Academic Catalog

O. Cleveland Hill, Ed.D.

Associate Professor of Health and Physical Education

Dean of the College of Education

Office:

231 Polk

Phone:

448‑4331

GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE

Master of Arts

        Psychological Counseling

Master of Education

        Educational Leadership

                K-12 School Leadership

                Higher Education Administration Concentration

        Counselor Education

        Curriculum and Instruction

                Reading Specialist Concentration

                Elementary Education Concentration

                Secondary Education Concentration

                Early Childhood (Add-on)

                Learning Disabilities (Add-on)

Specialist

        Specialist in School Psychology

Admission to Graduate Studies does not imply admission to the M.A. program. Applicants who have not met all prerequisite conditions for admission are classified as pre M.A. While classified as pre M.A., students may not register for courses that carry graduate credit, except in the case of an individual nearing completion of undergraduate course prerequisites and who has also satisfied all other requirements for admission to the program. In other words, admission criteria 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 listed below must be completed prior to enrollment in any graduate level course. If a student fails to meet these criteria prior to enrollment in graduate classes, the course shall not count toward the M.A. degree.

In all cases, admission to the program must be approved by the MAPC faculty committee following private review of the application by each faculty member. In the case of individuals who have earned graduate credit at another institution, as part of a separate degree program which has been completed (for example, an M.Ed.), or for recertification purposes, the Psychological Counseling faculty committee shall decide on a case-by-case basis if the credit already earned shall count toward the M.A. degree. This shall occur, however, only in the case of individuals who have already met all of the admission criteria.

Admission to the Master of Arts program requires:

A candidate for the Master of Arts must fulfill the general requirements for the degree and present acceptable grades for a minimum of forty eight hours of graduate work with an overall average of B or better in the course of study with not more than six semester hours with the grade of C. Further requirements include completion of the externship and successful completion of a Master's Comprehensive Examination.

Because of the extremely sensitive nature of counseling and psychotherapeutic relationships, the faculty of the Psychological Counseling program believes that academic standards alone are insufficient to ensure that appropriate skills and values are present in the personal qualities of the prospective degree candidate. Therefore, in addition to the academic requirements, the faculty of the degree program requires extensive evaluations of candidates on a semester-by-semester basis for the first year after admission to the program and on a yearly basis thereafter, with the faculty conducting the evaluations. These evaluations by program faculty serve to gauge each candidate's progress toward the value orientation and personal growth necessary to be an effective counselor. The prospective candidate must also meet the reasonable expectations of the program faculty in relationship to these evaluations in order to receive the Master of Arts. A complete description of the evaluation procedure, as well as the Dismissal Policy for Other than Academic Reasons is included in the student handbook for the program and is available upon request from the coordinator of the Master of Arts program.

Admission to Graduate Studies does not imply admission to M.Ed. programs. Applicants who have met all requirements for admission to Graduate Studies but who have not met degree program admission requirements are classified as pre program. While so classified, students may not earn more than twelve semester hours to be applied later toward an M.Ed. degree. While a student is in pre program status, no credits earned with less than a B grade will be applied toward the M.Ed. degree.

Admission to the M.Ed. program requires applicants to:

The program leading to the Master of Education degree requires thirty six semester hours (with the exception of the Master's Degree in Counselor Education, which requires 37 hours). Every candidate must complete at least one half of the work for the degree in courses open only to graduate students, and must earn an overall average of B or better with not more than six semester hours with the grade of C (2.0). In addition, candidate progress will be assessed at four transition points in the program. Transition point evaluations of candidates will occur at entrance to program, prior to clinical practice, exit from clinical practice, and at program completion. Criteria for successful completion of each transition point will be specified in the program handbook.

The degree is offered in three curriculum areas with one or more concentrations in each. A candidate must follow the prescribed curriculum in the sequence indicated in order to progress to the master's degree. A candidate must complete the foundations core, apply for and be accepted for candidacy before being permitted to enroll in the Advanced Concentration Coursework unless approved by the Coordinator of Graduate Studies and the Dean.

During the final semester or session, candidates for the M.Ed. or the M.A. degree must take a written comprehensive examination and/or submit a comprehensive portfolio. The comprehensive examination for the degree in administration and supervision requires both essay and objective responses. Candidates for the M.Ed. in Early Childhood, Elementary, Learning Disabilities, Secondary Education, and Reading must complete a comprehensive portfolio. Candidates for the M.Ed. in counselor education and the M.A. degree must take comprehensive examinations either in the fall or spring semester. Those students who have finished all course work except for supervised practica may, with the consent of their major professor and program chair, complete the comprehensive examination at the end of the semester (fall or spring) in which that course work is completed. If the student's performance on the written examination is unsatisfactory, the student, at the committee's discretion, may be permitted to take an oral examination or be required to retake the entire or failed portion(s) of the examination at the next or a later regularly scheduled administration of the examination. A candidate must register for EDFR 594 or 595, GUID 595, or PSYC 595 at the beginning of the semester or session in which the examination is to be taken or the portfolio is to be submitted. No special examinations will be given. No candidate will be permitted a third examination.