Contact
Robert Kirsch, Director
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Leadership and Interdisciplinary Studies
Urban Systems Engineering Bldg. (USE)
Room 252
651 E. University Drive
ASU Tempe campus
Robert.Kirsch@asu.edu
Question: How long will it take to complete this master's degree?
Answer: An ambitious and hardworking student may be able to complete the degree in one calendar year. It does depend on several factors: A student would need to take 2 courses each 7.5 week session, which is a heavy workload but not impossible if you have enough time every week to devote to studying. Also, some students enter with preadmission credits.
Q: How many hours per week should I expect to spend on a 3-credit graduate course?
A: Plan for pproximately 18-20 hours per week for a 3-credit online course.
Q: Can graduates from online programs go on for a PhD?
A: Yes! Students can apply to doctoral programs.
Q: How do I register for classes via My ASU?
A: This tutorial can help with that!
https://psychology.clas.asu.edu/sites/default/files/registration_guide.pdf
Q: What are A and B sessions?
A: There are two 7.5-weeks sessions per semester in ASU Online degree programs. Each session consists of compressed, 7.5-week courses. Once you've enrolled, please pay close attention to the dates of the academic calendar. You'll see brief windows of time to drop and add classes given that the A and B sessions run back-to-back.
Q: Can I take ASU Online courses offered from other colleges/programs as electives?
A: This depends on the culminating experience you have chosen. Please talk to your assigned faculty adviser for approval to take electives from another department.
Q: Where do I find the current class schedule?
A: Students can see the full course schedule for ASU at: https://asu.edu/classes. Make sure to select the “ASU Online” option when searching. All of the courses in the curriculum are listed in the MSOGL handbook
Q: How many classes can I take at once?
A: Many students take one or two classes each 7.5-week session. To make good progress toward the degree, at least one course per session is a good pace. Students are not able to register for more than 12 credits per semester without approval from the adviser.
Q: Can I take a semester off if I need to?
A: Continuous enrollment is required (fall, spring). The ASU Graduate College states that a student must be registered for a minimum of one graduate credit hour during all phases of their graduate program (fall, spring, as well as summer if using university resources in summer or applying for graduation in summer). Students have the option of petitioning for a leave of absence – or a "maintain continuous enrollment" request. This is submitted through the Interactive Plan of Study (iPOS) in the Petition section, and does not affect continuous enrollment. Failure to register or to request a leave results in automatic withdrawal from the program.
Note: W (withdraw) and X (audit) do not count as continuous enrollment. A 400-level class does NOT count toward continuous enrollment for graduate students, unless it is listed on the iPOS.
Q: What is the Interactive Plan of Study (iPOS)?
A: The Graduate College requires students to have a plan of study on file by the time they reach 50% of their program (five classes). The interactive plan of study (iPOS) can be completed on your My ASU page. It’s a list of your current and future classes, including any transfer classes, your culminating experience, and your committee chair and additional members (if required). Once approved, it is your roadmap to graduation, and a contract with the university. When you apply to graduate, the Graduation Office compares your transcript with your Interactive Plan of Study. If you have taken classes in a different order, they’ll not approve your graduation until you submit a Course Change Request updating your iPOS).
9 tips for iPOS
Q: When exactliy do I file the iPOS?
A: File the iPOS before you have completed 50% of the program. For a 30-credit program, that would be before you complete 15 credits.
Q: What if I need to change a class on my Interactive Plan of Study after it's been approved?
A: You simply submit a Course Change Request to swap out a class.
Q: What sort of grades do graduate students earn?
A: Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average each semester. In order to graduate from ASU, graduate students must have a 3.0 overall GPA, a 3.0 iPOS GPA, and a 3.0 graduate GPA. If you fall below a 3.0 overall GPA, you will be put on academic probation by the Graduate College.
Q: What tutoring tools are available to graduate students?
A: There are multiple tutoring tools and resources available through ASU's University Academic Success Programs including:
Graduate Writing Center – ASU’s Online Graduate Writing Center specifically serves students enrolled in 500-, 600- and 700-level classes. Using Adobe Connect, this real-time, appointment-based assistance allows students to meet one-on-one with a graduate writing consultant to receive feedback on their writing projects at any stage in their development and writing process. The center is open Sundays-Thursdays with appointments available between the hours of 2 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Q: Where can I find out more about how Canvas, the course management system, works?
A: Canvas help can be found here.
Q: I applied to graduate in the current semester but need to postpone graduation to the next semester. What do I do?
A: Contact the ASU Graduation Office either by phone at 480-965-3256 or by email graduation@asu.edu to request that your current application be withdrawn. After they have withdrawn the application, go back to the Graduation Tab on your My ASU page and reapply for graduation for the future semester. You do not need to pay the fee again as your original payment will remain on file for up to five years.
Q: How long do I have to complete my degree?
A: According to ASU's Graduate College, the master's degree must be completed within six years of the earliest date of a course that appears on the Interactive Graduate Plan of Study, including nondegree work (transfer work is nondegree for purposes of these computations).