Welcome to South Dakota State University and thank you for considering the graduate programs in the SDSU Graduate School. Individuals have many different reasons for pursuing graduate level education. These include a desire to broaden one's knowledge base, the need to obtain the credentials necessary to assume or maintain a leadership role in one's professional career, and personal fulfillment. Whether you are motivated by one of these or by other factors, attending graduate school at SDSU is a wise choice. As South Dakota’s Land-Grant University, you will be provided with opportunities in 30 graduate programs that encompass areas such as agriculture, engineering, social sciences, health sciences, education, biological sciences, nursing, computation, and geospatial sciences.

Graduate-level courses and exciting research programs abound at SDSU. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recently classified SDSU as the state’s only Research University with high research activity. Graduate education and research programs provided by seven academic colleges provide outstanding opportunities for advanced education and respected credentials.

South Dakota State University offers M.S., M.A., M.Ed. and Ph.D. programs, as well as a Doctorate of Pharmacy degree. Many of the Master’s-level programs offer a choice of thesis, design paper, or course-based pedagogies. Each graduate student works closely with a faculty committee to develop a research program and plan of study to match the student’s interests.

Research opportunities are expanding at SDSU. Of course, research is a core part of SDSU’s land-grant mission. SDSU is a Space Grant as well as a Sun Grant university with programs in remote sensing, geospatial sciences and engineering, and renewable energy. Our involvement in numerous EPSCoR programs provides linkages to several federal research programs. Lately, the South Dakota Governor, state legislature and Board of Regents have enhanced research through the South Dakota 2010 Initiatives.

We invite you to consider pursuing your graduate education at South Dakota State University by reviewing our online graduate catalog or the online information about each of the academic programs. 

 

Kevin D. Kephart

Vice President for Research

Dean, Graduate School

Background of SDSU's Graduate School

An act of the Territorial Legislature approved in 1881 provided for the establishment of what is now South Dakota State University. The institution granted its first Master of Science degree in 1891, its first Master of Education degree and Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1958. All graduate work was supervised by a committee until 1957, when the Graduate School was established.

A Graduate Council of nine members elected from the Graduate Faculty assists the Graduate Dean. The council includes the Graduate Dean (chair); one member each from Animal Sciences, Biological Sciences, Education and Counseling, Engineering Sciences, Health Sciences, Physical Sciences, Plant Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities. The Dean of the Library serves as an ex-officio member.

The Graduate Faculty is composed of the University President, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Executive Vice President for Administration, college deans, heads of departments in which graduate courses are given, and other faculty, chosen on the basis of their training and experience, in accordance with the policies of the Graduate School. All matters of policy and standards are acted on by the Graduate Faculty. In addition, Graduate Faculty are authorized to serve as adviser to graduate students or on their examining committee and to teach courses for graduate credit.

Questions?

If you have questions that have not been answered by this site, please contact us by one of the following means:



Mail

Graduate School

South Dakota State University

SAD 130, Box 2201

Brookings SD 57007-1998

USA



Phone

605.688.4181



Fax

605.688.6167



E-mail

sdsu_gradschool@sdstate.edu



If you are considering graduate study, you will find SDSU to be a dynamic, comprehensive research-oriented land-grant university with a wide range of opportunities for graduate study.