Nov 21, 2024

2014-2015 Georgia Regents University Graduate Catalog

2014-2015 Georgia Regents University Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

College of Education

Overview

The Master of Education degree and the Education Specialist degree are designed to extend and enrich previous course work in professional education as well as previous clinical and field experience. These programs prepare individuals to become master teachers, counselors, and administrators.

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree is designed for those seeking initial teacher certification at the Master’s degree level. It has a dual function: to provide initial teacher certification as well as the Master’s degree. Students completing an undergraduate degree in teacher education are not eligible for the MAT degree. A student must pass all Georgia certification requirements before becoming certified. Individuals who possess at least a baccalaureate degree and who do not hold a teaching certificate are eligible for this program. The baccalaureate degree must be in a field of specialization closely related to the certification area being sought.

The Master of Science degree in Kinesiology is designed to advance students’ knowledge and experience in health and physical activity.

Degrees and Programs of Study

The College of Education offers the Master of Science (M.S.), Master of Education (M.Ed.), the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.), and the Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in these areas:

Master of Science:	Master of Education:	Master of Arts in Teaching:	Education Specialist:
Kinesiology	Curriculum and Instruction Counselor Education School Counseling track Clinical Mental Health Counseling track Leadership Special Education Teacher Leadership	Early Childhood Education * Middle Grades Education * Secondary Education * Biology Education * English Education * Chemistry Education * History Education * Mathematics Education * Physics Education * Political Science Education * Foreign Language Education * Music Education * Special Education *	Curriculum & Instruction Educational Leadership (PL-6) Counselor Education

* State Certification Exam (GACE II) must be passed prior to student teaching.

Application Process

Applications: Applications are available

On-line: www.gru.edu/admissions/apply.php.

Items to be submitted are:

A completed application for admission to graduate study.
A transcript from each college or university from which a degree was received.
$50 online application fee.
Georgia Regents University Certificate of Immunization (required for all who have not previously attended Georgia Regents University).
Background Investigation Questionnaire and Release Form.

Note: All transcripts must:

Include the date the degree was conferred.
Indicate a cumulative GPA, including all work attempted.
Be sent directly from the registrar of the degree-granting institution to the Office of Academic Admissions, Georgia Regents University, 1120 Fifteenth Street, Benet House, Augusta, GA 30912.

Admissions Criteria

Master of Arts in Teaching (Students completing an undergraduate degree in teacher education are not eligible for the MAT degree.)

Minimum 2.75 overall GPA at the Baccalaureate level.
Passing scores on GACE Program Admission Assessment (may exempt with combined verbal and mathematics SAT score of 1000 or combined verbal and quantitative GRE score of 297, prior score of 1030, or combined English and Mathematics ACT score of 43).
Successful completion of GACE Program Assessment at the “induction” level for students entering the MAT in Foreign Language, Music, and Secondary Education.
A record free of criminal and disciplinary problems.
There may be additional requirements to continue in the program after initial admission.
Release of Academic Information Form.

M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction

Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA at the Baccalaureate level.
Clear, renewable certification.
A record free of criminal and disciplinary problems.

M.Ed. in Special Education

Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA at the Baccalaureate level on all undergraduate work attempted in which letter grades were awarded.
There may be additional requirements to continue in the program after initial admission. See an advisor in Special Education.
Clear, renewable certification.
A record free of criminal and disciplinary problems.

M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership

3 years successful classroom teaching experience.
Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA at the Baccalaureate level.
Clear, renewable certification.
A record free of criminal and disciplinary problems.
Letter of Recommendation from current building or district administrator.

M.Ed. in Counselor Education

Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA at the Baccalaureate level.
Passing scores on GACE Program Admission Assessment School Counselor program only (may exempt with combined verbal and mathematics SAT score of 1000 or combined verbal and quantitative GRE score of 300, prior score 1030, or combined English and mathematics ACT score of 43).
Minimum score of 300 on the revised Graduate Record Examination (800 old score), with a score of at least 146 on revised GRE (400 old score) on the verbal subtest, or minimum score of 388 on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Tests must have been taken within the past five years.
Three satisfactory recommendation forms.
An autobiographical essay.
A writing and technology proficiency sample.
Successful personal interview, if selected.
A clear or expunged criminal background record.
All requirements must be satisfactorily fulfilled in order to take courses in the counseling program.

