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 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:

C. Admission to Candidacy to the M.Ed.

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 the M.Ed. program 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. Contemporary Issues (EDU 601)

This course must be taken by all students within the first 15 hours of work.

2. Thesis in Education (EDU 606)

A. Thesis/Project Preparation and Review

Most of the three hours allotted to Thesis in Education 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.

B. 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 July, October and March.

C. 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 M.Ed. candidate 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 resume
   6. a copy of the results of the MAT; and
   7. 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. Within three hours of graduation:
   1. Students take EDU 606 Thesis in Education 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. 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.