1. Provisional: If an applicant is unable to provide all the necessary documents, but otherwise meets the admissions criteria, he/she may be granted provisional admission. Provisional admission may not be permitted for more than one semester and all credentials must be received before the end of the semester in which the students has registered. To move from provisional status to regular admission status, students must either meet all regular admissions requirements or complete 9 hours of graduate study with at least 3.0 GPA.
  2. Non-degree: A non-degree status is allowed for students that wish to take graduate courses but do not intend to seek the MES degree. The student must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale).

Graduate Student Recruitment and Retention:

The interdisciplinary nature of the program will allow students with diverse undergraduate preparations to pursue the MES degree at KSU. It is anticipated that the MES program will attract students with backgrounds in physical or natural sciences or related fields, including earth sciences, social sciences, mathematics, or engineering.

In addition to traditional students, KSU expects to attract non-traditional students, particularly area science teachers who wish to pursue a master's degree in a related field. Graduates of this program are expected to hold positions as environmental professionals in government and in the non-profit and private sectors.

The first goal of the recruiting effort is to raise the visibility of the KSU MES program in the region, state, and around the nation. The MES graduate advisory council will develop a comprehensive plan for the recruitment, retention, and success of students in the program. The plan will identify the most cost-effective strategies from various approaches that are widely used for graduate recruitment and retention. One of the strategic goals of the recruitment plan will be to attract women and under-represented populations in the MES applicant pool. Most students graduating in one of the STEM areas do not pursue a graduate education. The KSU MES program should appeal to many STEM students seeking graduate educational opportunities in a related field. The program will also allow many KSU graduates to continue their pursuit of higher

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