Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Academic Year 2018 (Fall – Summer)

• Fall 2017, August 21 - December 8
• Spring 2018, January 16 - May 4
• Summer 2018, May 21 - August 10

Academic Year 2019 (Fall – Summer)

• Fall 2018, August 20 - December 7
• Spring 2019, January 22 - May 10
• Summer 2019, May 28 - August 16

Academic Year 2020 (Fall – Summer)

• Fall 2019, August 26 - December 13
• Spring 2020, January 21 - May 8
• Summer 2020, May 26 - August 14

Academic Year 2021 (Fall – Summer)

• Fall 2020, August 24 - December 11
• Spring 2021, January 10 - May 7
• Summer 2021, May 24 - August 13

Academic Year 2022 (Fall – Summer)

• Fall 2021, August 23 - December 10
• Spring 2022, January 18 - May 6
• Summer 2022, May 23 - August 12

One week of finals follows the spring and fall ending dates.

All online courses offered in this program are exactly the same as the courses offered on campus. Many courses are recordings of current on-campus classes and are put online immediately after each lecture is completed.

An online course will be accessible and utilized by both online and on-campus students. Frequently, instructors combine their on- and off-campus students via email or the Internet to work on projects together or to "chat" via a discussion room or message board.

Your transcript and diploma will look the same as an on-campus student's with no reference to whether the degree was completed on or off campus.

Kansas State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Each department's undergraduate programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) or the Computer Science Accreditation Board (CSAB). The same engineering faculty are fully engaged in the accredited undergraduate programs, leading-edge and state-of-the-art research, and high-quality graduate programs.

U.S. News and World Report has ranked our engineering online graduate programs in the top 20 in the nation. Visit the U.S. News Education Rankings website for details.

You have up to six years to finish your degree program. Some students take just one course at a time; others take two; a very few take more than two at a time. You should decide what works best for you, given your job, family and other responsibilities.

See Sections A, B and C of the Admission To Graduate Study section of the Graduate Handbook for information on applying to a graduate program. Admission and transcript information and application details are available through the K-State Graduate School application process. The website also includes an orientation to distance learning at Kansas State University.

Nondegree-seeking students may take courses (up to 9 credit hours) without formally applying to the master's degree program.

A maximum of 10 credit hours may be transferred if the credit is applicable to the student's program of study and with the approval of the student's supervisory committee. See "D.6 Transfer of Credit" in Chapter 2 of the Graduate Handbook for more detail.

Various undergraduate engineering courses are available online, but a full degree program is not available. Visit the Course Search page to find these online undergraduate courses. Our full undergraduate engineering degree programs are on-campus programs only. Students unable to come to our campus to study may consider the ABET-accredited online engineering undergraduate degree programs offered by the University of North Dakota.

Courses offered in these degree programs will be taught completely online. Courses run on a semester basis: Spring (mid-January to mid-May); Summer (dates vary); and Fall (mid-August to mid-December).

Students are encouraged to enroll early, but no later than one week before the beginning of the semester. Students who enroll on or after the first day of class will be charged a $65 late fee and may experience delays in receiving course information and materials. Late enrollments will be accepted with instructor permission only.

Many courses will require that students identify a proctor who will supervise the taking of exams by the student. Engineering students will be notified via their online course information packet in K-State Online and the K-State Global Campus Student and Faculty Services office if their course requires an exam proctor. See Testing and Exams for details on identifying your proctor and submitting the Examination Proctor Agreement form at the beginning of the semester.

Most courses provide video or audio for lectures and post assignments, documents and other resources on the web. Various opportunities for mediated interaction are available through K-State Online, as well. Engineering courses require students to have access to a computer and the Internet. Computer recommendations are provided by Information Technology Services and include hardware, software and networking/Internet connection recommendations.

An online course information packet providing detailed information about each course, as well as K-State policies and procedures, will be made available to engineering distance students through K-State Online after they enroll. A welcome email will be sent from the K-State Global Campus Student and Faculty Services office approximately one month before the semester begins, confirming students' enrollments and directing them to the online packet website. Students should read their packet(s) very carefully, following instructions for ordering textbooks and any other requirements for beginning their courses on time.

