NORTHERN TODAY 9 SUMMER 2024 NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY | News Remarkable Growth and New Opportunities: Graduate Studies at Northern State University Graduate Studies at Northern State University has experienced remarkable growth, expanding from 160 graduate students in 2019 to 240 in 2023, a 48% increase. Fall 2023 enrollments in Graduate Studies were the highest on record at Northern. This transformation is a testament to the commitment of Northern’s faculty to create and offer academic programs that help students achieve their career goals. Northern has launched four new master’s degrees across the schools of Business, Education and Fine Arts, including Accounting Analytics, Strategic Innovation and Leadership, Special Education, and Art Education. Faculty have also created six accelerated master’s degree programs. These programs allow students to enroll in up to 12 credits of graduate courses during their senior year, enabling them to graduate with both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years. The addition of the accelerated program has contributed to a 61% growth in the master’s in sport performance and leadership over the last five years. THREE BUSINESS MASTER’S DEGREES Northern’s newest master’s degree, the M.S. in Strategic Innovation and Leadership, prepares students with soughtafter skills in innovative leadership, design thinking, data modeling and creativity. The program is open to students with and without business backgrounds. This broader degree complements Northern’s two other master’s degrees in business: the M.S. in accounting analytics and the M.S. in banking and financial services. MS IN ACCOUNTING ANALYTICS OPENS DOORS Annie Hair (B.S. ’20, M.S. ’21) was in the first class of students to earn their M.S. in accounting analytics from Northern. Hair, now a senior associate at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) in the Chicago area, credits Northern’s master’s program in accounting analytics with preparing her for the field by providing “a top-tier curriculum,” advancing her knowledge of analytics software and deepening her understanding of formal financial presentations. Hair has found accounting analytics to be a “vital operation in the business world,” and she recommends Northern’s program for anyone in the finance or accounting fields. As an undergraduate, Hair was actively involved on campus, serving as president of the Business Club and on the executive team of the Accounting Club. As a supplemental instructor, Hair helped students in introductory and intermediate accounting courses. She also worked in Beulah Williams Library for nearly three years. Hair credits her involvement on campus for her networking skills and knowledge of the industry. MORE THAN 70 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE IN GRADUATE STUDIES Northern awarded its first master’s degree in education in 1953. Today, Northern offers 13 different master’s degrees in business, education and fine arts. Unleash your potential through one of Northern’s flexible, accredited and dynamic programs.
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