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SPSU Graduate Catalog

Office of Graduate Studies
Building B Suite 102
1100 South Marietta Pkwy
Marietta, GA 30060

Home >> 2010 - 2011 Graduate Catalog >> Programs & Courses >> Degree Programs >> Information and Instructional Design

Information and Instructional Design

Offering the Master of Science Degree

The master’s program in Information and Instructional Design (IID) is a companion program of the SPSU master’s program in Information Design and Communication (IDC), and shares facilities, several faculty members, and several required and elective course offerings. This program blends the converging disciplines of Technical Communication and Instructional Design.

Students in both programs begin with a common core of foundational courses in technical communication, but diverge in distinct branches with different goals and outcomes.

Our MS Program in Information and Instructional Design is a two year program, 36 hours which is 12 courses.  The program will be delivered as a mix of fully online and hybrid (partially online) courses. Hybrid courses will meet on campus one evening per week from 6-8:45 p.m.

Each student must complete 36 semester hours of work. That includes 30 hours of classroom/online courses plus an internship, OR 36 hours of hybrid/online courses. Students can finish in about two years if they take (a) two three-hour classes for each of three semesters, and (b) three classes, or nine hours, for each of the other two semesters.

The program in IID has been developed to meet a conspicuous need for corporate arena professionals developing both informational resources and instructional solutions for adult learners. Program graduates will have demonstrated a flexible, highly competitive knowledge and skill set preparing them to serve corporate needs as:

  • Instructional Developers
  • Trainers
  • Content Developers/Managers

New IID Students: How to Apply

The admissions process is as follows:

    • application
    • application fee ($20 non-refundable)
    • one official transcript from each college attended (these must be in sealed envelopes sent directly from the school)
    • students with a GPA less than 2.75 will be required to take IDC 5001 and IDC 5002, as preconditions for acceptance into the program. A "B" or better will be required in both courses for full admission to the MSIDC
    • immunization certification sign waiver on the back stating enrollment in online courses only, if you plan to complete the degree online
    • GRE scores (Test scores may be waived, if an applicant has 2 or more years of relevant work experience. Applicants may submit, to the ETCMA Graduate Review Committee, a portfolio of work, along with appropriate descriptions and narrative justification of the relevancy of the work experience to the candidates suitability for graduate degree study. ie: explanation of audience, purpose of each of the samples, and the applicants role in creating them.)
    • three academic or professional references on letterhead placed in a sealed envelope with the writer's signature placed over the seal
    • an essay focusing on why the applicant has chosen an online learning/hybrid environment for an MS degree in Information and Instructional Design, essay should also include which track an applicant is interested in pursuing and a list of elective courses the applicant is most interested in taking and why these courses support the applicant’s professional/academic goals. (essay should be at least 2 pages, double-spaced, and typed) NOTE: indicating a track of interest does not lock a student into a commitment for that specific track the student can change his/her mind
    • professional resume (This professional resume should show current and past work experience.)

NOTE: Since the GRE scores are not the only determining factor as to whether or not a student is admitted to the MSIID degree, the Graduate Review Committee did not specify a minimum score requirement. Sometimes the GRE score is not reflective of the actual writing talents a student possesses. For this reason, we don't base the students acceptance, solely, on the GRE scores.

Once all of the application materials have been submitted, your file will then be presented to the Graduate Admissions Committee for review for acceptance into the program.

 We admit new students Fall and Spring only.

Our application deadlines for the MSIID are: November 1 and July 1.

Dr. Keith Hopper, khopper@spsu.edu, is the Coordinator for this program. You may contact him with questions, other than those for the admissions process.