Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education

Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education Dr. Susie Burroughs, Interim Department Head Dr. Kent Coffey, Graduate Coordinator 310 Allen Hall PO Box 9705 Mississippi State, MS 39762 Telephone: 662-325-3703 E-mail: sas7@colled.msstate.edu Refer to the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education Graduate Handbook for updates and additional graduate information: www.educ.msstate.edu/cni. Admission Criteria for Each Degree General Admission Criteria The Department of offers the Master of Science degree in Elementary Education and in Secondary Education. The Department also offers the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT-S) degree. The Educational Specialist and the Doctor of Education degree may be earned with a major in Education and a concentration in Elementary Education or Secondary Education. The Doctor of Philosophy in Elementary Education, Secondary Education, or Curriculum and Instruction may be earned with a program emphasis. Students applying for admission to graduate programs in the Department of must hold or be eligible to hold a Class A teaching certificate in elementary or secondary education. For further information concerning degrees, the College of Education Graduate Program Handbook and the Department of Graduate Handbook (www.cni.msstate.edu/) should be consulted. A student applying for admission to the degree program in Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education must submit the complete application packet to the Office of the Graduate School no later than April 1 for summer, July 1 for fall, and November 1 for spring. First-time applicants not meeting the admission deadline will be held for two semesters for review. After that time, the applicant must reapply. A complete admission packet consists of: application to the graduate degree program; documentation of Class A teacher s certificate; official GRE scores; three letters of recommendation; statement of purpose (must include number of years of teaching experience); and a writing sample for students applying to a doctoral program (see C&I web page for writing sample guidelines). Also required are official transcripts from each college or university attended. The admission criteria form used by the Program Areas for admission decisions can be found in the Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education Graduate Student Handbook. Minimal grade point averages required for admission to each degree are: Master s degree: minimum GPA 2.75 on last half of baccalaureate degree; Educational specialist degree: minimum GPA 3.20 on master s degree; Doctoral degree: minimum GPA 3.40 on previous graduate degree(s), two writing samples, three years teaching experience, curriculum vitae or résumé and successful completion of interview. All new students admitted into a graduate program in C&I must attend an orientation. Refer to the Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education Graduate Student Handbook for the dates and details. Program of Study for Each Degree The Master of Science degree in Elementary Education requires a minimum of 36 semester of course work beyond the bachelor s degree including EDF 8353 and EDF 8363 and comprehensive written and oral examinations. The Master of Science degree in Secondary Education requires a minimum of 36 semester of course work beyond the bachelor s degree including EDF 8353 and EDF 8363 and a choice of a comprehensive exam or research project. A student s program of study for the master s degree must be filed in the Department of (Allen 310) by the end of the first semester after the initial meeting with the advisor. At least 15 of course work on the program of study must be 8000-level courses. The Master of Science degree in Special Education requires a minimum of 30 of course work beyond the bachelor s degree including EDF 8353 Principles of Curriculum Development and EDF 8363 Functions and Methods of Research in Education. Students must also pass comprehensive written examinations. The Master of Arts in Teaching-Secondary (MAT-S) is an alternate route secondary licensure program of study that consists of 36 semester of graduate-level course work. It is designed for a candidate with a bachelor s degree in a content discipline or with significant higher-level course work in a single discipline who wishes to prepare for a career as a teacher. In addition to the criteria for admission to a Master of Science degree program, MAT-S candidates must pass the Praxis I and Praxis II- 175

