MEd Requirements
General requirements for the master of education degree include 36 credit hours of graduate level (5000 or above level course work), a minimum of two years of field experience, and successful completion of the MEd Capstone Project.
All degree plans must include three specific core courses (9 credit hours) designed to provide the academic foundations necessary for interpretation and application of educational research (EDUC 6320, 6321, 5303).
All degree plans must include at least three courses (9 credit hours) from a selection of courses in the generic education category.
In addition, all degree plans must include a minimum of two additional courses (six credit hours) in a specialization (resource) area. No more than four workshop courses may be applied to a MEd degree.
Resource area choices are:
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| Within the Administration program, students may specialize in public school or private school administration. Within the Counselor Education Program, students may specialize in school counseling, counseling in non-school settings, or agency counseling. Programs are also available for students to become Educational Diagnosticians or Reading Specialists.
Graduate students working on initial or additional certification may contact the School of education for information about the Transition to Teaching (TTT) Program.
Students will be assigned a program advisor that corresponds to the specialization (Resource) area. The granting of a degree depends on successful completion of a degree plan in one of the areas of specialization, successful completion of the comprehensive examination, and successful completion of required field experiences.
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Graduate Only vs. Mixed Level Instruction
The graduate level courses in professional education and the graduate courses offered by the various academic support departments are all designed specifically for graduate students. The majority of the courses in professional education are open only to graduate students. A few courses in professional education are taught concurrently with undergraduate courses. In some of the graduate courses offered by the academic support departments, mixed-level instruction occurs. In those cases where mixed-level instruction occurs, graduate and undergraduate course numbers and requirements are clearly differentiated. In all cases, graduate courses require some application of research. |
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MEd Capstone Project
Students who took course prior to January 2006 and took EDUC 5301 Research during or after January 2006 may elect to complete the Comprehensive Exam or complete the Action Research Thesis as the Capstone Project. Students who took EDUC 5301 Research prior to January 2006 must complete the Comprehensive Exam. The examination consists of six questions: one from each core course and three from a selection of questions related to generic education and the student’s resource area.
Students may remediate up to two questions. Remediation involves meeting with the fulltime professor who teaches the course and fulfilling the requirements specified by the professor. Students who receive three grades below a "3" will be required to rewrite the comprehensive examinations.
After completion of at least 24 graduate hours including all core courses (EDUC 5301, 5302, 5303), students should submit an application to take the examination. The examination is administered each semester in October, February, and June. Applications are available from the education office. Students may attempt the examination a maximum of three administrations. |
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Action Research-Oriented Thesis
Students entering the in the master’s degree program during or after January 2006 will be required to complete successfully an Action Research-Oriented Thesis. The final thesis will consist of two parts: a) the thesis proposal which will include chapter one (introduction), chapter two (review of related literature) and chapter three (methodology); and b) the results and discussion section which will include chapter four (data analysis and interpretation) and chapter five (action planning). When submitting chapters four and five for evaluation by the designated advisor, students are also required to submit an abstract of chapters one, two, and three.
During the semester in which the students are taking research and writing chapters one through three, the student must also complete an application for exemption from the University of St. Thomas Human Subjects Committee. The application in the format of a Word document can be found following this link. The completed form and an approval to conduct the study and data collection on letterhead from the participating campus, district or institution must be submitted during the research class.
Two grades will be assigned - one grade by the EDUC 5301 instructor for the thesis proposal and one grade by the student’s thesis advisor for the results and discussion section. The two grades will be averaged together to determine successful completion of the capstone requirement on a pass/fail basis.
The completed thesis will be due the semester prior to a student’s anticipated graduation. If successful completion of this capstone project is not accomplished, students may be granted one additional attempt.
Students seeking a master’s degree will be required to take EDUC 5301 no later than the semester after completing six (6) hours of their degree program. Students pursuing initial teacher certification as well as a Master of Education degree will take EDUC 5301 immediately after they have completed all required certification courses.
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Degree Conferral
After completion of at least 24 graduate hours, the degree-seeking student must present an application for graduation to his or her academic advisor. Applications are available in the School of Education Office or on-line.
To fulfill MEd degree requirements, a total of 36 credit hours of graduate level courses must be completed with a grade point average of at least 3.0 (“B”) and not less than a “B” in each core course. No more than one “C” grade may be applied toward a degree. Degrees are conferred three times per year: May, August, and December. Students must have completed all course requirements, the MEd Comprehensive Examination or MEd capstone project, and the field experience requirement prior to actual degree conferral and transcript posting. |
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Commencement
Graduates are strongly encouraged to participate in the annual May commencement ceremonies. Since many graduates complete degree requirements during the summer, the Education Graduate Committee may approve participation in Commencement ceremonies in the May preceding the summer of course completion. However, students must lack only nine (9) hours of course work prior to the May ceremonies. Such students must also have pre-registered for the remaining requirements to be completed during the summer term immediately following the ceremonies.
In order to graduate and participate in the May graduation ceremonies, candidates must file an intent to graduate form prior to March 1st. |
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Academic Standing
A graduate student incurs scholastic probation when his/her GPA falls below 3.0 in any one semester. The student incurs dismissal when his/her GPA falls below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters. Probation applies only for the Fall and Spring semesters. |
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Course Scheduling
Since the majority of graduate students in Education are practicing professionals, the majority of graduate courses are offered in evening and summer sessions. Most professional education courses are offered at least one time during a two-year period. Students may not audit courses in the MEd Program. |
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Time Limit
All requirements for the MEd degree must be completed within the six year time limit. This includes course work, comprehensive examination and/or MEd capstone project, and two years experience in an educational and/or professional setting. Request for extension of the time limit will be considered by the Education Graduate Committee and is typically limited to a maximum of two years. |
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Field Experience Requirement
Prior to receiving the MEd degree, candidates must have completed a minimum of two years experience in an educational and/or professional environment. The experience requirement may be fulfilled prior to entering the MEd program. Exceptions and waivers may be appealed to the Education Graduate Committee. |
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Semester Hour Load
One of the desirable characteristics of advanced study is that students learn from each other through close association with faculty in a climate that stimulates research and scholarly effort. Advisors will guide students in planning schedules that provide sufficient uncommitted time available for creative study and research. A normal course load for a full-time graduate student during any one semester is nine credit hours.
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| Grading and Point Equivalents |
| A |
= |
4.0 |
Unusual and superior achievement |
| A- |
= |
3.7 |
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| B+ |
= |
3.3 |
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| B |
= |
3.0 |
Satisfactory achievement |
| B- |
= |
2.7 |
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| C+ |
= |
2.3 |
Below Standard |
| C |
= |
2.0 |
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| C- |
= |
1.7 |
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| D+ |
= |
1.3 |
Unsatisfactory |
| D |
= |
1.0 |
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| F |
= |
0.0 |
Failure |
| IP |
= |
0.0 |
Incomplete (research in progress).
Failure to complete research within one semester will result in automatic grade change to "F".
No audits are permitted at the graduate level. |
| P |
= |
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Applicable to selected Special Topics only. |
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Faculty-Student Research Program
This program provides the opportunity for students to work on research projects being conducted by the faculty. The student must agree to work 60-90 hours with the faculty on the project. In return the students receive a notation on their transcript that they participated in a faculty-student research project.
Information on this program may be obtained from the students’ advisors. |
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Texas Education Agency Credentials
Graduate students may elect to pursue one of several possible professional certificates or supplemental certificates in conjunction with graduate work. Each program has separate requirements. Requirements are subject to change with new state regulations. Students may discuss their certification plans with the program advisor. |
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