The Pillars

OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES
OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES
Dr. John Kovaleski
Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Studies
The Ofce of Graduate Studies serves all students enrolled in
doctoral, specialist, and master’s degree programs. We coordinate
all matters related to graduate-level studies to help graduate
students succeed academically and professionally, and facilitate
academic policies that enhance the productivity of graduate
students and their faculty mentors. The Director of Graduate
Studies serves as the liaison between the Dean of the Graduate
School and the College of Education and Professional Studies.
Our goal is to recruit highly qualified students and to make graduate study fulfilling and successful.
The Office of Graduate Studies assists students through admission, registration, program study,
and graduation. The College of Education and Professional Studies is pleased to offer over 20
graduate degrees at the masters, specialist, and doctoral levels as well as numerous certification
programs. These degrees and certifications are offered through our graduate programs in
the Department of Counseling and Instructional Sciences; Health, Kinesiology, and Sport; and
Leadership and Teacher Education.
Our mission is accomplished through the provision of engagement and support, research and
creative activity, professional development opportunities, and outstanding faculty who provide the
expertise, resources, and advocacy of intellectual and professional performance. The University’s
core values of diversity and a global perspective; excellence; freedom in the pursuit of knowledge,
integrity, and transparency; and participation in decision-making are essential to our vision.
Going forward, we will anticipate the future needs of our students in order to help them thrive in
a global economy where success depends on their cultivation of wide-ranging skill sets, and we
will take advantage of the broad and deep expertise of our graduate faculty to develop a more
interdisciplinary approach to graduate education. We also work to build new innovative programs
that will better prepare our students as they transition from graduate classrooms and labs into
increasingly competitive labor markets.
GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH
Our students at the graduate level who pursue a doctoral, educational specialist, or master’s degree
are afforded the opportunity to push the limits of knowledge. Through a doctoral dissertation,
educational specialist’s research project, or a master’s thesis they generate ideas, research
questions, hypotheses, interpretations and original analyses. Their research could have a major
impact on the world of education, educational leadership, instructional design, clinical counseling
and psychology, sport management, health and exercise science. The answers that they come up
with can make a real difference in the lives of people! Evidence of this effort is illustrated in that the
College of Education and Professional Studies for the academic year 2018-2019 produced 18 doctoral
dissertations, three educational specialist’s research projects, and three master’s theses! This is no
small effort on the part of the student’s and their faculty mentors in producing this large volume of
work! As a special note, doctoral student John Hoyle was nominated by his doctoral committee in
the Department of Counseling and Instructional Sciences and was awarded the 2019 Outstanding
Dissertation of the Year at the 26th Annual University Graduate Research Forum. Congratulations to
Dr. Hoyle and all our amazing graduate students for their work!
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