Specialty Area Test; hold a Class A teaching certificate or verification of 40 of work with children; and have completed 15 of undergraduate course work in the content area. See the College of Education website for additional information related to the MAT-S degree. The Educational Specialist degree with a major in Education and concentration in Elementary or Secondary Education requires a minimum of 30 of course work above the master s degree including EPY 6214 and EDE/EDS 7000 and a comprehensive examination. Specialist students must submit the program of study before the first 15 are completed. At least 15 of course work on the program of study must be 8000-level courses. The specialist program committee should be composed of at least three members. Two of the members of the committee will represent the department or the area of program emphasis. If a minor is being sought, there must be a minor professor; all course work must be completed in the minor area before the degree is obtained. NOTE: For secondary education majors, the committee member from outside the department is usually from the Arts and Sciences cognate area. The Educational Specialist degree with a major in Education and concentration in Special Education requires a minimum of 31 of course work including EPY 6214 Educational and Psychological Statistics; EDX 7000 Special Problem-Ed.S. Field Study; EDX 8133 Readings and Research in Special Education; and EDX 8123 Organization and Supervision of Special Education Programs. Specialist students must pass the Specialist-level written comprehensive examination. The Doctor of Education degree with a concentration in Education and concentration in Elementary or Secondary Education requires a minimum of 90 semester of course work beyond the bachelor s degree including EPY 8223, EPY 8214, EPY 9213, EDF 9313, EDF 8363, and EDF 9373, written and oral preliminary examinations, and a dissertation. Refer to the College of Education s Doctoral Students Guide for detailed plan of study. The Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Elementary Education, Secondary Education, or Curriculum and Instruction requires a minimum of 90 semester of course work beyond the bachelor s degree including EPY 8214, EPY 9213, EDF 8363, EDF 9373, EDF 9453, EDF 9463, EDF 9473, and EDF 9313; demonstration of competence in the application of research and statistics; a written and oral preliminary examination; satisfactory completion of a research skill requirement; and a dissertation. The student s doctoral plan of study must be submitted to the Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education Graduate Office (Allen 310) with all committee members signatures before the first 15 are completed. At least two-thirds of the total of coursework on the plan of study, exclusive of dissertation, must be 8000 level courses. The doctoral program committee should be composed of at least five members (refer to the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education Graduate Handbook for committee selection guidelines): 1) Major professor/dissertation director may be same person; 2) Two committee members to represent Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education; and 3) Two members should be from a department other than Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education. These committee members may be from another department within the College of Education or from a department outside the College of Education, depending upon the selected area of program emphasis. The selection of all committee members should be guided by the student s area of interest and dissertation topic. One member must be from the minor area. NOTE: For secondary education majors, one of the committee members from outside the department is usually from the appropriate Arts and Sciences cognate area. The written comprehensive examination for the Master of Science in Secondary Education and Educational Specialist degrees in Elementary and Secondary Education is scheduled three times a year. The dates are the first Wednesday of March, June, and October. Students can take the comprehensive examination when they are within six of completing their degree or are in their terminal semester, have an overall GPA of 3.00 after admission to the program, and have completed the courses that will be covered on the comprehensive examination. The written and oral comprehensive examinations for the Master of Science in Elementary Education consist of a written comprehensive examination and an oral comprehensive examination. Students can register for examinations during the semester in which they are taking their last 6 of course work but must have completed all required EDE and RDG course work before taking the examinations. In addition, students must also have an overall GPA of 3.00 after admission to the program and have no more than two grades of C in all graduate course work. For complete 176