M.Ed. in Leadership

Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA at the Baccalaureate level (Baccalaureate need not be in education) calculated on all undergraduate work attempted in which letter grades were awarded.
Test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) OR the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) with either test taken within 5 years of the date of application.
1. Each applicant must score a minimum of 146 Verbal (prior score 400) and 140 Quantitative (prior score 400) and 3.0 Analytical Writing on the GRE - OR - an undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 may be substituted for EITHER the GRE deficient verbal or quantitative score OR
2. A Miller Analogies Test (MAT) minimum score of 390 AND a GRE Analytical Writing score of 3.0. Undergraduate cumulative GPA will not be considered as a substitute for the MAT exam.
There may be additional requirements to continue in the program after initial admission. See an advisor in Educational Leadership.
A record free of criminal and disciplinary problems.

M.S. in Kinesiology

Undergraduate degree in a closely related field (e.g. exercise science, health science, nutrition, kinesiology).
A record free of criminal and disciplinary problems.
Acceptance of transfer graduate credits will be considered based upon the recommendation of the kinesiology graduate advisor and approval of the department chair but will not exceed nine (9) semester credit hours.

Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction

Minimum 3.0 GPA at the Master’s level.
Clear, renewable level 5 certificate.
A record free of criminal and disciplinary problems.
Minimum 2.5 GPA at the Baccalaureate level.

Ed.S. in Counselor Education

Master’s degree in Counselor Education or a closely-related field (e.g., MFT or psychology) from an accredited graduate institution.
Minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA on all graduate work attempted, as shown on graduate level transcripts, including courses in programs that were not completed.
Current resume or vita.
Current state school counseling certificate OR current professional state counseling license (e.g., LAPC, LPC) OR have a GRU MEd Counselor Education Program graduation date within the last five years.
Applicants who do not meet the certificate or license requirements above must take EITHER the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogy Test (MAT) and attain the following minimum scores:
GRE - Minimum score: 300 total (prior score 800) - at least 146 (prior score 400) on the verbal subtest
MAT - Minimum score: 388
Three satisfactory recommendation forms.
Letter of intent.
Successful personal interview, if selected.
A record free of criminal and disciplinary problems.
All requirements must be satisfactorily fulfilled in order to take courses in the counseling program.

Ed.S. in Educational Leadership *

Minimum 3.0 GPA at the Master’s level (Masters need not be in education but must be in a related field identified and from a PSC accepted, accredited institution) calculated on all graduate work attempted in which letter grades were awarded, or entry into teaching through GA TAPP and 5 years of successful experience as documented on performance evaluations.
Test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) OR the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), with either test taken within 5 years of the date of application.
1. Each applicant must score a minimum of 150 Verbal and 141 Quantitative, prior scores Verbal 450 (Quantitative - 450) and 3.5 Analytical Writing on the GRE - OR - a graduate cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 may be substituted for a deficient GRE verbal or quantitative score OR,
2. A Miller Analogies Test (MAT) minimum score of 400 AND a GRE Analytical Writing score of 3.5. Graduate cumulative GPA will not be considered as a substitute for the MAT exam.
There may be additional requirements to continue in the program after initial admission. See an advisor in Educational Leadership.
A record free of criminal and disciplinary problems.
Meet pre-service educational leadership requirements.
Serve in a leadership role or position at either the school building or system level that will enable the candidate to fully meet the program’s requirements.

* All questions concerning either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) should be directed to the testing service.

GRE-ETS
PO Box 6000
Princeton, NJ 08541-0600
1-609-771-7670 or
1-866-473-4373 (toll free)
www.ets.org

Pearson Education, Inc.
19500 Bulverde Road
San Antonio, TX 78259
1-800-211-8378 (toll free)
www.milleranalogies.com

Application Deadline

Completed applications and ALL supporting materials must be received on or before the following deadlines. If all supporting materials are not received by the application deadline, the application will be processed for the next semester after all materials are received.

December 2 for spring semester acceptance
April 2 for summer semester acceptance
July 2 for fall semester acceptance

Counselor Education
October 15 for spring semester acceptance
March 15 for summer semester acceptance
May 15 for fall semester acceptance

Admission is for a specific semester and a specific program. If a student wishes to make changes in either the program of study or the semester of admission, a written request must be made to the Office of Academic Admissions. All admissions criteria for the new program must be met. A fee of $50.00 will apply to all changes requested.

Financial Aid: Information concerning scholarships, grants, loans, etc. may be found at the Financial Aid Office at www.gru.edu/finaid. It is strongly recommended that applicants take note of financial aid application deadlines, since these are usually earlier than application deadlines.

