Requirements
Goals and Objectives
The School of Education serves to prepare confident, caring, and reflective educators within a Christian environment, from a liberal arts curriculum for pre-service educators as well as advanced preparation for in-service educators.
The specific goals and objectives of the Specialist of Education program are to provide students with opportunities to become “confident, caring, and reflective educators” by
- earning academic credentials that may allow them to advance in the chosen field of employment; (integrator of technology);
- experiencing personal growth and understanding through in-depth study in the area of concentration and certification (innovative thinker);
- expanding the student’s Christian values through course work and campus activities (life-long learner);
- specializing in a chosen area or discipline (life-long learner);
- building upon their undergraduate studies and work experience to broaden their knowledge base in the teaching field (advocate for diverse learners); and
- becoming strong professional leaders in their chosen discipline and area of certification (effective communicator).
General Admissions Requirements for the Specialist in Education
- Each applicant must
- hold a master’s degree in education or related field from an accredited college or university.
- meet the university’s general requirement for graduate admission. The application must be submitted prior to registering for classes and before the deadline established by the graduate admission office.
- provide official transcripts of all college work completed to date for the registrar and the graduate office. After the applicant is accepted, a supplementary official transcript showing any additional work completed at other institutions is also required.
- have an overall minimum grade point average of 3.25 on a four-point scale on the Master’s in Education or related field.
- hold a current teacher’s license (Mild & Moderate Disabilities K-12, 221 endorsement) with no pending action in any state (if seeking educator license) or comparable license in a related field. A copy of this license must be filed in the graduate office.
- Provide two letters of recommendation from current or past supervisors (within the last five years). Students must exhibit all of the professional dispositions developed by WCU’s faculty and constitutes at the acceptable level or higher. These will be included with the recommendation letter.
In addition to these requirements, the applicant must meet any additional requirements as put forth by the respective graduate degree, licensure, concentration, and/or endorsement programs.
Upon special request by the student and the approval of the graduate committee, the teacher license requirement may be waived only for a student pursuing a specialist degree who is currently employed in a college, nonpublic institution or a position not requiring a teacher’s license. In the event the licensure requirement is waived, the following notation will be entered upon the student’s transcript: “Student does not meet requirements for teacher licensure.” Students must request waiver in writing and must state the reason for the request.
Admissions Status
An applicant for the Specialist in Education is admitted to regular or nondegree graduate status as follows:
Regular—Regular graduate status will be granted to those students who meet all requirements for admission to the Specialist in Education degree and are actively pursuing a graduate degree.
Nondegree—Nondegree status may be assigned to those students who meet the requirements for admission, but do not otherwise wish to become a candidate for a degree. These students may be enrolling in courses for reinstatement of expired teaching licenses or to eliminate certification deficiencies at the undergraduate level prior to enrolling as regular students. The nondegree status also applies to students who are ineligible to pursue a graduate degree but wish to take course work for nondegree purposes. No more than nine hours of credit from a nondegree status may apply toward a degree. Admission on nondegree status does not imply admission to any program. Nondegree status would need to meet all requirements to comply to “regular status” after nine hours of graduate credit. Incomplete admission status may be granted for one term for a student who appears to be eligible for admission but is unable to supply certain required records prior to registration (see WCU general admission for further explanation).
Off-Campus Transfer Courses
A maximum of 12 hours of off-campus WCU courses may be applied toward the Specialist in Education degree. Permission from the dean and academic vice president is required for use of any additional off-campus credit. A maximum of six hours may be transferred from another institution. All transfer courses must be approved.
Submission of Program Plan
By the end of the first trimester of enrollment, the student must be officially accepted as a candidate for a specialist’s degree or supplemental endorsement program of study. A program plan sheet reflecting such acceptance will be filed with the program advisor outlining the courses the student plans to take. This plan sheet must be signed by the student and the student’s advisor indicating approval. The approved program plan of study will serve as the basis for the application for degree candidacy.
Students may not earn credit at another institution after the program plan is submitted.
Workshop Credit and Course Numbering
With the dean’s approval, no more than six semester hours of workshop credit may be applied toward the Specialist in Education degree. Three hours may apply to the area of concentration and three hours may be used as an elective. All workshops are numbered as 593 or 693 courses for master’s level, and 790 or 890 for specialist/doctoral levels, and named when offered. Special topic courses that are named when they are offered are numbered 590 or 690 and can be taken for 1-3 hours of credit. Directed readings courses are numbered 549 or 649 for master’s level and 749 or 849 for specialist/doctoral levels.
Progression and Other Requirements for the Specialist in Education
- Students must have successfully completed the plan of study approved by the faculty with a minimum GPA of 3.0 within a six-year time frame. This includes the field experience portfolio.
- Only two grades lower than a B are allowed for the Specialist in Education degrees. Extensions and course substitutions are considered on an individual basis.
- The last 20 hours must be completed at William Carey for the Specialist in Education degrees.
- The student must demonstrate competency in content and in scholarly writing by passing EDL 789 , Educational Unit Self-Study through Assessment Inquiry Research, with a grade of B or better.
- Participation in the graduation ceremony is required. Degrees are not conferred in absentia, except by special permission of the registrar. A student must submit a written request. Students who are candidates for May degrees are required to file applications for their degrees in the registrar’s office by October 15. Candidates for August graduation must file by March 31. Late applications will be accepted up to 30 days after the respective deadlines. There will be a $100 late fee in addition to the graduation fee.
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