details, assessment criteria, online registration, and guidelines, review the Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education Graduate Handbook. For eligibility requirements for the doctoral written exam, refer to the COE Doctoral Students Guide and the Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education Graduate Handbook. FOR SECONDARY MASTER S ONLY: A student may choose to complete a research project instead of taking the written comprehensive examination. The research project is not for course credit and must be completed in addition to the normal course load of 36 required for the Master of Science in Secondary Education. This option should be of special interest to students who have an interest in publishing and/or plan to pursue a Ph.D. or Ed.D degree. See the Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education Graduate Handbook for requirements. Residency Requirement There is no general residency requirement for the master s degree. Residency for the specialist degree is a minimum of 30 weeks. A degree cannot be completed in two summer sessions or equivalent, neither in one regular semester and one summer session. For doctoral students there is no specific oncampus residence requirement. However, students will be required to complete one-half of required course work and all dissertation credits from Mississippi State University. Contingent Admission There are no contingent admissions EXCEPT for those students who are applying the same semester they are graduating with another degree and the overall GPA is pending. Otherwise, the admission packet must be complete and all admission requirements met before admission will be considered. All doctoral applicants must successfully complete the doctoral interview BEFORE an admission decision will be made. Provisional Admission The Department of follows the University s Provisional Admission policy (refer to the admission section of this publication for the policy and criteria). Academic Performance The Department of follows the College of Education definition of satisfactory performance in graduate level course work as a grade of S on thesis/dissertation and a GPA of at least 3.00 on all course work attempted after admission to the program. Any of the following or combination of the following will result in termination of the student s graduate program in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education: three grades below a B, a GPA below 3.00 after admission to the program, two grades of D or F, failure of the master s comprehensive examination twice, failure of the written doctoral preliminary examination twice, failure of the oral doctoral preliminary examination twice, or failure of the doctoral dissertation defense twice. The student and/or advisor will be notified in writing when the first and second unsatisfactory grades are earned. When the student earns another unsatisfactory grade, the Graduate Coordinator will petition to the Dean of the College of Education to dismiss the student from the graduate program. If a student makes a grade below a B in a course on his or her plan of study, the course cannot be dropped from the plan of study. When the grade is a D or F, the student must retake the course, and only one course can be repeated for each degree. A student cannot repeat a course in which a grade of C or higher is earned. Repeated courses must be taken at MSU. If a student earns the third grade below a B the semester of graduation, he or she must take a similar course (selected by the advisor) and earn a grade of B or better in order to meet graduation requirements. Completion Requirements All graduate students submitting a thesis or dissertation must attend the thesis/dissertation workshops conducted by the library for the Department of within the year in which they are completing the dissertation before receiving the graduate coordinator s signature. All students seeking the Doctor of Philosophy degree must satisfy research skills requirements before taking the written preliminary examination. (Refer to the COE Doctoral Students Guide for options to meet these requirements.) Elementary Education Course prerequisites are noted in parentheses. EDE 6990 Special Topics in Elementary Education. 1-9 EDE 7000 Directed Individual Study. 1-6 EDE 8000 Thesis Research/Thesis. 6 EDE 8423 Elementary School Methods. 3 EDE 8433 The Elementary School Curriculum. 3 EDE 8443 Seminar in Elementary Education. 3 EDE 8463 Readings and Research in Children s Literature. 3 EDE 8473 The Elementary Social Studies Curriculum. 3 EDE 8483 Teaching Physical Science in the Elementary Schools. 3 177

EDE 8493 Teaching Biological Science in the Elementary Schools. 3 EDE 8623 Content Area Literacy. 3 EDE 8633 The Teaching of Writing. 3 EDE 8893 Readings in Elementary Education (Doctoral or Specialist standing or consent of instructor). 3 EDE 8990 Special Topics in Elementary Education. 1-9 EDE 9000 Dissertation Research/Dissertation. 20 EDE 9413 Practicum in College Teaching. 3 Early Childhood Education: EDE 8313 Theory and Development of Early Childhood Education. 3 EDE 8513 Curriculum and Program Developments in Early Childhood Education. 3 EDE 8523 Practicum: Language Arts and Literacy Development in Early Childhood Education (EDE 4133, RDG 3113, RDG 3213, or the equivalent). 3 EDE 8533 EDE 8543 Behavioral Experiences in Early Childhood Education. 3 Mathematics Experiences in Early Childhood Education (EDE 4123 or the equivalent). 3 EDE 9413 Practicum in College Teaching [same as EDS 9413]. 3 EDE 9420 Research Practicum in Early Childhood Education (EDE 8513, EDE 8523, EDE 8533, EDE 8543). 1-6 Reading: RDG 6113 Middle Level Literacy Development and Instruction (RDG 4113). 3 RDG 6990 Special Topics in Readings. 1-9 RDG 8153 Psychology of Reading. 3 RDG 8413 Reading in the Public Schools. 3 RDG 8453 Research in Reading. 3 RGD 8523 Reading Comprehension Process and Instruction. 