Jimmy R. Chambless, Dean and Director of the Mississippi Teacher Corps

Thomas E. Bates, Assistant Dean
Theopolis P. Vinson, Assistant Dean

162-B Education Building
(662) 915-7063

Graduate Degrees
Graduate work in education leads to the degrees of Master of Arts, Master of Education, Master of Science, Education Specialist, Doctor of Education, and Doctor of Philosophy. For specific areas of study, see the departmental sections of the School of Education following the general information below. Each time a student completes a graduate program and desires to enroll in another, an application must be submitted, and it is subject to all regulations in the current catalog.

ADMISSION TO GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Graduate programs requiring Graduate Record Examination (verbal and quantitative) score reports:

M.A. in Higher Education and Student Personnel
M.A. in Leisure Management
M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction-emphasis in TESOL, emphasis in Secondary Education
M.Ed. in Educational Psychology
M.S. in Exercise Science
M.S. in Wellness
Ed.S. in Educational Leadership (K-12)
Ed.S. in Educational Psychology
Ph.D. in Education, emphasis in Educational Leadership (K-12 option or Higher Education and Student Personnel option)
Ph.D. in Educational Psychology
Ph.D. in Exercise Science and Leisure Management
Ph.D. in Education, emphasis in TESOL

Graduate programs requiring National Teacher Examination (Communication Skills - CS and General Knowledge - GK) score reports and/or Praxis I:

M.Ed. in Education with emphasis in elementary education
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership
M.Ed. in Education with emphasis in secondary education
M.Ed. in Education with emphasis in special education
Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis in elementary, secondary or special education.
Ed.D. in Education with emphasis in elementary education

Graduate program requiring a Content Mastery Examination for Educators score report in one of the following areas: art, biology, chemistry, French, mathematics, physical education, physics, social studies, and Spanish:

M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction (subject area teaching option)

The Student's Program
An adviser will be assigned to each student upon admission to the Graduate School. At each registration the student's program should be approved by the faculty adviser. The student's program, in addition to required courses, is determined in conference with the adviser or with a committee of which the adviser is chair. This procedure is intended to provide programs in which the needs and development of the individual are paramount.

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ADMISSIONS AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN EDUCATION

The following Professional Knowledge Base courses are common to most doctoral degree programs.

EDPY 603. Advanced Educational Psychology
EDRS 501. Educational Statistics I
EDRS 701. Educational Statistics II
EDRS 605. Educational Research I
EDRS 705. Educational Research II
EDFD 609. The Cultural Context of Education

MASTER'S DEGREE

Admission to a master's degree program requires that the applicant:

1. See department chair for specific requirements.
2. For an additional master's degree, 30 hours or 36 hours of course work for that particular degree must be taken.
3. Students in M.Ed. programs must hold (or be eligible to hold) a Class A teacher's certificate (or its equivalent from another state). An exception to the admission requirements may be made for those programs which do not require state certification.

General requirements for all master's degrees are:

1. A minimum of one academic year (or two complete summer sessions) in residence;
2. A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit;
3. Passing of a final oral and/or written examination, and, for programs that require it, passing the portfolio evaluation;
4. An overall average of B or better on all courses taken for graduate credit;
5. A six-year time limit on all work applicable toward the master's degree.
   

Transfer Of Graduate Credit
A maximum of 6 semester hours of graduate credit earned in another recognized institution may be accepted, subject to the following conditions which are in addition to the general Graduate School academic regulations:

1. The student must have been admitted to a graduate degree program at the other institution at the time the course to be transferred was taken. If the student is already enrolled in a degree program at The University of Mississippi, the student may register as a transient student at the other institution, with the approval of the dean of the Graduate School.
2. The school from which the work is transferred must be accredited for graduate study by the regional accrediting association and by the National Association for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
3. The courses for which credit is transferred must have been taught by members of the graduate faculty of that institution.
4. The last three (3) semester hours must be taken at The University of Mississippi.
   

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EDUCATION SPECIALIST DEGREE

Educational Psychology. The Ed.S. program is intended mainly for (1) students who want a graduate degree but do not plan to continue to the doctorate, and (2) students whose plans for continuing to the doctorate in education are indefinite, but who wish to complete a two-year graduate program probably applicable to the doctorate. In this program appropriate master's degree credit must be integrated into the overall 66 semester-hour graduate credit requirement.

Admission to an Education Specialist degree program requires that the applicant:

1. Hold (or be eligible to hold) a Class AA professional certificate (or its equivalent from another state). See departmental section for additional requirements.
2. Have at least two years' successful teaching experience at an accredited school or college or two years' relevant work experience.
3. Complete program area requirements. Contact department chair for these requirements.

Requirements for the Ed.S. Degree
The program consists of 66 semester hours of graduate study beyond the bachelor's degree. Up to 36 hours beyond the bachelor's degree may be waived by the department on the basis of graduate work completed at other institutions. A minimum of 30 semester hours must be completed in the area of emphasis. At least 30 semester hours, including a minimum of 9 semester hours in the area emphasis, of the last 36 hours must be taken at The University of Mississippi. A student is required to take a minimum of 6 semester hours outside the School of Education. A thesis or field study is required of all students for which a minimum of 6 semester hours of thesis or field study credit must be recorded.

