Advisor's Guide

• The admissions process
• Making contact with newly admitted graduate students
• Desired outcomes of the initial advisement session
• Some common considerations about the "Plan of Graduate Study"
• Topics that often come up during advisement
• The end of the program and the Oral Examination
• Conferral of Graduate Degrees
• Intent to Graduate Forms
• For more information contact

 
This is a guide for faculty to the advisement process for graduate students admitted to the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction; all of this information may be shared with students.

Overview

The M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction exists as a means for licensed educators to engage in focused professional development for many years.  As the M.Ed. is not a licensure endorsing program a student may wish to apply their C&I coursework to an endorsement through a state or other peer review process independently. 

The Admissions Process

Application deadlines are three times per year:

October 1	Spring semester
February 1	Summer semester
May 1	Fall semester

Making contact with newly admitted graduate students

Once a student has been accepted, the Graduate College is notified.  The Graduate College will then send out a formal letter of acceptance. Students must communicate in writing (postal card) to the UVM Graduate College that they accept enrollment. Please remind your advisee to take this action!

All new C&I students will be notified to meet with the Program Coordinator, Dr. Maureen Neumann.  At this initial meeting,  Dr. Neumann will go over a program of study and lay out a preliminary course plan, along with going over the C&I Program graduation requirements.

Desired outcomes of the initial advisement session:

You and your advisee should develop a tentative Plan of Graduate Study.

Some common considerations about the "Plan of Graduate Study."

1. Transfer Credit. Graduate College regulations stipulate a limit to the number of previously taken courses that a student can transfer into the M.Ed. to nine credits. As the advisor you make the call as to appropriateness of any courses for which transfer credit is requested subject to the transfer credit limits. All proposed transfer/validation of course requests must be approved by The Graduate College. Please do this early on in the advisement process so that you and the advisee can be sure what courses will constitute the approved Plan of Graduate Study.
2. Changing Plan of Study. Once a Plan of Study is signed off by you and your advisee, the Department and Graduate College, it may be necessary to modify it. You make that call and advise the Program Coordinator who will likely agree and inform the Graduate College. Any changes/substitutions are recorded on the original Plan of Study and carefully checked by Graduate College staff at the time of program completion/oral examination.
   
3. Fullfilling Foundations Requirements. All M.Ed. Programs in the College of Education and Social Services must include two courses in the Foundations of Education area, i.e., courses having prefix EDFS.
4. Maximum Time for Degree Completion. There is a window of time that can elapse between the first and last course taken in a Masters program. The completion limit is 5 years. Appeals can be made for exceptions.
5. Leave of Absence. If an advisee must delay steady progress towards completion of the M.Ed. Program they may request an extension of the time allowed for completion of degree requirements. The Graduate College policy can be found at: http://www.uvm.edu/~gradcoll under Leave of Absence for Graduate Students.
6. Approval of Credit. At UVM 200 level and above courses are considered graduate courses. It is possible for one course in a program to be a sub-200 level if the professor for that offering agrees to provide additional assignments to justify it counting in a graduate program. Unfortunately, there may be a few 200 level courses in education that are not intended for graduate credit but they are identified in course listings.
7. Continuous Graduate Registration. Students who have completed all credits required for the degree but have not completed all graduation requirements must enroll each semester for Continuous Registration (GRAD 900) and pay a Continuous Registration fee each semester until all degree requirements are completed, including removing incomplete grades; passing the comprehensive examination; or completing a thesis or dissertation.

Topics that often come up during advisement.

1. Masters Thesis. A thesis is not required for the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. If the optional thesis is selected, it replaces two courses for a total of six credits.
   
2. Independent Study. We support a student engaging in independent study if it is carefully designed, monitored and reported. EDSS 397 Problems in Education 3- credits serves as one vehicle for independent study and can be the source of presentation topic for the Oral Examination at the end of the program. Today we find the practice of action research a popular means to improve an instructional practice at graduate students school.
   
3. Taking a course at a college or university other than UVM. Increasingly we encounter internet-based courses and quality assurance will be important for having them count in a UVM Graduate Student Program. Courses taken elsewhere are transfer credits and subject to the transfer rules.

The end of the program and the Oral Examination

A Final Oral Examination is required and its nature will provoke many questions. There is a written component to the Oral comprehension as well.

Dates can be found on the Graduate College website.

Conferral of Graduate Degrees

Degrees are conferred only in October, January and May of each year. Diplomas are issued in May.

Intent to Graduate Forms

Students are responsible for submitting their "Intent to Graduate" forms to the Graduate College along with the proper payment.  Students must also inform the Program Coordinator of their intentions.

For more information, contact?

C&I Program Support 802.656.1410

 

Last modified February 15 2012 03:03 PM