The Master of Education degree (M.Ed.) is designed for those who wish to prepare for careers as teachers, specialists, administrators, or supervisors in elementary or secondary schools. To be eligible for the degree, a student must meet the undergraduate requirements in Education (i.e., eighteen semester credits in Education, including student teaching) and must be offered admission to the degree program by the dean of the Graduate School.

The Master of Education degree is available for those doing major work either within or outside of the College of Education and Human Development. The areas of concentration available are: Educational Administration, Elementary Education, Special Education, and Reading Education. The degree also is available in departments offering a secondary teaching major.

Course Requirements. A minimum of 32 semester credits is required for the M.Ed. degree, of which at least one-half must be at or above the 500-level. No less than 12 credits, including 2 for the Independent Study Report (997), must be in a single field or an area of concentration (major). At least 6 credits must be in an area or areas cognate to the area of concentration. At least 6 credits must be in the Foundations of Education. A total of sixteen credits may be taken off-campus

Residence Requirement. There is no residence requirement for the M.Ed. degree. However, at least one-half of the graduate program must be taken on this campus.

Transfer of Credit. A maximum of eight credits may be transferred from another institution.

Workshop Credit. A maximum of four credits may be taken in approved workshops, but workshop credits normally are not included in the program of study.

Independent Study. The independent study is designed to enable the student independently to investigate a topic related to the major field of study. The study may be a presentation, analysis, or discussion of information and ideas already in the literature of the field. The requirement is designed to ensure that a student can investigate a topic and organize and present a scholarly report on the investigation.

The topic for an independent study must be approved by the studentÕs advisor. The independent study outline, which must be approved no later than the semester or session prior to the one in which the student expects to graduate, must be filed in the Graduate School before a student is advanced to candidacy for a master's degree.

The student must prepare and secure the advisor's approval of an independent study report. Three copies of the report (one each for the student, the advisor, and the department) must be accepted by the advisor who will certify completion of the report to the Graduate School by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar and submit a grade for 997-Independent study to the Registrar's Office.

Candidacy for the Degree. To become a candidate for the Master of Education degree the following requirements must be met in approximately the following sequence:

1. Completion of the equivalent of one full-time semester (12 semester credits).

2. A GPA of at least 3.00 for all work attempted.

3. Appointment of an advisor from the major department. The advisor, who must be a member of the Graduate Faculty, will be appointed by the dean upon written recommendation of the chairperson of the student's major department. The advisor is responsible to the department and the Graduate School for the supervision of the studentÕs work.

4. Approval of a Program of Study on a form available from the Graduate School. The program, which should be developed in consultation with the advisor, early in the second semester, must bear the signature of the student, the advisor, and the department chairperson (or designate) and must be submitted to the dean of the Graduate School for approval.

5. Approval of a topic for the independent study by having the advisor sign the Outline of Independent Study form and submitting the Outline and three copies to the Graduate School.