DURANT, Okla. – Earlier this fall, Southeastern Oklahoma State University reported an increase of 6% in enrollment over last fall.

Southeastern’s official fall 2017 enrollment is 3,956 students and

represents the largest overall enrollment at the University since 2012. In addition, Southeastern experienced an increase of 3.2% in student credit hours this fall, a critical component in the state funding formula.

The enrollment increase included gains in a number of categories, including new freshmen, Bryan County freshmen, Texas freshmen, and transfer students.

But the most significant growth came in the graduate school with the recent introduction of online programs in business and education to complement popular degrees in such areas as aviation sciences, Native American Leadership, and occupational safety & health, to name just a few.

According to Dr. Tim Boatmun, Dean of the Graduate School/E-Programming and Academic Support, enrollment in the Graduate School is 64% higher than last fall, while the Master of Business Administration saw an increase of 134% (408 students this fall compared to 174 last fall).

The University has also revamped its Master of Education programs in Curriculum and Instruction, Special Education, School Counseling, and Educational Leadership this fall. All programs are now 100% online.

Southeastern president Sean Burrage, who is in his fourth year at the University, said that online degree programs are greatly impacting colleges and universities across the nation, particularly at the graduate level.

“In today’s world of higher education, there is great demand for online learning opportunities,’’ he said. “The higher education model is changing, and our faculty members deserve a great deal of credit for adapting to this change. We expect this trend (in online delivery) to continue as we explore the possibility of offering additional academic programs online.’’

To that end, in January, 2018, the Master of Science in Sports Administration will begin being offered 100% online.

In addition to the convenience of online delivery, there is flexibility in scheduling as students have multiple start dates to enter the program throughout the year. This is important to the large number of students who are balancing family and work responsibilities with classes.

For more information visit www.se.edu/dept/gus or www.online.se.edu.