Sam Houston State University - Top Ten Online Colleges

Sam Houston University Degree Programs Available

Sam Houston State University appears in our ranking of the Top 25 Most Affordable Online Business Graduate Degrees.

College degrees offer many benefits, including increased salary, better job satisfaction and less risk of being unemployed. Sam Houston University offers several degree programs that can help individuals improve their employment options.

Sam Houston State University offers seven colleges which include:

College of Arts and Media
College of Business Administration
College of Criminal Justice
College of Education
College of Health Sciences
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
College of Science & Engineering Technology

The College of Arts and Media combines five departments which include Dance, Mass Communication, Theatre and Musical Theatre as well as the School of Music, all of which seek to inspire and educate those who wish to move into creative arts and media. The Master of Arts in Band Studies is available both on campus and online. There is a concentrated summer residency required but all courses are available online. Students interact with conductors, performers, teachers, and clinicians. Courses required may include Sequential Methods: K-12 Music, Applied Analysis and Pedagogy, Graduate Ensemble as well as Band Research and Pedagogy.

Offering a comprehensive range of academic majors, the College of Business Administration is recognized as one of the best regional colleges of business administration in the country. The Bachelor of Arts in General Business Administration is available online or on campus. It is designed for students who wish to gain a broad knowledge of core business subjects. Instruction is not limited to one area of business. Students learn about finance, marketing, public relations, management, sales, production and other aspects of business in order to gain an understanding of where their strengths may lie. Courses may include Business Analysis, Business Communication, Business Finance, Principles of Marketing and Operations Management.

The College of Criminal Justice is one of the largest and oldest criminal justice programs in the country. Students learn in a close-knit learning environment, gaining knowledge of criminal justice, law, psychology, sociology and more. The college offers a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice that is available completely online as well as on campus. Students gain an understanding of criminology, the criminal justice system and criminal law. Courses required may include Police Systems & Practices, Introduction to Methods of Research, Texas Government, Statistical Methods in Practice and Social Statistics.

The College of Health Sciences includes Family & Consumer Sciences, Population Health, Kinesiology, Nursing, and Pre-Nursing, collaborating with community and global partners to provide education for diverse populations. The Master of Science in Family and Consumer Studies is available online or on campus. It is available in a thesis format that requires three hours of statistics, 12 hours in a specialized area and six hours of thesis work. Students may also choose a non-thesis option which requires three hours of statistics and twelve hours in a specialization. The program provides advanced specialized leadership in various professions, providing students with an understanding of dietetics, extension, business, industry, and education. Advanced study may include clothing and merchandising, education, resource management, interior design, housing as well as nutrition and dietetics.

Students are able to choose from programs such as Agricultural Science, Chemistry, Physics, Biomedical Sciences and more at the College of Science and Engineering Technology. The college offers a Ph.D. in Digital and Cyber Forensic Science designed for those who hold undergraduate degrees in computing science, engineering or digital forensics. The program provides the theoretical, conceptual, methodological and computational skills necessary to understand cyber forensic science in post-technological societies. Courses required may include Cyber Forensic Principles, Ethics for Digital Forensics, Operating System Forensics and DF Research Methods. Students must also research and defend a dissertation. The program is only available on campus.

About Sam Houston State University

Where Sam Houston State University sits today was originally the location of Austin College which moved to Sherman in 1876. Austin Hall, which still stands on the campus today, is the oldest state-owned building that has continuously been used for higher education west of the Mississippi. After Austin College moved, the building was used for a Methodist school for boys until, in 1879, a group of citizens purchased the building.

The purchase of Austin Hall was in response to Huntsville not being named the state capital. Instead, the newly formed Texas legislature designated Huntsville as the location of a normal school with the goal of educating teachers. At that time, it was called the Sam Houston Normal Institute in honor of Texas hero, Sam Houston. The school became Sam Houston State Teacher’s College in 1923.

After World War II, enrollment grew tremendously as soldiers returned from the war to take advantage of the GI Bill. In 1970, it became Sam Houston State University.

Today, it is the 12th largest university in Texas with an enrollment of over 21,000.

Sam Houston State University Accreditation Details

Sam Houston State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Accreditation is a voluntary process where peer review confirms that the school meets or exceeds criteria the Association has determined indicate excellence in education. In addition, programs throughout the school are accredited by the following organizations:

ABET
Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
American Chemical Society
American Music Therapy Association
American Psychological Association
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
Council for Interior Design Accreditation
Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Schools of Art and Design
National Association of Schools of Music

Sam Houston State University Application Requirements

Applicants to the Bachelor of Business Administration, the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice must provide official high school transcripts as well as official ACT or SAT scores. Applicants who have earned college credit after high school graduation must submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Those with 11 or more credits must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA while those with 18 or more credits must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0.

In order to apply for the Master of Arts in Band Studies, applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university and must provide official transcripts from all schools attended. They must submit three letters of recommendation and provide documentation of two years or more music teaching experience. A written essay must also be provided.

In order to apply for the Master of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences, applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university. They must provide transcripts from all colleges and universities attended as well as official GRE scores. Two letters of recommendation are required as well as a personal goal statement. Undergraduate work must include at least 18 hours of family and consumer science courses.

Applicants to the Ph.D. program in Digital and Cyber Forensic Science must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in computer science, digital forensics or similar field of study. They must provide official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended as well as official GRE scores. They must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and a current resume.

Sam Houston State University Tuition & Financial Aid

Tuition for the Bachelor of Business Administration, the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice is $423.50 per credit hour regardless of residency for online classes. Texas residents who attend on campus pay $698.50 per credit hour while non-residents pay $1,120.50 per credit hour. Tuition for the Master of Arts in Band Studies and the Master of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences is $502.75 per credit hour for the online program regardless of residency. On-Campus tuition for both master’s and doctorate level courses is $777.75 for Texas residents and $1,192.75 for non-residents.

In order to qualify for financial aid, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the form must be renewed annually. Financial aid may be awarded in the form of grants, scholarships or loans for undergraduate students. Those attending on campus may also be offered work-study programs. Graduate students are offered loans if attending online although they may seek grants or scholarships from outside organizations. Those attending on campus may also be offered assistantships or fellowships.

Striving to live up to the memory of its namesake, Sam Houston State University offers exceptional teaching, rigorous curriculum and instills the desire to serve the community as a way of life.

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