Eastern New Mexico University Degree Programs
Eastern New Mexico University appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Online Nursing Education Master’s Degrees.
Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) is the largest comprehensive education university in the state. The university exists in three parts with its main campus at Portales, NM being the only four-year degree institution. There are two two-year colleges that augment the ENMU system in Roswell, NM, and Ruidoso, NM. The two two-year schools operate as community colleges offering Associate of Arts degrees, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science degrees as well as certificates of accomplishment and non-transfer courses.
Inside the ENMU system, students can transfer credits from one school to another without loss of credit hours. The university is federally designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. The main campus in Portales, NM, covers over 400-acres in a spectacular rural setting that can only be found in New Mexico. Students from many different environments come to East New Mexico University to pursue an associates degree, certifications of accomplishment, bachelor degrees and master degrees. The classes are small with a student to faculty ratio of 17:1. Online courses are offered in every department with some of the degrees presented entirely online. The school is small—only 4,700 undergraduate students attend the university.
Undergraduates are encouraged to complete a degree with both a major and minor field of study. Some minor degrees at ENMU are extensions of the major that the students are pursuing, such as a minor in accounting for a student that is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration is not an unusual happenstance and enhances the graduate’s credentials when they enter the workforce. Other minor’s like a minor in Creative Wring is attachable to almost any major field of study.
The completion of an undergraduate degree requires a minimum of 120 semester credit hours. The requirements for the addition of a minor in an area of study varies from department to department. Some fields only demand an extra 18 semester hours in a designated field, while others may demand up to 24 semester credit hours.
ENMU offers several varieties of master’s degrees in every department. The administration of graduate degrees is focused in a separate school—the Graduate School—from the undergraduate areas. Master-level courses require a minimum of 30 semester credit hours and a maximum of 36 credit hours depending on the field of study. Of the 24 graduate degrees offered at East New Mexico University, 14 of the programs are offered entirely online.
A Master of Education with Emphasis in Reading and Literacy is presented entirely online. The course is available in two tracks. First, a student can elect to write a thesis in which case the student need only take 30 semester credit hours. A student who chooses not to write a thesis must complete 36 semester credit hours of study.
New Mexico mandates that all teachers working with gifted students must complete an endorsement in gifted education. ENMU is the only school in New Mexico offering the program. The 12-semester credit hour endorsement package is presented entirely online. Eligibility to enter the course is restricted to teachers with a valid New Mexico Teaching Certificate. After completing the program, the student must pass the New Mexico Teaching Assessment (NMTA) for gifted education before starting to instruct talented children.
About Eastern New Mexico University
ENMU was mandated into existence in 1927 by the New Mexico legislature. The college opened its doors to students in 1934—the delay caused by the Stock Market Crash and the onset of the Great Depression. On opening, the school only offered two-year degrees. In 1940, it was authorized to offer four-year degrees and in 1949 added graduate degrees to its itinerary.
According to US News and World Report, the school ranks as number 87 in their 2020 list of the Best Colleges in Regional Universities West. US News and World Report also ranks the university at 72 in Top Performers on Social Mobility. Niche—an online-based school ranking business—ranks East New Mexico University at 370 of 1,603 Colleges with the Best Professors in America and 509 of 1,583 Most Diverse Colleges in America.
Eastern New Mexico University Accreditation Details
ENMU is accredited by the Higher Learning Council to award associate, bachelor, and master’s degrees in select fields of study. Specialized accreditations include:
- National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)
- Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
- Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Eastern New Mexico University Application Requirements
Application to enter ENMU is free, which makes the application process that much easier for prospecting students. The application is competitive, with only 60% of applicants accepted. Some of the criteria necessary to get into the school include a minimum SAT score of 830 or a minimum ACT score of 16. The scores must arrive at the admissions department via the testing organization. A high school transcript must demonstrate proficiency in the following credits.
- Four credits of English
- Three credits of mathematics
- Two credits of lab science
- Three credits of social studies
- One credit of foreign language or English as a Second-Language education
Application requirements for entrance into graduate studies are more demanding. A baccalaureate in a related field and the completion of a pre-graduate-level application test which is competitive with other applicants are also required. To find the test required before application, visit the website of the Graduate School and look under the desired degree.
Tuition and Financial Aid
ENMU runs on a semester plan. Semesters begin in the Fall and Spring with a condensed semester offered during the summer months. The tuition and fees for a state resident student currently run at $3,335 per semester. Undergraduate students living on campus can expect to pay around $7,500 per semester when considering the addition of room rent and meals. Those students from outside the state will pay around $1,000 more per semester as New Mexico subsidizes the cost for its citizens. Those who live in Texas within 130 miles of the East New Mexico University campus pay in-state resident fees.
ENMU proudly acknowledges its attempts to lower student costs. The university encourages students to apply for scholarships, grants, and “need” grants at both the federal and state levels. The university is also a part of the Federal Student Loan system and assists students in filling out their financial aid applications.
Eastern New Mexico University encourages all students to apply for admittance. Do not waste this opportunity to make a free application to a ranked university.