Graduate tuition for online engineering and computer science courses for the 2018-2019 academic year is $857.60 per credit hour and undergraduate tuition is $726.10 per credit hour. All distance students are charged the same affordable rate for tuition whether they reside in or outside of Kansas. Tuition is subject to change until approved by the Board of Regents each summer. Students' only additional expense will be their textbooks. For the most up-to-date course costs, refer to Course Offerings. Costs are listed with the individual course descriptions.

Kansas State University has been recognized by GetEducated.com as one of the top 25 "Best Buys" for online engineering master's programs, indicating that our programs have been found to offer high quality, accredited, distance degrees at tuition well below the national average. In an age when college costs are skyrocketing, we are pleased to be making higher education more accessible to working adults through the double merits of distance learning and affordable pricing.

There is a full refund if a course is cancelled. Other refunds are possible for a limited time. All requests for withdrawals and status changes must be submitted in writing. A complete policy on refunds, withdrawals and status changes will be included in your online course information packet and in the K-State Global Campus Policies.

Students admitted to a degree program are eligible for financial assistance. Additionally, scholarships specifically for engineering students include:

The Robert F. Sykes Scholarship was established to benefit students enrolled in the Civil Engineering or Engineering Management online master's programs through K-State Global Campus. Scholarships are available for the spring and fall semesters. The application deadline for the Fall/Spring term is April 1 of each year.

Scholarship opportunities are available through the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE). Scholarship awards will be made by ASNE to encourage students to enter the field of naval engineering or provide support to naval engineers seeking advanced education in the field. Various programs of study, including mechanical, civil, aeronautical and electrical engineering, may all apply to the field of naval engineering. Applications must be received by February 15 of each year.

The K-State Graduate School's master's checklist and current student information are very useful pages for master's students and will help them ensure that by the time they are ready to graduate, they have taken all the steps necessary to complete their degree.

Students admitted to an undergraduate or graduate program should check with their advisors before enrolling in a class to ensure that it meets the degree requirements. See How to Enroll for instructions on signing up for a course.

Every master's student must file a Program of Study (POS) with the Graduate School. The POS is a formal list of courses that the student intends to complete to fulfill the requirements of the degree. Distance students must submit their POS upon the completion of nine credit hours. "Preparing a Program of Study" on the K-State Graduate School website provides instructions for filing your program POS and for obtaining the proper approvals. Contact your department for assistance in obtaining the required signatures.

Options for accessing semester grades include:

1. Students may view/print a copy of their semester grades from their Student Center page in KSIS.
2. Students may request a transcript through the K-State Registrar's Office. The site includes a printable form and instructions for obtaining a transcript. The phone number for the Registrar's Office is 785-532-6254. A small fee will be charged for each transcript requested unless the student is currently enrolled.

Students should consult the K-State Graduate Handbook for specific information concerning graduate student responsibilities. Nondegree students are normally required to meet the same academic standards as other graduate students. Additional information is available from the K-State Graduate School, 102 Fairchild Hall, 1601 Vattier St., Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, 785-532-6191.

All Kansas State University syllabi, course materials, course media and online courses are copyrighted. You may duplicate the course materials only for your own use in the course, and you must erase or destroy any duplicated materials as soon as you complete the course requirements.

You may not make course materials or information available to other individuals unless you have written permission from the copyright owner. Please check with your instructor for permission to use any course material. Without written permission, you may not be paid for taking notes by a person or commercial firm or sell your notes to an individual or commercial firm.

View K-State's copyright statement

Visit the K-State K-State Graduate School's commencement webpage for graduation and commencement information. Be sure to check out the "For Master's Candidates" link on the left and the Checklist for Master's Students. In addition, it is very important that you contact the department from which you are earning your degree to request specific guidelines and instructions for graduating from that department. Deadlines (pdf) are very important. Approximately four weeks before the end of the semester, you must have completed your oral exam with your supervisory committee and have your final examination ballot submitted in order to graduate that semester.

Yes! We encourage you to come to campus and participate in all the graduation activities, ceremonies and receptions. For some, it might be the only time you get to see our beautiful campus and visit the university from which you are graduating.

We hope that many of our distance students are able to travel to the K-State campus in Manhattan to celebrate in person, but we know that isn't always feasible. As a way to honor and celebrate your accomplishment, K-State offers a virtual commencement for online students.

Visit K-State Global Campus Student Services for more information on accessing your course, textbooks, exam proctors, student access assistance, and other services and helpful links. Information for future, current and military students as well as distance student alumni is included.