Retention and Exit from Masters Degree Programs:

Transfer Hours:

A maximum of 9 semester hours of graduate work from an accredited institution may be transferred into a graduate program at Georgia Regents University. At the time of admission, the student must discuss the transfer hours with the advisor(s) and file a formal request with the chair of the department of the discipline of the course(s) being considered for transfer hours to be included in the program of study.

Academic Standing:

Good Standing: A student must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 throughout his/her graduate program. Only a grade of C or better will be counted as successful completion of a course for the graduate program. A grade of D or less will be counted in the cumulative GPA. A student must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA in order to graduate.

Probation: A student who fails to maintain the required average will be placed on “academic probation.” In order to remain in the graduate program, the student must reestablish the cumulative grade point average of 3.0 during the next semester of enrollment.

Suspension: A student who is unable to remediate the grade point average after one semester will be placed on “academic suspension” for a period of one semester.

Reinstatement: To apply for reinstatement, the student must meet with the advisor(s), prepare a formal plan to address the academic problems, and submit a letter of appeal for readmission to the department chair of the appropriate program after one semester of academic suspension.

Dismissal from the Graduate Program: If a student is suspended for the second time, the student will be dismissed from the graduate program. A student who has been dismissed may petition for readmission to the graduate program after one calendar year from the date of dismissal. A new application for the graduate program must be accompanied by a letter of appeal for admission.

Retention and Exit From Education Specialist Programs:

Academic Standing:

Good Standing: A student must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.25 throughout his/her graduate program. Only a grade of C or better will be counted as successful completion of a course for the graduate program. A grade of D or less will be counted in the cumulative GPA. A student must have a cumulative 3.25 GPA in order to graduate.

Suspension: A student who is unable to remediate the grade point average after one semester will be placed on “academic suspension” for a period of one semester.

Time Limits for Degree Completion

All requirements for the Master of Arts in Teaching degree, Master of Education, Master of Science, and Education Specialist degree must be completed within seven years of the first semester of enrollment.

If a student is not enrolled in an MAT program for three consecutive semesters, that student is required to complete any curricular changes made to the program before eligibility to student teach.

Graduate Appeals

A student who is denied admission to, retention in, and/or exit from a graduate program has the right to appeal. Appeals are to be filed in writing with the Dean of the College of Education.

A student also has the rights afforded by the Student Academic Appeals procedures and by the Student Academic Grievances procedures as specified in the Georgia Regents University Catalog.

Programs

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

• Certificate in Health Professions Education

Department of Counselor Education, Leadership, and Research

Counselor Education

The Counselor Education Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree graduate program at Georgia Regents University prepares students for professional careers as either school counselors or counselors in community mental health or private practice settings. Early in the program, students are assisted as needed in determining which specialty area will most closely align with their career goals. Most courses require outside field experiences, coordinated by the faculty, to help students gain a sense of professional responsibilities and expectations in the field. Although the student body is quite varied, we are committed to increasing the numbers of diverse students enrolled in our program in order to be more representative of the surrounding community.

Both the School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling concentration areas are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The accreditation runs through October 31, 2014. Please note that the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is currently accredited under the 2001 Standards for Community Counseling as a Community Counseling program. The CACREP 2009 standards combine the Community Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling standards into standards for Clinical Mental Health Counseling programs. The counseling program intends to seek accreditation for this program as a Clinical Mental Health Counseling program when it comes up for accreditation, per CACREP guidelines.

The Counselor Education Program is designed to meet the needs of both traditional and non-traditional students. Courses are generally offered during evening hours or on Saturdays to accommodate those who may already be working as school teachers or in other professional career areas. It is not required, however, that applicants have a teaching certificate or work experience for acceptance into the program. Those individuals with at least some work experience will be considered more highly. Both the School Counseling and the Clinical Mental Health Counseling concentration areas also require intensive practicum and internship experiences near the end of the course of study. For future school counselors, the practicum and internship placements are completed in school settings at the elementary or secondary levels. For those specializing in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, internships are held at local hospitals, mental health centers, and other community agencies.

All full-time Counselor Education Program faculty hold doctoral degrees and have professional experience in their particular subject areas. Several hold professional licensure (LPC) and certifications from the national or state certification organizations. They are also actively involved in the counseling profession, holding membership and/or offices in the American Counseling Association (ACA), the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), Georgia School Counselor Association (GSCA), South Carolina School Counselor Association (SCSCA), Licensed Professional Counselors of Georgia (LPCG), South Carolina Counseling Association (SCCA) and other organizations. Faculty members frequently present at regional and national conferences, quite often in collaboration with counseling students, reporting on descriptive or experimental research which has been conducted during the program courses.

