Studying in Harrisburg

“The degree is a perfect fit for my current job and future goals and effectively builds on my professional experience to date."—Sherri Zimmerman, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate

Because of the success of the on-campus program, IUP was invited by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) to offer this same program in Harrisburg. The first Harrisburg cohort began classes in Fall 2001. This is an exciting program, drawing upon the knowledge and experience of students in the Harrisburg and south-central Pennsylvania regions who work in state agencies, the legislature, and community colleges, as well as local government and nonprofit agencies.

Where is the program offered?

IUP’s ALS Ph.D. Program at Harrisburg is offered at the Dixon University Center, 2986 North Second Street, located in an easily accessible and very picturesque setting along the Susquehanna River between Front and North Second streets. Free parking is available near the building where classes are offered, including an underground parking garage.

The ALS-Dixon program offices are in Richards Hall, on the third floor, and include the ALS leadership library book collection and computers for student use. A full-time administrative support staff member is based at this office, providing students with assistance with program logistics, including liaison with offices at IUP.

Applying to the Harrisburg ALS Program

Applications are accepted to the Harrisburg campus on odd-numbered years. Therefore, applications are due on February 15 of odd-numbered years if you are applying to the program in Harrisburg. An Information Night is typically held at the Dixon University Center during the fall of the even-numbered year immediately preceeding the application deadline. To receive an invitation to Information Night, please send an e-mail to Kim Winters, kwinters@iup.edu, ALS program secretary.

Students must submit the following materials to be considered for admission into the program:

• Complete IUP graduate school application
• Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts (applicants must have completed both a bachelor’s and master’s degree with a GPA of 2.6 or higher. Transcripts must be sent directly from the academic institution to IUP’s Graduate Admissions Office.)
• GRE test scores (no more than five years old)
• Three letters of recommendation
• Curriculum Vitae or resume
• Goal statement (explaining why the applicant wishes to be admitted)
• Writing sample (master’s thesis, course paper, policy document, etc.)

A personal interview may be required at the option of the Admissions Committee. Admission requirements for the Harrisburg program are the same as for the ALS program on the main campus. However, international students cannot apply to the Harrisburg program.

For information about the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), visit the GRE website. For the location of GRE test centers, visit ETS’s list of Computer-Based Test Centers. In Harrisburg, the test is offered at Prometric Testing Center, 6029 Allentown Blvd., Paxton Square, Harrisburg, PA 17112; 717-652-0143. Call 800-967-1100 to register to take the test.

When do classes begin?

Prior to starting regular classes in the Fall of odd-numbered years, newly admitted students will take a one-credit ProSeminar course during the summer. This course will be offered at the Dixon University Center one night per week for four weeks from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Students will be oriented to expectations for scholarship, including academic writing style, research and conference presentations, learning how to search the literature through IUP library’s on-line resources, and writing a short paper related to their potential dissertation research interest.

Who teaches the classes in Harrisburg?

Classes are primarily taught by IUP faculty members who travel to the Dixon Center as well as faculty members from other universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Who will be my academic advisor?

Early in the program, John Anderson, Ph.D., the ALS Program Coordinator, serves as a faculty mentor to provide guidance and support. Later, students choose members of their dissertation committees, including a chair, who will become their advisor. The IUP policy is that the advisor/chair of the committee must be an IUP faculty member—however the other committee members may be faculty members who have taught in the program from other universities.

What are the tuition and fees?

Given the additional cost of providing the program off-site, the tuition for the ALS Program in Harrisburg is 10 percent higher than whatever is the current graduate tuition at the main campus. For the 2009–2010 academic year the tuition rate at the Dixon Center is $407 per credit hour; tuition rates may increase over the course of the program. Harrisburg students pay a Dixon Center technology fee of $60; registration fee of $32; and an off-campus instructional fee of $23.10.

For additional information please visit the Bursar’s Office website.

When are courses offered? How many courses does a student take per semester?

Class schedules are designed to accommodate the schedules of working professionals. Each semester, Fall, Spring and Summer, students are expected to take two courses to stay in sequence. Generally classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m.; occasionally a course is offered on Friday evening and Saturday.

Most ALS students are on part-time status, attending two courses per semester. However it is sometimes possible to take three courses, with the additional course accessed by videoconference courses offered from the main campus, occasional one-week classes, or independent study courses.

How are electives made available in Harrisburg?

Selection of courses to be offered as electives in Harrisburg is made on the basis of student interest. A field experience or independent study may be used as an elective course. Students can also transfer in up to six credits of graduate coursework taken within the past five years, given approval by the program coordinator and by the Graduate School.

Besides coursework, what are the other requirements?

Students take Core and Research comprehensive examinations as they proceed through the program, generally in the third year. These exams are offered two times a year at the Dixon Center. After completion of comprehensive exams, every student will complete a dissertation seminar. Beginning the semester following completion of the dissertation seminar, students register for a total of nine dissertation credits. Next, the student prepares and defends a research proposal for the dissertation, carries out research, and writes and defends the dissertation. If a student does not complete the dissertation after registering for the nine credits, they must take a minimum of one extended credit each semester until the dissertation is completed.

Completion of the Ph.D., including coursework and dissertation, takes approximately four to seven years. IUP’s policy is that doctoral students should complete their degree within seven years of the start of their program.

Do Harrisburg students have access to library resources?

Students are issued I-cards (IUP student identification cards) and have Internet access to the on-line resources of the IUP library as well as being able to obtain books via mail and interlibrary loan. They are also able to utilize all resources of the Keystone Library Network. A small book collection is available in the Resource Room at our office at the Dixon Center, with volumes focused on leadership, administration, and research methods.

What is the relationship between the Harrisburg ALS program and the main campus?

Harrisburg students are invited to workshops for ALS students at the main campus. We hold other workshops and seminars for all of the students from both sites that are variously held in Indiana and in Harrisburg. In addition, students at both sites have the option of taking courses at either site.

What is the purpose of the cohort?

Having students enter the program at the same time and take most of their classes together creates a peer network that leads to greater sharing of information and support. This can be very important for busy mid-career professionals who are balancing graduate studies with work and family.

Who should I contact to discuss other questions I may have about this program?

Please call or send an e-mail to the coordinator for this program, John Anderson, Ph.D., Department of Sociology, at 717-720-4098 or jaa@iup.edu. For an application packet, visit the website of the School of Graduate Studies and Research.

Harrisburg Course Schedule beginning Fall 2009

This schedule may be subject to change. Additional optional electives may be offered.

Students may finish coursework earlier by either taking three courses during some semesters and/or by transferring up to two graduate courses taken within the past five years and relevant to the ALS program.

• Administration and Leadership Studies Program
• McElhaney Hall, Room 102
  441 North Walk
  Indiana, PA 15705
• Phone: 724-357-2956
• Fax: 724-357-4842
• als-phd@iup.edu

• Office Hours
• Monday through Wednesday
• 8:00 a.m. - 3:-00 p.m.