities to acquire advanced knowledge. Programs are designed to improve students’ professional and scholarly abilities.

The primary responsibilities of Graduate Studies are to maintain and enhance the quality of graduate programs and to facilitate research and creative activity. The University Council of Graduate Program Directors and Chairs, the legislative and administrative body for graduate programs at the University, sets policies and regulations governing graduate work. The University Council of Graduate Program Directors and Chairs, in conjunction with the college-level graduate councils, conducts the business of the faculty having to do specifically with graduate education, including development, direction, and implementation of graduate programs.

Accreditation and Affiliation

The University is approved to offer doctoral and master’s level degrees by The Higher Learning Commission, 230 South LaSalle St., Suite 7-500, Chicago, Illinois 60604-1413, telephone 312-263-0456, and is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools and the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools.

Graduate Degrees

The University has authorization to confer the following graduate degrees: Doctor of Education, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Educational Specialist, Master of Arts (for English, Communication, and Second Language Acquisition, Policy and Culture programs), Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Master of Business Administration, Master of Health Administration, Master of Public Administration, Master of Science in Education, Master of Science in Industrial Management, Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, Master of Science in Sport Management, and Master of Social Work.

Additionally, the University has authorization to confer graduate Certificates and Post-Masters Certificates.

Graduate Academic Fields