Admissions Procedures and Requirements

The Counselor Education Program faculty seeks to admit only those individuals who are personally and academically prepared to successfully complete the Master’s degree in clinical mental health or school counseling. Faculty members recognize the need for counselors to be sensitive and competent in working with diverse populations. In order to meet this need, they support multicultural perspectives throughout educational programs and actively seek a diverse student and faculty population. Additionally, faculty are committed to admitting students who demonstrate an awareness of self and others regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, age, physical ability, sexual orientation, gender, or other forms of diversity. Only those students who have completed the admissions process and have been accepted into the program may take counseling courses. Exceptions to those with previous graduate experience may be given on a case by case basis.

Admission to the program is competitive and based on several criteria. For all counseling programs, the student should exhibit those personal qualities or characteristics which, in the judgment of the faculty, are necessary for effective functioning in the role of a counselor. Applicants may obtain an application packet and more detailed admissions criteria from the Dean’s office in the College of Education.

Please note that application deadlines for the Counselor Education Program are earlier than those in the College of Education and are as follows:

Fall semester admission: May 15
Spring semester admission: October 15
Summer semester admission: March 15

The completed application packet should be submitted to the College of Education Dean’s office. The application process involves several required elements, the last of which is, if selected a formal interview with program faculty.

These requirements include:

Complete application and accompanying materials to the College of Education (COE) Graduate Program. Requirements include at least a 2.5 undergraduate GPA, passing score on the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) Basic Skills test (school counseling track applicants only), and a criminal background check (see COE Graduate Program section of catalog for complete requirements).
GRE or MAT Minimum Scores (must have been taken within the last five years).

Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
Regular admission: minimum of 300 on the test overall, with a score of at least 146 on the Verbal subtest

Miller’s Analogy Test (MAT)
Regular admission: minimum of 388
Three Letters of Recommendation
Applicants will include at least three professional recommendations using specified forms.
Personal Autobiographical Essay
Applicants will write an autobiographical essay in which they discuss their reasons for wanting to become a counselor, what attributes they may possess which would contribute to their effectiveness as a counselor, what personal characteristics they possess that might hinder their relationships with clients, and how they are planning to address those issues. The essay must be double-spaced and three pages in length.
Writing and Technology Proficiency Sample
Applicants will complete a writing and technology proficiency sample. During this one-hour session, applicants will read a brief article and, using a computer, will write an essay responding to question prompts. Applicants will contact the GRU Testing and Disabilities Office to arrange a time and date to complete the writing sample prior to the admissions deadline. Students who live farther than 100 miles from campus may request alternative arrangements from the program coordinator.
Personal Interview
The personal interview with the faculty is the final requirement for full admission into the program. Shortly after the admissions deadline, faculty will select applicants to be invited to the interview based on the quality of the previous criteria. The interview is designed to assess applicants’ potential for forming effective interpersonal relationships in individual and group contexts; openness to self-examination and personal and professional growth; potential to develop knowledge, skills and dispositions in the field; potential to work effectively with diverse populations; emotional stability; receptiveness to supervision; degree to which the Program’s objectives and mission are consistent with the vocational and professional goals of applicants; and the degree to which applicants display the potential for success in the counseling program and profession. After the interview applicants are evaluated by the faculty with a rubric which considers all of these factors, including both academic and non-academic issues.

Applicants who gain admission are those who best match the characteristics described in the above paragraphs based on all of the information provided, the results of the interview, and the number of available openings for the upcoming semester.

The Admissions Committee makes its recommendations to the Dean of the College of Education. The Dean’s office sends each applicant a formal letter regarding the status of his/her application, usually within one to two weeks after the interview.

Program Eligibility and Systematic Assessment of Students

Students are expected to maintain an overall grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 across all courses attempted in the M.Ed. program. Any course in which a student earns a grade of D or F must be retaken. Student progress throughout the program is regularly monitored and assessed by program faculty. Students showing deficiencies in either academic or nonacademic areas may be placed on probation and/or remediation status, and may be either reinstated or dismissed based on subsequent academic or non-academic performance. Students must successfully complete all coursework and clinical experiences in order to graduate from the program.

Applicants and students should consult the Counselor Education Program Student Handbook (www.aug.edu/elcse/ counseling) for more specific and updated information. The College of Education Graduate Programs portion of this catalog also contains important information on transfer hours, retention and exit from programs, time limits for completion of degree, graduate appeals and financial aid.