Indiana State University

Indiana State University is one of the main public colleges in Indiana. Founded in 1865 by the state itself, Indiana chose Terra Haute as the location of the new school, which it called the Indiana State Normal School. As a normal school, it focused on the education of teachers and awarded graduates certificates and diplomas rather than degrees. The school started offering bachelor degree programs in the early part of the 20th century and then added some graduate programs in education. Those changes led to the state changing its name to the Indiana State Teachers College, but as it added more non-education programs, it became Indiana State College. The campus did not become Indiana State University until 1965.

Often called ISU, the university added a Center for Student Success to its campus in recent years that provides students with the extra help that they need. They can attend workshops that teach them how to take better notes in classes and do other basic things, sign up for tutoring sessions with someone who has experience teaching others or meet with an adviser to talk about their career goals. Both Forbes and Washington Monthly consider ISU as one of the best American colleges. The university has a student body of more than 12,000 students, which includes more than 2,200 online and traditional graduate students. More than 70% of those students are Indiana residents.

Indiana State University Accreditation Details

The first accreditation that Indiana State University obtained was in 1915 and came from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS). Though Indiana State renewed its accreditation multiple times since then, it never had any problems renewing it. Some of the ISU programs that have specialty accreditation include those in nursing, psychology and engineering technology. Accreditation comes from various organizations, including:

• Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering
• National Recreation and Park Association
• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
• Council on Social Work Education
• American Psychological Association
• Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
• American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences

Indiana State University Application Requirements

ISU looks at several key factors when deciding who to admit to its graduate school. Those factors include test scores and class scores. All students must complete the university's grad school application, which is only available online, and answer truthfully to a serious of questions. The application asks for the student's full name, social security number and current home address. Students can pay the $65 application fee online or mail ISU a money order.

The university will not process an application until it receives all necessary information and encourages students to apply early to ensure that the campus receives that information prior to the application deadline. Students will need to submit college transcripts that show they finished a degree on a certain date or that they will have that degree in hand before beginning classes. Many programs require an official score from the PRAXIS, GRE or another test and a statement of purpose. This statement explains the reasons why the student chose ISU and that specific program.

Some departments ask for a resume or letters of recommendation too. Recommendation letters must come from professionals like a supervisor who worked with a student doing professional or volunteer work or a college professor. Students may need to submit a copy of a recent bank statement to show the university that they have the funds necessary to pay for their college costs or that they can put down deposits for the coming year.

Tuition and Financial Aid

As a state university, ISU offers a reduced tuition rate for residents of the state. Indiana residents pay $404 per credit hour. Full-time students take nine or more credits every semester, and part-time students take eight or fewer credits in a semester. The nonresident rate that applies to students from other states as well as those from other countries is $793 per credit hour. ISU offers a set rate for all online students of $513 per credit. This is the same rate the university charges for students who live in a nearby state and take classes on campus. This reduced tuition rate is open to students from Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois.

It's important that students know how many credits they need to take to qualify as a full-time student because full-time students receive more financial aid than part-time students do. The federal government lets graduate students take out a Perkins loan of $8,000 a year and take out unsubsidized loans or more than $20,000 a year too, but most of these loans are only open to full-time graduate students. Part-time students may need to take out alternative loans or look at parental loans. ISU can award graduate students studying certain subjects and those who meet other requirements grants too.

Master's in Criminology

The Master of Science in Criminology that Indiana State University offers is through its Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. This is one of several online programs that ISU established over the years that allows students to enroll, take all the required courses and graduate without visiting the campus even once. Students can even have the university mail their degrees to them. It is only open to students living in the United States or Canada. The only exception is for military students. ISU will allow enlisted men and women serving on an overseas base to enroll in the program.

This MS program requires that students take a class on research in criminology and one statistics course at the graduate level. They will need to take three seminar classes on law and criminal justice administration, law and society and criminology theories as well as a course on ethics in criminal justice. Students also take at least one course on organizations or agencies in the field. ISU offers concentrations in law enforcement and corrections. The law enforcement concentration is best for those who want to work as police officers or for criminology agencies in the government, while the corrections concentration is better for those in prison and jail systems. Indiana State University requires that criminology MS students take six credits of classes from other departments and either complete an advanced research topic or take and pass a written exam before they graduate.