Mississippi State University recently launched its new Thrive in Five accelerated degree program, which will allow students to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The Thrive in Five website, msstate.edu/thriveinfive, will also allow students to work with program coordinators to learn about requirements and start the enrollment process online.

The university has added Thrive in Five programs for animal and dairy science and agribusiness management; fashion, design, and merchandising; human development and family sciences; landscape architecture; mathematics and statistics; educational psychology; and veterinary medical science for the fall 2020 semester.

Other Thrive in Five programs include biochemistry and molecular biology, history, biological sciences, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, public policy and administration, management and information systems and more.

Students can apply up to 15 graduate hours toward each undergraduate and graduate degree. Requirements may vary depending on the program students choose.

MSU is also temporarily waiving GMAT and GRE testing requirements for students applying to the university’s graduate programs. GMAT and GRE waivers apply to all of MSU’s on-campus and online graduate programs. Students must still meet all other requirements for admission.

For more information, call 662-325-7400 or email [email protected]. Visit grad.msstate.edu/students/graduate-programs to find specific coordinators for each program.

MSU Waiving Some Application Requirements and Licensure Exams

The Mississippi Department of Education is temporarily waiving some requirements for students applying to enter Mississippi State University’s teacher education and administration preparation programs. MDE is also waiving licensure exams for certification through December 31, 2021.

Waivers include both traditional undergraduate and non-traditional graduate teacher education programs and approved traditional or non-traditional educator or administrator preparation programs. Licensure exam waivers are available for elementary education, secondary education, special education, music education, physical education, school administration, school counseling, school psychology and master of arts programs in teaching-secondary and teaching-special education.

MDE has also waived educator preparation program admission testing requirements for teacher education, which includes the ACT and SAT requirement or the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators examinations. Grade Point Average and all other criteria for MSU program admission remain in effect.

For more information on education program waivers, email Donna Shea, director of MSU’s Office of Curriculum and Field-Based Instruction, at [email protected] or call 662-325-7684. For a complete list of MDE’s new admissions and licensure requirements, visit mdek12.org/COVID19.

USM Extending Waivers on Admission Exams for Applicants

The University of Southern Mississippi Graduate School recently announced that it will extend its waiver on standardized GRE and GMAT admission exams for applications to the university’s graduate programs to include spring 2021 admissions due to ongoing testing center closures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The waiver does not apply to programs whose accrediting bodies require a standardized exam as a part of the admissions application. USM previously suspended these exams for the summer and fall 2020 semesters.

International applicants must still pass an English proficiency exam, but USM International Admissions will continue to accept the International Test of English Proficiency, which currently offers at-home testing. The university will accept scores of 4.0 to meet the English proficiency requirement.

For more information about USM graduate programs and admissions requirements, call the USM Graduate School at 601-266-4369, email [email protected] or visit usm.edu/graduate-school/.