Masters
of Education Program Requirements
Once You Are Admitted...
Selecting Your First Course. As soon as a student is admitted into the program s/he should begin identify which specific courses s/he wishes to take while completing his/her M.Ed. degree. To aid new students (i.e., those admitted under the CES program format) in identifying which courses they should consider taking first, second, etc., the following recommended course sequences were developed. You also can use the recommended course sequences in completing your Program of Study form. To find your recommended course sequence, locate the semester in which you entered the M.Ed. program and how many courses you plan on taking each semester; click on the link to download the MS Word file containing your recommended course sequence.
Completing Your Program of Study Plan. The Program of Study is a contract between the student and the University describing the specific courses that will make up the student's program. We recommend you do this during your first semester in the program in order to plan for and balance your student, professional, and personal lives while completing your degree.
Select the link for the appropriate program (depending on when you entered the M.Ed. program). Create a draft of your plan and email to your advisor for his review. Once you both agree on a plan, print the final plan, sign it, and mail it to your advisor at the address provided on the forms.
Should you need additional clarification on course selection, Program of Study completion, etc., we recommend you make a 1/2-hour appointment with you advisor. Dr. Downey is the advisor for students whose last name begins with A - L; Dr. Smith advises students with last names beginning with M-Z.
| Program of Study Forms |
M.Ed. Program (CES)
[new format] |
|
M.Ed. Program (CCO)
[existing format] |
| Adobe PDF (980K) |
|
MS Word (85K) |
A Program of Study plan must be approved by the end of the second semester of the student's course work or before the student has completed 15 hours of graduate course work, whichever occurs first. If this requirement is not met, the student will be placed on pending status and will not be able to register for classes until the pending status is removed. When the Program of Study form is approved by the College of Education, a copy will be returned to the advisor and the student, and a notice will be sent to the Associate Dean for Programs that the student's program has been approved.
Join the Instructional Technology Student Association (ITSA). ITSA is your opportunity to extend your learning beyond the online and traditional classrooom environments. Each semester ITSA offers workshops on current and emerging technologies (e.g., Flash, Second Life, etc) and host social events (e.g., IT Orientation Night, canoe trips, etc) to expand your IT skill set and professional network. Joining ITSA is FREE and instructions for joining the ITSA organization in Blackboard and subscribing to the ITSA email list (which is how you hear about job openings, workshops, etc) are provide on the ITSA Web at: http://www.coedu.usf.edu/itsa/.
Acquiring Recommended Sofware. While the purchase of the following software is NOT required, we do highly recommend that you consider purchasing the Adobe Creative Suite - Design Premium from the USF Computer Store. The Design Premium suite has the major software packages you will be using throughout your M.Ed. program (e.g., Photoshop, Dreamweave, Flash, etc) and is available from the USF Computer Store at a significant discount versus retail prices ($299 as of March 2009). If you already have access to the software applications contained in the Design Premium suite (see the Adobe site for details) you're welcome to use your existing copies; otherwise, you should consider buying this software suite as you will be using these packages throughout your M.Ed. program.
back to top
Transfer Credits
Transfer of Coursework from Another Institution – Students may transfer up to twelve (12) semester hours from another institution to their USF degrees if: 1) the coursework has not been used to fulfill requirements in another degree, 2) the student has earned grades of at least a 3.00/B in the coursework, 3) the coursework does not exceed the time limits listed herein, and 4) the transfer of coursework is deemed appropriate by the student's departments and the COEDU, i.e., the course to be transferred in is equivalent to a course within the IT major (it is up to the student's initiative to secure documentation from the USF course instructor, that the course to be transferred in is equivalent to the USF course). Grades from transfer credit are not calculated into the student’s USF grade point average. Transfer credits from other institutions must be evaluated by the Coordinator of Graduate Advising in the College of Education before being approved by your advisor for your program.
Transfer of Coursework from Non-Degree Status – Students may transfer up to twelve semester hours (12) taken as a non-degree seeking student into their degree programs if conditions #1-4 above have been met. Therefore, students who enroll in one of four IT Graduate Certificate programs prior to acceptance into the MEd program may be eligible to transfer their certificate courses into the MEd program.
back to top
Time Limits
A student has five (5) years from the date of admission to complete all degree requirements.
back to top
Full-Time Status
Full-time students must be enrolled for a minimum of 9 semester hours.
back
to top
Comprehensive Examination
During the last term of enrollment, students must perform satisfactorily on a comprehensive examination. This is a three
hour written examination which consists of four questions covering the major areas of knowledge presented in the program. The comprehensive examination is given every semester at a scheduled time, usually three-fourths of the way through the semester. Students must be enrolled for a minimum of two hours of graduate credit during the semester in which the examination is taken. If all course work has been completed, students may enroll in Independent Study. For information regarding dates/time/location, of the comprehensive exam, please send an e-mail to at  .
back to top
Grade Point Average
The University has a four-point system of grading used in computing grade point averages (A = 4 quality points, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0). The grade point average (GPA) is computed by dividing the total number of quality points by the total hours attempted
at the University of South Florida. The total quality points are figured by multiplying the number of credits assigned to each course by the quality point value of the grade given. Graduate students are not eligible for grade forgiveness. All grades earned, regardless of course level, will be posted on the transcript. If a student retakes a course, both grades will be used in the determination of the GPA.
back to top
Incompletes: The "I" Grade Policy
An "I" grade indicates incomplete course work. Students are advised to initiate a written contract for incomplete grades.
Until removed, the "I" is not computed in the grade point average. If not removed after two terms (including summer), "I" grades will be converted to "IF". Students are not required to reregister for courses in which they are only completing previous course requirements to change an "I" grade. However, if a student wants to audit a course for review in order to complete
course requirements, full fees must be paid.
back to top
Academic Standing
Graduate students must maintain an overall
average of 3.0 (B) in all courses. No grade below "C" will be accepted
toward a graduate degree, but all grades will be counted in computing
the
overall average. There is no Forgiveness Policy in effect for graduate
courses. Students may repeat a course to improve the grade, but all
grades
earned in repeated courses will be computed in the GPA.
back
to top
Financial
Aid
Internal fellowships/grants/scholarships available
only to USF students are described in the "Financial Assistance"
section
of the current USF Graduate Catalog. Applications forms are available in
the office of the College of Education Coordinator of Graduate Advising
(EDU 106). The USF Graduate School (FAO 126), circulate
information
handouts listing current sources of financial support for graduate
students.
back
to top
For more information, please contact Dr. Steve Downey (813) 974-7952 or Dr. Glenn Smith at (813)974-7922. You can also send an e-mail at .
|