3 RDG 8573 Diagnosis of Reading Problems. 3 RDG 8593 RDG 8653 Issues and Innovations in Reading. 3 Teaching Reading in the Secondary Schools. 3 RDG 8713 Teaching Struggling Readers and Writers. 3 RDG 8990 Special Topics in Readings. 1-9 Foundation and Core: EDF 6990 Special Topics in Educational Foundation. 1-9 EDF 8323 Comparative Education. 3 EDF 8353 Principles of Curriculum Development. 3 EDF 8363 Function and Methods of Research in Education. 3 EDF 8383 Issues in Education. 3 EDF 8393 History of Education in the United States. 3 EDF 8990 Special Topics in Educational Foundation. 1-9 EDF 9313 Philosophy of Education. 3 EDF 9353 Interdisciplinary Seminar in Education. 3 EDF 9373 Educational Research Design. 3 EDF 9443 Single-Subject Research Designs for Education. 3 EDF 9453 Introduction to Qualitative Research in Education (EPY 8214, EDF 8363, EDF 8373). 3 EDF 9463 Qualitative Data Collection in Education (EDF 9453). 3 EDF 9473 Qualitative Data Analysis and Presentation in Education (EDF 9463). 3 Secondary Education: EDS 6633 Methods of Teaching Mathematics. 3 EDS 6643 Methods of Teaching Social Studies. 3 EDS 6653 Methods of Teaching Science. 3 EDS 6673 Methods of Teaching Language Arts. 3 EDS 6990 Special Topics in Secondary Education. 1-9 EDS 7000 Directed Individual Study. 1-3 EDS 8000 Thesis Research/Thesis. 6 EDS 8103 Advanced Methodologies in Middle and Secondary Education (TKT 1273 or equivalent). 3 EDS 8613 Middle and Secondary School Curriculum. 3 EDS 8633 Problems of Secondary Education. 3 EDS 8643 Directed Reading in Secondary Education. 3 EDS 8713 Curriculum Adjustments. 3 EDS 8990 Special Topics in Secondary Education. 3 EDS 9000 Dissertation Research/Dissertation. 20 EDS 9413 Practicum in College Teaching. 3 M.A.T.S.: EPY 6313 Measure and Evaluation. 3 EDS 6633/6643/6653/6673 Secondary Methods of Teaching. 3 EDX 8173 Special Education in the Regular Classroom. 3 EDS 8243 Advanced Planning and Managing of Learning. 3 178

EDF 8363 Function and Methods of Research in Education. 3 EDS 8613 Middle and Secondary School RDG 8653 Curriculum. 3 Teaching Reading in the Secondary Schools. 3 TKT 8773 Teaching and Training with Multimedia. 3 EDS 8883 Dimensions of Learning I/ Internship. 3 EDS 8893 Dimensions of Learning II/ Internship. 3 Content-area courses (6 ) in the appropriate licensure area. Special Education Programs Admission Criteria for Each Degree Graduate work in Special Education is offered at the master s and educational specialist s level. A student applying for admission into either program should complete an admission packet and return it to the Office of the Graduate School by the deadlines listed in this publication. A complete packet consists of: an application to graduate school; documentation of obtaining or being able to obtain a Class A teaching certificate (exceptions include those seeking Special Education certification only or the Special Education non-certified Emotional/Behavioral Disorder option); official GRE scores; three letters of recommendation; statement of purpose (must include number of years teaching/work experience); and two writing samples. Provisional Admission A student who has not fully met the requirements stipulated by the University and appropriate program of study may be granted admission as a degree-seeking student with provisional status. Such student must have as his or her initial objective advancement to regular status. A provisional student must receive a 3.00 GPA on the first nine of graduate level courses after admission to a degree program at Mississippi State University (transfer and unclassified will not apply) in order to achieve regular status. If a 3.00 GPA is not attained, the provisional student may be dismissed from graduate study. While in provisional status, the student is not eligible to hold a graduate assistantship. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Progress Continuous enrollment in the University or in a specific graduate program is dependent upon a satisfactory evaluation of academic performance and progress toward the completion of a specified degree. A student s progress is considered satisfactory unless judged to be unsatisfactory by the department offering the program, and/or the Graduate School. According to MSU policy, unsatisfactory performance is defined as the failure to maintain a B average in graduate courses attempted after admission to the program, a grade of U, D, or F in any course, more than two grades below a B, failure of the comprehensive/preliminary examination, an unsatisfactory evaluation of a thesis or dissertation, failure of the research defense, or any other failure of a required component of one s program of study. Any one of these, or any combination of these, may constitute the basis for the termination of a student s graduate study in a degree program; individual programs have the right to establish their own criteria. Such criteria may be higher but cannot be lower than these set by the graduate school. Any student in the College of Education making more than two grades of C or lower in courses taken for graduate credit may be forced to withdraw from