Frequent
Questions & Answers
| 1. What is CLAST or the General Knowledge Test (GKT)o GK)? |
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The examination requirements for the CLAST and the General Knowledge Test is established by the State of Florida. Updated information about these test are updated by the College of Education and may be found at the following website (CLAST and GRE) |
| 2. How can I check on the status of my application? |
| You should contact the graduate school
admission by phone or e-mail
Phone 813-974-8800 or
status@grad.usf.edu
The COE graduate admissions office is at 974-3406 or Oltz@tempest.coedu.usf.edu Note: You need to include the CLAST scores with your application for it to be sent to the program from consideration. If it is not on your transcript or you do not have a copy of the official report to attach to your application, you can contact: 813-974-2400 For a $10 dollar fee they will send you an official copy of your CLAST Score to attach to your application. |
| 3. How much time do I have to complete the degree? |
| Students have 7 years to complete their degree and only courses taken during that time frame will count toward the degree. So if courses are taken as a non-degree seeking student, for them to count you must complete the degree within seven years of when you took the course. The 7 years is calculated backwards from your date of graduation. |
| 4. Can I transfer credit into the program? |
| Up to 3 courses or 8 graduate credit hours may be transferred from another Institution. You may have to submit syllabi or other documentation to demonstrate equivalency. |
| 5. Are there any scholarships? |
| The department does not have fellowships, assistantships or scholarships at the master's level. However, you can contact the Financial Aid Office for other sources of aid. Most graduate courses are offered in the evenings and most students work full-time. Students with a Bachelor's degree may be employed as substitute teachers in the local school districts. Students interested in substitute teaching should contact the school districts and local schools. The one-semester internship requires five-day-a-week, full-time work in the school setting and class preparation in the evenings, etc. Students should carefully plan for this period where there will be limited time for even a part-time job. |
| 6. How am I advised? |
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Students are notified of their admission by the Graduate School and students are then expected to initiate the contact with their advisor: Dr. Thompson is the advisor for all master's student in mathematics education.
Students and their advisor complete and file a Planned Program. Students should complete a draft of the Program Plan Form and bring it to the advising session. |
| 7. How do I select courses? |
| Not all courses are offered every
semester and, due to funding limitations, courses may be less
available in the summer. This is particularly true for MA
students who take 18 hours in CAS. Few if any faculty offer
independent studies.
Once admitted, you register on-line. |
| 8. What is the Comprehensive Exam |
| A Comprehensive Exam is taken in the last fall or spring semester. Currently, students are required to take an oral exam. The examination for MA include two mathematicians from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and one mathematics education from the College of Education. Students are expected to initiate this process by asking faculty members to serve on their examination committee. Students must be enrolled for at least 2 hours of coursework during the semester in which the exam is taken. |
| 9. How do I apply for the Internship? |
| For MA Plan II and MAT5-9 students, attendance at a seminar on the internship is required and an application must be initiated for the internship approximately 6 months prior to the term of the planned internship. Florida requires criminal background checks, and school districts must approve all requested assignments by the University. Internships are not managed by the mathematics education faculty, but by the Internship Office. Students should contact the internship office at least 6 months before the planned semester of internship. The Internship office is in EDU II 106: 974-3440. You can also visit their Final Internship Website. |
| 10. How do I apply for Graduation? |
| Graduation may take place in fall, spring, or summer. Students should contact the Registrar's Office at least 7 months before the planned graduation date to secure the application. Submit the completed application to the Secondary Education Office to be placed in your advisor's mail box. Your advisor will then forward it for the additional, appropriate signatures and to the registrar. The COE Graduate Advising Office (GAO) will conduct an audit of your application as compared to University and COE policies and your Program Plan. Following the audit, the GAO will inform you by mail if there are any problems or discrepancies that need to be resolved. Should any adjustment need to be made, contact your advisor by e-mail. |
| 11. If I am a graduate of a University in another country, how should my transcripts be handled? |
Currently, international students seeking
admission into the College
must present an English evaluation (not just a translation) of their
credentials. An English translation differs from an English
evaluation.
The evaluation speaks to:
There are several recognized agencies throughout the country that provide this service; it typically costs about $100. Here are the names of two who have provided good service to prospective students in the past:
Josef Silny and Associates |