The department offers Education Specialist degrees with emphasis in Elementary Education, Secondary Education, and Special Education. The Ed.S. program is intended mainly for students who wish to earn a post-master's graduate degree that leads to Mississippi AAA teacher certification. Information on admission is available from the department office. Admission to the specialist program requires NTE/Praxis I scores and successful completion of a writing sample.

Specialist programs require a minimum of 36 semester hours of graduate course work beyond the master's degree. Students should complete Trends and Issues in Teaching (EDCI 658) in the first 12 hours of their programs. A culminating experience is the completion of EDEL, EDSE, or EDSP 769, a Field Study, which results in the submission of a paper to a scholarly journal. Other specific requirements for the Ed.S. degree will depend on the student's emphasis area, as determined by the program faculty. Candidates for the specialist degree must pass a final written examination.

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DOCTORAL PROGRAMS

Admission to a doctoral degree program requires that the applicant:

1. Hold (or be eligible to hold) a Class AA professional certificate (or its equivalent from another state) and a master's degree from a regionally accredited institution (or meet the University's requirements for a Master of Education degree). See departmental requirements for certain exceptions.
2. Have at least a B average on any previous graduate work in and on all other work applicable to the doctoral program.
3. Have at least two years' successful teaching experience at an accredited school or college or two years' relevant work experience.
4. Complete program area requirements. Contact department chair for these requirements.

General requirements for doctoral degrees

Specific requirements are given below:

Advisory Committee
An advisory committee of three faculty members (two in the student's area) shall be appointed by the department chairperson to determine the student's program of courses.

Course Requirements
At least 90 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree (including 18 semester hours of dissertation credit) is required for graduation. A minimum of 30 hours of graduate course work beyond the master's degree must be taken at this University. All students are required to take EDRS 705 at The University of Mississippi. The student must complete 9 hours of course work outside the student's area of emphasis. A minimum of 9 semester hours must be successfully completed in areas other than education. Course work taken outside the School of Education must be approved by the student's adviser.

Grade-point Average
At the end of the first 12 semester hours attempted, the student must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.25. If the student's grade-point average is less than 3.25 the student shall be given a probationary status. To remove the probationary status the student shall bring the average to 3.25 or better at the completion of 21 semester hours. The student must thereafter maintain a 3.25 average or be dismissed from the program.

Continuous Residence
In partial fulfillment of the residence requirements, the student must be in continuous residence on The University of Mississippi campus as a full-time student taking regular class period courses for at least two adjacent regular semesters. This period of continuous residence may begin with the semester in which the student completes requirements for full admission to the degree program. The remainder of the required residence may be completed in sessions that are not adjacent. In the minimum period of continuous residence, the student must register for at least 9 semester hours of graduate work each semester. Part-time graduate students may fulfill the residence requirement by completing 24 continuous semester hours of course work within a five semester period.

Preliminary Examination
The student shall take the Preliminary Examination during the first semester or summer session following full or conditional admission to a doctoral program; the student need not be enrolled when taking the examination.

Admission to Candidacy
The student may be recommended to candidacy only after the successful completion of the foreign language requirement (if any) and comprehensive examination. When, in the opinion of the student's advisory committee, the area coordinator and department chair, the student has demonstrated qualification to complete the program of study and research leading to the doctorate, the department will recommend admission to candidacy.

Comprehensive Examination
The Comprehensive Examination shall be taken after the student has completed all required course work or during the enrollment period in which the course work is completed. The examination will be administered by the department concerned. Approval is required by the chair of the student's advisory committee and the dean of the Graduate School. The student must pass the Comprehensive Examination at least one year prior to the time the student expects to receive the degree, ordinarily not before the accomplishment of two full years of graduate work. The Comprehensive Examination for the Ph.D. degree program may not be taken until after the student has satisfied any foreign language requirement.

Dissertation
A dissertation representing independent and original research is required. The prospectus for the dissertation is formally presented, defended and filed with the Graduate School after the student has passed the comprehensive examination. A dissertation committee consisting of a minimum of four faculty members (at least two from the student's area and one from outside the department) shall be appointed by the department. A style manual for the dissertation should be obtained from the Graduate School office. The candidate must present to the Graduate School office two copies of the dissertation, which conform to the Graduate School Manual of Theses, Doctoral Essays and Dissertations.

Deadlines
Final copy of the dissertation, as approved by the chair of the candidate's committee, must be in the hands of the members of the examining committee two weeks prior to the final oral examination of the candidate.

Registration for Dissertation
See this heading under Requirements for Graduate Degrees.

Final Examination
After the acceptance of the dissertation in final form, an oral examination must be undertaken. This examination will be given on the dissertation and its area. The two signed copies of the dissertation with the abstract should be submitted to the Graduate School prior to the deadline dates established by the Graduate School.

Fields of Study
Five areas of emphasis are offered for the doctorate: educational leadership; educational psychology; elementary education; exercise science and leisure management; and secondary education.

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