graduate school upon recommendation of the major professor, the departmental graduate coordinator, and the Dean of the College of Education. [It is the major professor s responsibility to insure that any student who has performed unsatisfactorily be recommended for termination from the degree program before the beginning of the subsequent semester.] The administrative authorities of the University will withhold the credits and readmission of any student who fails to pay all of his/her financial obligations to the University by the end of each semester and/or at the time of withdrawal. The student s records may be released when the indebtedness is paid. Graduate programs in special education are available for the master s and educational specialist degrees. The programs are specifically intended to prepare classroom and resource teachers for public schools and institutions for the disabled. An add-on teaching the gifted endorsement is available. Clinic and practicum situations are an integral segment of the curriculum. Graduate Courses Course prerequisites are noted in parentheses. EDX 6113 Diagnostic-Prescriptive Methods and Materials for Early Childhood Disabled. 3 EDX 6123 Diagnostic-Prescriptive Methods and Materials for Elementary Age Disabled. 3 EDX 6133 Diagnostic-Prescriptive Methods and Materials for Secondary Age Disabled [Same as TKT 6133 and COE 6133]. 3 EDX 6353 Assistive Technology in Special Education. 3 179

EDX 6503 Teaching the Severely and Profoundly Impaired Child. 3 EDX 6603 Children and Youth with Physical Handicaps/Multiple Disabilities. 3 EDX 6613 Teaching Children and Youth with Physical/Multiple Disabilities. 3 EDX 6623 Curricular and Mobility Adaptations for Physical /Multiple Disabilities. 3 EDX 6953 Introduction to Sign Language [same as COE 4353/6353]. 3 EDX 6990 Special Topics in Special Education. 1-9 EDX 7000 Directed Individual Study. 1-3 EDX 8000 Thesis Research/Thesis. 6 EDX 8103 Advanced Contingency EDX 8123 Management. 3 Organization and Supervision of Special Education. 3 EDX 8133 Readings and Research in Exceptional Education. 3 EDX 8143 Early Education for the Disabled. 3 EDX 8153 Language Development Assessment and Remediation. 3 EDX 8163 EDX 8173 EDX 8183 EDX 8203 EDX 8213 Teaching Strategies for the Gifted. 3 Special Education in the Regular Classroom. 3 Seminar in Learning Disabilities (EDX 3203 or equivalent). 3 Practicum: Diagnosis of Special Education Populations. 3 Practicum: Remediation of Special Education Populations. 3 EDX 8223 Supervision: Diagnosis of the Educationally Disabled Practicum. 3 EDX 8303 Seminar in Mental Retardation. 3 EDX 8333 Placement Services and Techniques [same as COE 8923]. 3 EDX 8393 Seminar in Education for the Emotionally Disabled (EDX8403). 3 EDX 8403 Teaching the Emotionally Disabled. 3 EDX 8413 Personal, Social and Work Adjustment Counseling [same as COE 8413 and TKT 8413]. 3 EDX 8653 Vocational Assessment of Special Needs Persons (COE 8063 or Equivalent [same as TKT 8653 and COE 6373]. 3 EDX 6113 Diagnostic-Prescriptive Methods and Materials for Early Childhood Disabled. 3 EDX 8663 Work Samples in Vocational Assessment (COE 8093 or equivalent and COE 6373 or COE 8033 or consent of instructor). 3 EDX 8780 Internship in Special Education. 3-6 EDX 8990 Special Topics in Special Education. 1-9 Instructional Systems and Workforce Development Dr. Linda Cornelious, Interim Department Head and Graduate Coordinator 100 Industrial Education Building PO Box 9730 Mississippi State, MS 39762 Telephone: 662-325-2281 E-mail: lcornelious@colled.msstate.edu The Department of Instructional Systems and Workforce Development (ISWD) offers graduate course work leading to master s degrees in Technology and Instructional Technology. The master s programs are offered with a thesis option, requiring a minimum of 30 semester credit and a comprehensive examination; the non-thesis option is also offered. The educational specialist and doctor of education degrees may be earned with a major in Education and a concentration in Technology. A doctor of philosophy degree program in Instructional Systems and Workforce Development is also available. For more information, contact the Department of Instructional Systems and Workforce Development, PO Box 9730, Mississippi State, MS 39762; telephone 662-325- 2281; fax 662-325-7599; or e-mail lcornelious@colled.msstate.edu. Admission Criteria Prerequisites for admission into the graduate program include all the general requirements of the Office of the Graduate School. In addition, scores from all sections of the GRE must be submitted. International students must obtain a minimum TOEFL score of 550 PBT (213 CBT or 79 ibt) or a minimum IELTS score of 6.5. A student applying for admission into the Department of Instructional Systems and Workforce Development must submit the complete application packet to the Office of the Graduate School no later than April 1 for summer first 5-week and 10-week terms, May 1 for summer second 5-week, July 1 for fall, and November 1 for spring. An international student must submit the complete application packet to the Office of the Graduate School no later than 180