Programs Offered at Ball State University
Ball State University appears in our ranking of the Top ten Online Colleges for Business.
Programs at Ball State University are offered within seven academic colleges in many areas that are as diverse as acting and apparel design to economics and geology. Not only can students take classes at the main campus in Muncie, Indiana, but they can also enroll in classes online whether they live in Indiana or another state.
One of the unique offerings from Ball State University is the “Degree in 3” program, which allows students to earn their undergraduate degree in just three years when they attend classes during the summer. Some of the majors available in the three-year format include accounting, archaeology, business administration, communication studies, criminal justice & criminology, and political science.
Some of the benefits of the three-year program are that it can reduce the overall time investment required to earn a degree, as well as offer a less expensive option for graduating from college. Students can attend classes for just one year longer than it would take to earn an associate’s degree and end up with a complete bachelor’s degree.
Students who aren’t ready to commit to a four-year college degree program can enroll in one of four associate degree programs that lead to degrees in radiography, criminal justice and criminology, general arts, and chemical technology. The university also offers several non-degree programs that help prepare students for professional programs in law, physical therapy, optometry, and other health-related areas.
Students interested in studying at the graduate level have their choice of several graduate certificates, as well as graduate degrees. Certificate programs help students gain advanced knowledge in an area of interest and generally take less time to complete than full graduate degree programs. Certificates are available in areas like biotechnology, adult education, community education, and emerging media design and development.
Future students interested in graduate degree programs will find several programs from which to choose that lead to terminal degrees, professional degrees, and graduate degrees that are appropriate as a stepping stone for doctoral work. Some of the topics available for study include art, actuarial science, elementary education, history, geology, public relations, nutrition, and music.
For those who want to study at the doctoral level, Ball State University offers programs leading to doctorates of education, philosophy, audiology, and music. Specializations at the doctoral level include counseling psychology, music, human bioenergetics, audiology, and a handful of other areas. Students can also enroll in one of two specialists in education programs leading to an Ed.S. degree in School Psychology or School Superintendency.
About Ball State University
Established in 1918, Ball State University is a public university in Muncie, Indiana. In addition to offering classes at its 1,140-acre campus in Muncie, the university also offers classes at two satellite campuses in Indianapolis and Fishers. The official colors of the university are cardinal and white, and the sports teams are nicknamed the Cardinals in NCAA Division I games.
After a local school closed due to financial issues, the brothers and industrialists who founded the Ball Corporation acquired the school and donated the land and school to the state to found the Indiana State Normal School for teacher training. Today, around 22,500 students attend the university, which offers almost 200 undergraduate majors and more than 140 graduate and doctoral degrees.
Ball State University Accreditation Details
Ball State University earns its regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission and underwent the reaccreditation process most recently in 2014. The school will undergo its next accreditation cycle during the 2023 to 2024 school year. Many of the university’s programs are accredited by various organizations like the National Architectural Accrediting Board of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.
Other organizations to grant accreditation to programs at Ball State University include the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the American Alliance of Museums. Additional accreditations come from the Commission on the Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, and the Commission on Standards and Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education.
Ball State University Application Requirements
Applying to Ball State University begins with the official application, and the university suggests that the admissions process is competitive. The university indicates that it reviews each application it receives to ensure it meets the university’s official admission standards. The university requires that students take a specific number of classes in primary areas like English and math in high school, but taking standardized tests is optional.
Graduate school admissions and applications for the university’s doctoral programs require materials unique to each program. Students will first need to meet the graduate school requirements and will then apply to the university’s graduate school and then apply to the specific program in which they want to enroll.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students will pay tuition based on their academic level and whether they’re attending classes on campus or via the internet. The total cost of tuition, room, board, and other fees for Indiana residents at Ball State University is $20,128. Out-of-state residents will pay $36,700 to attend. For graduate programs, the total cost for Indiana residents is $9,626, and the total cost for Out-of-state residents is $22,568. Graduate school costs don’t include room and board.
Tuition and fees for online study vary based on the number of credits a student takes and his or her status in school. For example, Indiana state residents pay $304 per credit, and out-of-state students pay $510 per credit. Students who enroll in more than 11 credits will pay a flat rate of $3,945, and out-of-state students will pay the same flat rate plus a non-resident fee of $206 per credit.
Ball State University indicates that four out of every five students at the university receives some type of need-based or merit-based financial aid. The university has 500 scholarships set aside for incoming students each year and also has hundreds of employers on campus who assist in finding students jobs during enrollment.
Students must submit their FAFSA form to qualify for tuition assistance like loans, grants, and scholarships and are encouraged to submit their form early to ensure availability of need-based aid. Students who attend classes on campus at Ball State University may be eligible for the federal work-study program, which helps students get a job on campus to assist with the costs associated with attending college.
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