Academic Degrees Offered

General Degree Requirements

These are the degree requirements of the Graduate School. Requirements of specific degree programs may vary. Students should confer with individual departments to determine if the program requires more than the minimum credit hours required by the Graduate School.

Master’s Degree

A Master’s degree requires no less than 30 semester credit hours. The University offers several Master’s degrees. In addition to the M.S. (Master of Science) and M.A. (Master of Arts), the University also offers the M.P.A. (Master of Professional Accountancy) and the M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration) through the Beacom School of Business, the M.N.S. (Master of Natural Science), the M.P.A. (Master of Public Administration) and the E.M.P.A. (Executive Master of Public Administration) through the College of Arts & Sciences, the M.M. (Master of Music) and the M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts) through the College of Fine Arts, and the M.P.H. (Master of Public Health) and M.S.W. (Master of Social Work) through the School of Health Sciences.

Depending upon the program, these Master’s degrees may have alternative plans of study: Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. Plan A requires the writing of a thesis. Because departmental policies regarding thesis requirements vary, students should confer with the catalog and department chairpersons or graduate program directors/coordinators. Thesis guidelines are available at: link.usd.edu/3369. Plan B may require comprehensive exams and/or a Master’s project or portfolio in lieu of the thesis. Plan C requires a supervised internship experience.

Specialist in Education Degree (Ed.S.)

The Specialist in Education degree requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond a baccalaureate degree or a minimum of 30 credit hours beyond a Master’s degree. If a student already has a Master’s degree, the graduate GPA must be a 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for full admission to the University of South Dakota for the Specialist in Education degree.

Doctoral Degrees

There are several Doctoral degrees offered by the University of South Dakota.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) is a terminal research degree with a focus on education practice. The Ed.D. requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the Master’s degree or 30 credits beyond a Specialist’s degree. A dissertation is required. Fifteen credit hours of dissertation applies towards the degree. The degree program may entail more than 15 credit hours of dissertation and/or other specific requirements. 

Clinical Doctorate (Au.D., D.P.T., and t-D.P.T.) is a practice-focused terminal degree in clinical fields. Depending upon the discipline, the clinical doctorate may require more than 100 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree and an extensive clinical experience. A dissertation is not required.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is the terminal degree in many fields, the Ph.D. is a research-focused degree. The Ph.D. requirements are program specific. Please refer to the academic program and degree requirement section for the program of interest. In most programs, a dissertation based on in-depth original research is required. Fifteen credit hours of dissertation are required by the Graduate School. The degree program may entail more than 15 credit hours of dissertation and/or other specific requirements.

The University of South Dakota, through the Law and Medical schools, offers graduate degree programs:

Juris Doctor (J.D.) is the law degree typically awarded by an accredited US law school after successful completion of three years of post-graduate law study. Law students are prepared for careers in leadership in the administration of justice, private practice, public service, business, and several other law-related careers.

Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) is the first professional degree awarded in the field of medicine. Medical students complete two years of basic science education in Vermillion followed by two years of clinical science education at one of several sites in South Dakota.

Graduate Degrees Offered

The University of South Dakota offers 66 graduate degree and certificate programs. Several opportunities exist for students to pursue advanced degrees simultaneously through joint degree programs. The following is a comprehensive list of graduate degrees and the programs in which they are offered.

Master of Arts
	Addiction Studies
	Biology
	Communication
	Counseling and Psychology in Education
	Educational Administration
	Elementary Education
	English
	History
	Interdisciplinary Studies
	Kinesiology and Sport Science
	Mathematics
	Political Science
	Psychology
	Secondary Education
	Special Education
	Speech-Language Pathology
Executive Master of Public Administration
Master of Business Administration
Master of Fine Arts
	Art
	Theatre
Master of Music
Master of Natural Science
Master of Professional Accountancy
Master of Public Administration
Master of Public Health
Master of Science
	Administration
	Basic Biomedical Sciences
	Biomedical Engineering
	Biology
	Chemistry
	Computer Science
	Mathematics
	Occupational Therapy
	Physician Assistant Studies
	Physics
	Technology for Education and Training
Master of Social Work
Specialist in Education
	Counseling and Psychology in Education
	Curriculum and Instruction
	Educational Administration
Doctor of Education
	Curriculum and Instruction
	Educational Administration
Clinical Doctorate
	Audiology
	Physical Therapy
	Transitional Doctorate in Physical Therapy
Doctor of Philosophy
	Basic Biomedical Sciences
	Biological Sciences
	Biomedical Engineering
	Counseling and Psychology in Education
	English
	Materials Chemistry
	Physics
	Political Science
	Psychology
Juris Doctor
	Law
	Joint Law/Master’s Program
Doctor of Medicine
	School of Medicine
M.D./Ph.D.
	School of Medicine/Basic Biomedical Sciences
Graduate Certificates
	Addiction Studies
	American Indian Education
	Disaster Mental Health
	Literacy Leadership and Coaching
	Long Term Care Management
	Mental Health Counseling
	Nonprofit Management
	Piano Pedagogy
	State Government Leadership (available only to selected State of South Dakota employees)