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Class format

Two smiling female students in class

Graduate programs class format

Messiah’s graduate programs are primarily online. Some are fully online, while others follow a hybrid format with occasional weeklong on-campus sessions. Most programs are designed for working professionals, offering flexibility to balance study, work, and personal life. Others, like Occupational Therapy, follow a full-time, on-campus format.

Traditional

Students meet at a physical location during scheduled meeting times for the duration of the course.

The following graduate programs are offered in a traditional format:

  • Athletic training
  • Nutrition and dietetics with dietetic intership
  • Occupational therapy
  • Physical therapy

Hybrid

Most of Messiah's graduate programs are conducted in a hybrid format which combines face-to-face meetings and class sessions that are synchronous (use of Canvas, a learning management system, and other technologies to deliver real-time online lectures and discussions to students remotely) and/or asynchronous (use of a learning management system and other technologies to deliver recorded online lectures and materials for students at remote locations at any time). Messiah's hybrid courses are predominantly online with a few one-week intense courses that are held on campus.

Intensive courses are named for their concentrated meeting time and immersive learning experience within a short period of time. Typical models provide students the opportunity to attend class in a face-to-face environment eight hours a day for five days. In addition to the work taking place during the week, course readings and work are assigned prior to and following the face-to-face experience.

The following graduate programs are offered in a hybrid format:

  • Counseling
  • Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy
  • Education
  • Higher education leadership
  • Music conducting
  • Nursing

Online

All course materials are delivered online through Canvas, with no in-person requirements. Students engage with professors and peers via webcams, discussion forums, and both live (synchronous) and recorded (asynchronous) sessions. Small class sizes ensure a high-quality, personalized learning experience. Faculty use Canvas to teach all online graduate courses. To get started with Canvas, visit: Canvas Quick Links for Students.

The following graduate programs are offered in an online format:

  • Business and leadership
  • Counseling
  • Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy
  • Education (certificates only for PreK-12, PreK-4, or 7-12)
  • Music education