Graduate Studies

Christopher Newport students have the opportunity to qualify to participate in the bachelor’s-to-master’s five-year degree programs in applied physics and computer science, environmental science, or teaching.

Advantages

Students accepted to the five-year program can save one year in tuition expense and time (compared to the traditional master’s degree program) by following the exact curriculum recommended and taking courses in the summer after completing their bachelor’s degree.

• CNU freshmen, sophomores and juniors meet with the graduate program director to discuss admission requirements and plan undergraduate coursework
• CNU students apply to the five-year program by February 1 of their junior year (65 credits completed)
• An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher is required for acceptance
• Students begin taking graduate-level classes in their senior year at CNU
• No application fee is required

Entrance tests differ for admission to the master of science programs and the master of arts in teaching (MAT) program. Please use the checklist pertaining to the program of your choice.

Each program has an application checklist of specific admission requirements.

• MAT applicants are required to score 235 or higher on each VCLA Writing and Reading subtest.
• If the student has one of the following (fewer than five years old), additional entrance tests are not required:
  • SAT taken prior to March 1, 2016: score of 1100 (530 minimum in both Verbal and Quantitative sections)
  • SAT taken on or after March 1, 2016: score of 1170 (580 minimum on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section and 560 minimum on Math section)
  • ACT: composite score of 24 (22 or higher in math, and an English-plus-reading score of 46 or higher)
• Without the SAT or ACT scores above, an MS applicant needs a GRE score of 300 or higher.
• MAT applicants must use the MAT application checklist for additional tests required.
• Each student is assigned a graduate program adviser (when accepted in the five-year program) to plan coursework with his / her undergraduate academic adviser. Students are awarded their bachelor’s degree upon undergraduate degree completion.
• Students with a final overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher are admitted formally to the graduate program and continue at CNU to earn their master’s degree.

Master of Science in Applied Physics and Computer Science (APCS)

• Emphasis on research collaborations with NASA-Langley Research Center and the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
• Computer science has specialization and research opportunities available in artificial intelligence, software engineering, networking and communications, as well as computer systems engineering and instrumentation
• Specialization and research opportunities in applied physics include nuclear physics, laser and photonics, solid-state physics, modeling and simulation, sensors, and instrumentation systems design

Graduate Program Director
Dr. Peter Monaghan
Luter Hall 302
(757) 594-8293
msapcs@cnu.edu

Master of Science in Environmental Science (ENVS)

• CNU is located in the environmentally rich coastal plain of Virginia.
• Research currently is being conducted at local (e.g., Hoffler Creek Nature Preserve), regional (e.g., Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge) and national (e.g., Death Valley National Park) sites, as well as international locations.
• Graduate students conduct research with expert faculty on such topics as: plant biology, endangered species, herpetology, green chemistry, bat population dynamics, evolutionary biology, seal habitat usage, stream, shoreline and wetland restoration, stormwater biogeochemistry and benthic macroinvertebrate ecology.

Graduate Program Director
Dr. Matthew Lattanzio
Forbes Hall 1004
(757) 594-7044
msenvs@cnu.edu

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

• Designed for students who desire to become effective classroom teachers with an emphasis placed on the understanding of educational theory as it translates into real classroom practice.
• Our program offers students the ability to succeed in content area teaching through hands-on activities, technology and field experiences.
• MAT students may select an endorsement from the following:
  • Art, biology, chemistry, elementary education, English, English as a second language, history and social science, studies, mathematics, music, physics, and Spanish
• Partnership with award-winning school district

Graduate Program Director
Dr. Jean Filetti
McMurran Hall 253
(757) 594-7388
mat@cnu.edu

Master of Financial Analysis (MFinA)

Our MFinA program positions you for higher salaries and quicker advancement in:

• Investment firms
• Wealth management firms
• Financial institutions
• CPA firms
• Corporate accounting and finance departments
• Other business enterprises

In one short year, you’ll master a range of technical and soft skills through our innovative core curriculum. You’ll integrate data analytics into financial decision-making and auditing, understand the latest advances in portfolio management and financial statement analysis, and be ready for ever-changing regulatory and professional environments.

To successfully complete the MFinA program, you must take 30 hours of coursework (including capstone) with an overall GPA of 3.0 and no more than two grades of C.

Graduate Program Director
Dr. Susan Ji 
Luter Hall 125
(757) 594-7075
mfina@cnu.edu

The online application is available December 1 for applicants to the bachelor's-to-master's APCS, ENVS and MAT programs.

To check the status of your application, please email gradadmit@cnu.edu.

Admission requirements for CNU students applying to the bachelor's-to-master's five-year degree programs

Each program has an application checklist of specific admission requirements.

• Current GPA of 3.00 or higher
• If the student has one of the following (fewer than five years old), additional entrance tests are not required:
  • SAT taken prior to March 1, 2016: score of 1100 (530 minimum in both Verbal and Quantitative sections)
  • SAT taken on or after March 1, 2016: score of 1170 (580 minimum on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section and 560 minimum on Math section)
  • ACT: composite score of 24 (22 or higher in math, and an English plus reading score of 46 or higher)
• Without the SAT or ACT scores above, an MS applicant needs a GRE score of 300 or higher.
• MAT applicants must use the MAT application checklist for additional tests required.
• Two recommendation forms (which must include one full-time professor in your major)
• Send recommendation forms electronically, as part of your application, after submitting your application through CNU LIVE
• The recommendation forms (with dispositions or abilities ) are required; reference letters alone are not adequate

Please plan ahead and allow at least two weeks for faculty to send their responses. You must complete the online application to send the recommendation forms. If you experience difficulty when sending the recommendation forms, please copy the message you receive and send it to gradadmit@cnu.edu.

No application fee is required.

The online application is available December 1 for applicants to the bachelor's-to-master's APCS, ENVS and MAT programs.

Applicants to the bachelor's-to-master's five-year graduate program will submit their applications through CNU LIVE. Applications with all required documents must be received by February 1.

Please use the appropriate application checklist to apply to the bachelor's-to-master's five-year graduate program.

The application deadline is February 1 of your junior year. You must have earned 65 undergraduate credits before submitting your application. No application fee is required.

After the complete admission package has been submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies:

• If you applied to the applied physics and computer science or environmental science program, please allow three weeks for the committee's decision and processing. A decision letter will be sent to you via email.
• If you applied to the master of arts in teaching program, the admission committee will begin reviewing application packages March 15. A decision letter will be sent to you via email on April 1.

To check the status of your application, please contact gradadmit@cnu.edu.