Overview | Curriculum | Courses

Graduate Studies in Education
Richard C. Fallis, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Trevor F. Hutchins, Associate Dean, School of Education
David Curtis, Director, Graduate Studies in English Education

Gary Breegle, Mary Etta Cook, Joy Criscoe, Sharon Crumpton, David Curtis, Corinne Dale, Richard C. Fallis, Ernest Heard, Ronnie Littlejohn, Marcia A. McDonald, Margaret P. Monteverde, C. Steven Murphree, Douglas Murray, Jackie Palka, John H.E. Paine, Mary Frances Phenicie, Robbie Pinter, Guy Rose, Annette Sisson, Jim Stamper, Norma Stevens

Vision:

As a central part of a premier teaching university, the unit provides the knowledge, skills, and experiences for a person to pursue a life-long commitment to quality teaching. Our vision is for educators who see teaching as an integral human activity that both imparts and facilitates the gaining of knowledge. We want teachers who not only facilitate student learning but who also enjoy what they are doing and are energized by creatively employing a variety of educative processes. We envision graduates who are positive role models in all senses and who continually reflect on their role and performance as a teacher.

This vision, facilitated through and supported by Belmont University's vision of a consistently caring Christian environment, and enacted through our Conceptual Framework will enable the individual to build toward becoming an effective educator.

Purpose:

To provide an innovative approach to meet the needs of today's teachers. A commitment to a strong academic content base reflects the belief that excellence in teaching rests on knowledge in an academic discipline. Academic knowledge is not sufficient, for it is the successful application of this knowledge in a classroom context that determines the effectiveness of a teacher. To assist teachers to effectively blend theory, research and practice in their own classroom.

Goals:

The goals for the Master of Education degree are:

1. To develop effective teachers who are scholars, skillful communicators, and competent practitioners.
2. To integrate theory and practice.
3. To facilitate the development in students of these qualities of effective teachers: critical thinking, clear communication, strong academic understanding, leadership and high ethical standards.

Overview of Programs

Graduate curricula leads to the Master of Education degree with a specialization in Elementary or Secondary Education, English, or Child Care Administration. Students complete their master's study with either an independent project or thesis.

The degree requires a total of thirty hours: twenty-seven hours of graduate course work and three hours of performance review credit to be taken for completion of the project or thesis. The Master of Education with a specialization in Elementary Education integrates theory and practice with graduate courses designed to strengthen teachers' knowledge in the academic disciplines they teach. Students seeking the Elementary Education specialty may have an emphasis in Early Childhood, Elementary Education, Gifted Education, or Language Arts.

Elementary Education Specialization

Early Childhood Emphasis:
The concentration in early childhood includes the development of the young child, various theories, philosophies and research projects and how these affect current practices in early childhood education.

Elementary Education Emphasis:
This emphasis is designed to cover the academic areas in standard elementary curricula.

Gifted Education Emphasis:
This option is designed to undergird the theory and practice of teaching gifted students.

Language Arts Emphasis:
In this emphasis the graduate student concentrates on the area of language arts which includes Whole Language, Developmental Reading, Literature for Children and Adolescents, and History of Children's Literature.

Secondary Education Specialization

Gifted Education Emphasis: This option is designed to undergird the theory and practice of teaching gifted students.

English Emphasis:
See section below.

Child Care Administration

The Child Care Administration major combines Business and Early Childhood Education courses. This program is designed for directors and administrators of child care, pre-school, church-based, Head Start, and other programs for young children. (See listing at the end of this section of the bulletin for requirements.)

English Specialization

The Master of Education with a specialty in English offers a full range of courses in English and American literature and a variety of clinical experiences. These courses and experiences provide the professional background in the discipline of English and the practical familiarity with teaching secondary school English. Special points of interest include the teaching of writing in conjunction with the study of literature; the refinement of candidates' written and oral communication skills; and the enhancement of the masters students' competence in literary study and of their ability to convey a deepened awareness of the literary tradition to secondary school students.

Admission Policies and Procedures

A. Requirements for Admission to the Graduate Program

1. To be considered for acceptance as a graduate student, the applicant's file in the graduate education office must include, in addition to those things listed under general admissions' policies on page 18, the following items:
   1. A score of 45 on the Miller's Analog Test taken within the last five years. Under special circumstances the GRE may be substituted for the MAT.
   2. Transcript(s) which indicate at least a 2.75 cumulative undergraduate grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or 3.0 average in the last 60 hours of university credit for full acceptance. A student may receive conditional acceptance with a 2.5 cumulative grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or a 2.75 in the last 60 hours of transferable university credit.
   3. A satisfactory writing sample.
      
      
2. If an unclassified student decides to pursue a graduate degree, admission requirements in effect at the time of application must be met. Upon admission to the graduate education program, a maximum of six semester hours of graduate credit earned during non-degree status may be applied toward graduation. The date of the earliest course approved for credit will be used as the beginning of the six-year time limit for completion of the degree.

