College of Education - Master's Programs

Education Master's Programs

The College of Education offers master's programs in a wide variety of areas within the general field of education. Master of Education programs are open only to qualified students who have completed a baccalaureate degree and have completed course work for regular Florida State Teaching Certification. This degree is appropriate for the practicing educator who wishes to update and extend knowledge of their present teaching field.

Master of Arts programs leading to initial certification are open to qualified individuals who are seeking both a master's degree and a new teaching certification or to qualified students seeking a master's degree in a field not requiring state teaching certification. Students who are presently teaching with a valid Florida Teaching Certificate may add a teaching field to their certificate by completing a Master of Arts degree. Those students without previous certification and who are seeking initial certification in a teaching area may be required by the program area to complete an internship to complete the state-approved program. M.A. candidates must complete a portfolio as part of the requirements of an internship.

NOTE: All Master of Arts programs at UCF leading to initial certification are state-approved programs. Completion of the prescribed program results in the affixing of a state-approved program stamp to the transcript. This stamp ensures that certification will be issued by the Florida Department of Education in the indicated area. Failure to complete the prescribed state-approved program through petitions, waivers, or unauthorized course substitutions will be cause to not affix the stamp of approval on the transcript. While the student may graduate with a Master of Arts, a transcript without the stamp will be evaluated for certification on a course-by-course basis. UCF and the College of Education do not guarantee that any non-stamped program transcript will lead to certification by the Florida Department of Education.

Admission

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all graduate students. Minimal requirements for admission are (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 for the last 60 attempted semester hours of undergraduate study and a minimum score of at least 840 on the verbal-quantitative sections of the GRE or (2) a GPA of less than 3.0 combined with a GRE of 1000 or above. A score of 220 (computer-based test or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required if the applicant is an international student. In addition, a student seeking a Master of Education degree must show evidence that all course work has been completed for the basic bachelor's level state of Florida teaching certificate. Master of Arts programs, available in some specialties, may be planned without the student's having previously completed certification courses. Specific graduate programs within the College of Education may use socioeconomic status, commitment to work in low income neighborhoods, evidence of community or volunteer work, family educational background, first generation in college, overcoming hardships, or personal interviews as additional criteria for admission.

Restricted Admission

The College of Education has a separate restricted application process for those students who do not present at least a 3.0 grade point average in their last 60 attempted semester hours of undergraduate course work AND at least a score of 1000 on the combined verbal-quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination. The restricted deadline is earlier in the semester for all programs with the exception of School Psychology, Counselor Education, and the doctoral programs. To be considered for restricted admission in the College of Education, students must file an application for restricted status in the Education Student Services Office (ED 109; 823-3723) upon being denied regular admission. Department committees make recommendations to the College Graduate Standards and Curriculum Committee. The following criteria are applied in evaluating applications:

Ranking of undergraduate 60-hour grade point average
Ranking of GRE score
Contribution, current and projected, to the profession
Number of years of professional experience
Number of non-degree-seeking hours taken
Grade point average on any non-degree-seeking work
Recommendations by college faculty and other professionals.

Restricted students who do not maintain a 3.0 GPA during their first nine hours of enrollment will be reverted to non-degree-seeking status. Those who are accepted as restricted students by one program are not accepted into another, but must reapply for restricted admittance into another program.

Program of Study

Students are officially assigned formal academic advisers upon admission to a College of Education graduate degree program. It is the student's responsibility to seek advisement and finalize a program of study early in the degree program. Students are advised to file a program of study within the first nine hours of their graduate study. The acceptability and application of non-degree/transfer hours toward a degree is contingent upon the recommendation of the academic adviser and is approved only after a program of study has been officially filed through all university channels.

Academic advisers are not assigned to individuals admitted as non-degree-seeking students. Non-degree-seeking students may seek information and general advisement in the Education Student Services Office (ED 109; 823-3723). Non-degree-seeking students seeking certification in the state of Florida and who have been initially certified elsewhere are not eligible for financial assistance from the university. In general, non-degree-seeking students cannot receive financial assistance unless enrolled for at least half-time and they have not previously been certified. Students should check their specific circumstances with the Office of Student Financial Assistance.

Performance Standards

Minimum university-wide standards and regulations are applicable in addition to the specific College of Education requirements and regulations described in this section. A "B" (3.0 GPA) must be maintained on all graduate work and no more than six hours of "C" may be earned and applied to the degree program. Unresolved "I" (incomplete) grades must be resolved according to university guidelines. In addition to the minimum university standards, College of Education students must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA in all co-requisite work prescribed in concert with a graduate degree program.

Students whose grade point average on degree work falls below 3.0 will be placed on academic provisional status for a nine semester-hour period of enrollment. During this time, the GPA must reach or exceed the 3.0 minimum to remain in the program. Only one academic provisional period is permitted, and no transfer credit may be applied.

Culminating Experience

Prior to graduation, all students are required to successfully complete an academic culminating experience which is planned and evaluated by each student's program area. Comprehensive examinations are the most common form of culminating experience. Failure on a comprehensive examination requires re-enrollment and reexamination during a subsequent semester. Students are required to be enrolled during the semester in which they take examinations to satisfy this requirement and must be enrolled the term they plan to graduate.

Thesis, Research Report, and Non-thesis Options

In most programs, master's degree students in education, with adviser consultation, may select one of three options: Thesis, a research paper with a formal faculty committee and defense; Research Report, a research paper supervised by the student's adviser; or the non-thesis option, course substitution for the research papers. Both the thesis and research report options result in programs with a minimum of 33 semester hours. In the non-thesis option the courses selected must be approved in advance by the student's adviser and result in a program of at least 36 semester hours. For specific options within programs, please consult the graduate program coordinator for the degree sought.

Master of Arts: Tracks in Extended Content

Graduate Program Coordinator: T. S. Kubala
ED 350, (407) UCF-2007
E-mail: tkubala@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu

Minimum hours required for M.A.—42 Semester Hours
Several of the education Master of Arts degrees have a track available to individuals who have a goal of teaching in a content area at the community college level. Every attempt is made to build at least 18 hours of graduate-level content into the program of study from the following areas: Art, Mathematics, Music, Science, Social Science, and English Language Arts. Only six hours of independent study courses may be used to satisfy degree requirements. It is important to see an adviser if courses are difficult to schedule in content areas. Students take content courses in lieu of internship with the full understanding that they will not be eligible for certification at the secondary level because of the internship deficiency in their program. College of Education content specialists serve as advisers in the program.

Area A: Core—15 Semester Hours
(some programs may vary slightly)
EDF 6155 Lifespan Human Development and Learning (3 hours)
EDF 6401 Statistics for Educational Data (3 hours) OR
EDF 6432 Measurement and Evaluation in Education (3 hours)
EDF 6481 Fundamentals of Graduate Research Education (3 hours)
EDF 6517 History and Philosophy of American Education (3 hours)
ESE 6909 Research Report (2 hours)
ESE 6909 Research Report (1 hour)

Area B: Specialization—27 Semester Hours
(Electives approved by adviser)

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