Graduate Degrees Offered

Click here to see the Summary of Graduate Degrees page.

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

The University offers several Master’s degrees. Depending upon the program, these Master’s degrees may have alternative plans of study: Plan A requires the writing of a thesis; Plan B does not. Because departmental policies regarding thesis requirements vary, students should confer with department chairpersons or graduate program directors/coordinators to determine which of the following plans is required. Plan A requires no less than 30 semester credit hours: a minimum of 18 credit hours of course work in the major department with an additional 4 to 6 credit hours of thesis. Thesis guidelines are available through The Graduate School. Plan B requires no less than 32 semester credit hours: a minimum of 18 credit hours in the major department. This option may require a Master’s project in lieu of the thesis and/or comprehensive exams.

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.P.A. (Master of Public Administration) and the e.M.P.A. (Executive Master of Public Administration) through College of Arts and 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.S.W. (Master of Social Work) through the School of Health Sciences.

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. A thesis for the Ed.S. is optional. If a student already has a Master’s degree, their 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 90 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree, or 60 credit hours beyond the Master’s degree, whichever is greater. A dissertation is required. A maximum of 15 credit hours of dissertation may be applied towards the degree.

Clinical Doctorate (e.g. Au.D., D.P.T., 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. requires a minimum of 84 credit hours, or 54 credit hours beyond the Master’s. 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.

Juris Doctorate (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 62 graduate 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 Studies
	Counseling and Psychology in Education
	Educational Administration
	Elementary Education
	English
	Health, Physical Education and Recreation
	History
	Interdisciplinary Studies
	Mathematics
	Political Science
	Psychology
	Secondary Education
	Special Education
	Speech-Language Pathology
	Theatre
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 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 (tDPT)
Doctor of Philosophy
	Basic Biomedical Sciences
	Biological Science
	Biomedical Engineering
	Counseling and Psychology in Education
	English
	Materials Chemistry
	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 Science

Graduate Certificates offered at The University of South Dakota include:

Alcohol and Drug Studies
Disaster Mental Health
Literacy Leadership and Coaching
Long-Term Care Management
State Government Leadership (available only to selected State of South Dakota employees)