The Master of Science in First-Year Studies (MSFYS) is a fully online graduate program that encompasses the theory and study of factors affecting the initial college experience, including foundations of students' transitional experiences and research on various programs that promote a successful transition. Grounded in decades of research, this is the only graduate degree program dedicated to the discipline of first-year studies.
Through an innovative curriculum, students in the MSFYS graduate program develop skills and knowledge needed to create and manage curricular and co-curricular programs, and engage in research that extends the collective understanding of first-year and transition studies. The MSFYS program is designed for anyone interested in working with or teaching first-year college students, including residence hall directors, academic advisors, teaching staff, faculty, and administrators.
The program's first cohort graduated in Spring 2017. T.his program was ended in 2021
Theses from 2020
An Exploration of Stress in the First-Year Experience of First-Generation College Students, Mary Kaitlyn Turner
Theses from 2019
SUPPORTING FIRST-YEAR VETERAN STUDENTS’ TRANSITION TO COLLEGE, Willene Boyd
Understanding of Basic Preparedness Among First-Year College Students, Diana Hendricks
An Exploration of the Effectiveness of High Impact Practices as it Pertains to First-Year Non-Traditional Transfer Student's Academic Success, Janice D. Malone
Metacognitive Learning and the First-Year Student, Janelle Mangrum
An Exploration of Campus Resources and Strategies that Support First-Year College Students who are Young Unmarried Mothers, Tabitha Robinson
Theses from 2018
AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF FIRST-YEAR STUDENT SELF-AUTHORSHIP AND MAINTENANCE OF A MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIP, Michelle Antonia
Identifying First-Year Seminar Curriculum Needs for Generation Z Students, Emily Bosscher
THE INFLUENCE OF THE NON-TRADITIONAL LEARNER/ FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR INSTRUCTOR RELATIONSHIP ON FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE RETENTION, christel grider
An Exploration of Co-Curricular Involvement In Traditional-Age First-Year Students, Judith Ohochukwu
Effects of Class Size on Selected Program Outcomes for a First-Year Seminar, David L. Strickland Jr.
Early History of the First-Year Seminar at KSU, Lindsay A. Williams
Theses from 2017
Exploring the Googlesphere: Information Literacy and First-Year College Students, Adrienne Harmer
An Exploratory Study of the Impact of Language on the Transition and Success of Students in Their First College Year, Kathryn B. Wilhite