B. Departmental Screening

After a student submits an application form, undergraduate transcripts and meets all requirements for admission as defined in the graduate education guidelines, the applicant's file is forwarded to the Teacher Education Council for screening. This committee can make one of the following recommendations:

1. Full admission when the applicant has an undergraduate major (30 semester hours) and a GPA described above. These students will not generally be required to take undergraduate courses unless the student is seeking licensure. Certain undergraduate courses may be required in this case. Departments may require appropriate tests.
   
   
2. Probationary admission will be the category for most applicants with the following deficiencies: (a) GPA below minimum standards listed above, (b) failure to meet academic requirements in the student's academic department, or (c) an MAT score of 40-44. Students who earn at least a B in 6 hours of coursework as directed by the committee become eligible for full admission.

C. Admission to Candidacy

1. Students apply for admission to candidacy after completing EDU 501, Contemporary Issues in Education; EDU 505, Educational Research, and 6 additional hours of graduate courses. At this point in the program, a Mentor Committee is formed.
   
   
2. Students granted probationary admission may apply for admission to candidacy when they have completed prerequisites and have a 3.0 or better GPA.

D. Admission to Courses for Non-Degree Seeking Students

Students with an undergraduate major, minor, or 18 undergraduate hours in the content area are eligible to take graduate courses as non-degree seeking students. These courses may not be used as hours toward the undergraduate degree.

E. Mentor Committee

The adoption of the mentoring committee system for graduate study assumes the personalization of the program of study for each individual student and may be adapted to the specifications in each department. Mentor Committees are named in consultation with the Associate Dean. Each committee includes an outstanding elementary or secondary teacher, an education professor, and either an academic department professor or an education professor.

F. Thesis/Project Proposal

Each student submits a proposal and preliminary bibliography for a thesis or project to the chair of the Mentor Committee. The Committee approves or disapproves the proposal and, on acceptance, oversees the student's completion of the thesis or project.

1. Educational Research (EDU 505) and Contemporary Issues (EDU 501)

These courses must be taken by all students within the first 12 hours of work.

2. Performance Review (EDU 520)

A. Final Review of Classroom Performance

The Mentor Committee provides written reviews of the graduate student's strengths and weaknesses as a teacher. These reviews may be conflated into one review signed by the Mentor Committee or may remain separate reviews, whichever in the chair's judgment provides the best reflection of the student's progress. The major professor and classroom mentor make three observations each of the student teaching a class. The written review(s) become part of the student's permanent record.

B. Thesis/Project Preparation and Review

Most of the three hours allotted to Performance Review will be thesis or project preparation. The student submits a final copy of the thesis or project, prepared according to the style manual agreed upon with the Mentor Committee. The committee will be available to the student for consultation during the preparation of the thesis or project and apprises the student of any deadlines for submission. The Mentor Committee approves the thesis or project. The thesis or project must be submitted for binding one month before graduation.

C. Comprehensive Exams

The Mentor Committee schedules and supervises the final comprehensive exams usually after all formal coursework is complete. The written exam is a general examination over the student's entire program. Upon the student's completion of the exam, the committee informs the student of its decision. The student will be required to write a second response to a failed portion of the written comprehensive exam according to the policy stated in the Graduate Guidelines. The student will not be allowed to graduate during the semester in which the exam is failed. The major mentor reports the results of the exam to the chair of the Teacher Education Council. Exams will usually be conducted on the following dates: the first Saturday of August, October and March.

D. Juried Review (Optional)

A three-member jury, selected by the major mentor, reviews the student's completed program one month prior to graduation.

3. Time Table

In order for the student to meet all deadlines and fulfill all requirements for admission, candidacy, and graduation, the following tentative time table has been compiled:

1. At least four weeks prior to the anticipated date of registration for classes, the applicant must submit to the admissions officer of Graduate Studies in Education:
   1. an application for admission to the graduate program;
   2. official undergraduate transcripts of all course work;
   3. an official transcript of all graduate work completed at other institutions;
   4. an appropriate writing sample;
   5. a copy of the results of the MAT; and
   6. an application fee of $50.00.
      [Each academic area may have other requirements for admission to their program. Confer with the coordinator in the specific area.]
2. After admission to the graduate program:
   1. A mentor from the student's major area is assigned by the Associate Dean in consultation with the student's major department.
   2. The student should consult with this mentor as far in advance of registration as possible in order to determine what courses to schedule for each semester
   3. Students schedule Educational Research during the first two semesters of their master's program.
3. Within three hours of graduation:
   1. Students take Performance Review in which the focus is on preparation of the thesis or project.
   2. Students take a written comprehensive examination and, in some cases, an oral examination. They may also have a juried review conducted by professionals in the field. The deadline for completion of exams, reviews, and completed thesis is one month prior to the candidate's graduation date.
   3. The application for graduation must be completed during registration of the semester in which the student will be graduating.
   4. The Teacher Education Council reviews the reports from the Mentor Committee and makes a recommendation to the Provost relative to conferring the degree.