Subject abbreviation: EDUC
Admission to graduate degree programs in Education is based upon grade point average and letters of recommendation from writers knowledgeable about the candidate's ability to succeed in graduate study. In addition, candidates for admission to the Ph.D. and M.A. degree programs are required to submit scores from the General Test (verbal, quantitative, analytical) of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), preferably no more than five years old. Students intending to specialize in School Psychology are also required to submit GRE scores for the subject test in Psychology. Ph.D. applicants are asked also to submit a writing sample. The GRE is not required of applicants seeking admission to credential programs.
Policies and Procedures for Graduate Degree Programs may be obtained from the Graduate Degree Program office.
Two types of M.A. degrees are available to students.
Type A--Education (with a cooperating department).
At present, 13 departments and programs are cooperating with the Graduate School of Education in this program. They include Anthropology, Biology, English, French, Geological Sciences, German, History, Mathematics, Music, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Spanish.
Candidates for this degree will complete the general University requirements and will follow Plan II, the Comprehensive Examination Plan. A minimum of 36 upper-division and graduate units are required, including a minimum of 18 units in Education and 18 in the cognate discipline. Baccalaureate level training in the cognate field is presumed. The candidate must pass comprehensive examinations in Education and the cognate field.
Type B--Education
Candidates enrolled in this program normally will have completed an undergraduate major or its equivalent in a subject field other than education. General areas of specialization for the M.A. include: Educational Administration, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction, and Educational Psychology. Course requirements for the programs may be obtained from the Graduate Degree Program office, 1223 Sproul Hall. Any variance with existing program course work must be approved by the Graduate Advisory Committee.
Under the thesis plan, students will complete a minimum of 36 upper-division and graduate units. At least 24 of these units will be in graduate courses. A maximum of 12 may be in graduate research for the thesis.
At the beginning of the second, and generally not later than the third quarter of full-time work, each candidate will submit a plan for the thesis to their committee. The plan will state the thesis topic, areas of knowledge, and research skills in which they wish to become competent at the master's degree level. Each candidate will also list courses to be taken for developing competence in their area of specialization. The plan for the thesis will be reviewed and approved by a committee of three faculty members. Upon completion of the thesis, the candidate will submit it to this committee for approval. Upon successful completion of the thesis, the student will be recommended to the Graduate Division for the M.A. degree.
Plan II (Comprehensive Examination)
A minimum of 36 quarter units are required in upper-division and graduate undergraduate courses in Education and related fields as defined in existing programs. At least 18 of the 36 units will be in graduate courses, of which none will be in graduate research for the thesis.
A faculty member from the program area specialization shall be appointed by the Graduate Advisor to guide the candidate. A program plan must be filed with the Graduate Advisor by the end of the first quarter of residency. Any variation in this program plan from existing approved programs must be sanctioned by the Graduate Advisory Committee.
Upon or near completion of course work, the student will apply to take a comprehensive written examination. Upon successful completion of the comprehensive examination, the candidate will be recommended to the Graduate Division for the M.A. degree.
General areas of specialization for the Ph.D. include Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Administration, Special Education, Educational Psychology, and School Psychology.
Following admission to the program, students are assigned a preliminary program advisor who guides them during the initial phase of their program. A common core curriculum is currently being developed. Within the first seven quarters of residence, students write a data-based or literature review paper. The faculty of each program area set up criteria and guidelines for the paper and judge its merits. Papers accepted by the program area group are presented in a public forum of faculty and students from the student's program area group. During this next phase of the doctoral program, students will be expected to pursue in-depth studies in at least two fields of concentration identified by the students and their guidance committee. Preparation in each field will consist of sufficient study to allow the students to grasp the essential concepts and inquiry methods of that field.
After or near completion of course work in the second phase and before being advanced to candidacy, the student will be required to pass qualifying examinations, both written and oral. The written examination will be prepared and evaluated by the program guidance committee, in consultation with faculty associated with the student's area of specialization. It will require the student to
There is also a Ph.D. teaching requirement which will be determined by the student's program guidance committee. There is no foreign language requirement.
Following the written qualifying examination, and in advance of the oral qualifying examination, students develop a prospectus for a research proposal setting forth the direction of their proposed dissertation. Once this has been approved by the program guidance committee, the oral qualifying examination committee is appointed. This is a five-member faculty committee made up of the principal advisor, three faculty members from the Graduate School of Education and one faculty member from outside the School. The qualifying committee uses the prospectus as a focus for examining the student, but the questioning may go beyond the prospectus. Students pass the oral qualifying examination when the committee is satisfied that the prospectus, as well as the student's grasp of the theoretical and empirical issues at its core, leads in a productive direction toward a competent dissertation. Once the oral qualifying examination has been passed, a three member dissertation committee is appointed, and the student is recommended to the Graduate Division for advancement to candidacy.
Prior to commencing the dissertation research, students must have a dissertation proposal approved by a dissertation committee. Following completion of the dissertation, an oral defense will be scheduled by the chair of the candidate's committee. The dissertation must meet with the approval of the Dissertation Committee and the Graduate Council before the candidate is recommended for the degree.
The normative time to the Ph.D. degree is 15 quarters.
For further information concerning graduate degree programs in Education, write to the Graduate Advisor, Graduate School of Education, phone (909) 787-5990.
The Multiple Subjects Credential authorizes the teaching of grades K-12 in multiple subject settings but is primarily used to authorize teaching K-6 classes. Students may earn the Multiple Subjects Credential without the Cross-cultural Language Academic Development (CLAD) Emphasis or may choose the Bilingual-cultural Language Academic Development (BCLAD) Emphasis in Spanish. The CLAD provides additional training to help prospective teachers work in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. The BCLAD Emphasis in Spanish is offered for Spanish-speaking CLAD candidates and requires that teachers deliver instruction in Spanish.
The Single Subject Credential authorizes the teaching of a subject area in a middle or secondary school (grades 7 through 12). Students may earn the Single Subject credential with or without the CLAD emphasis. Students who do not meet subject-matter proficiency through the undergraduate major must pass the PRAXIS Subject Assessment Test in the area in which they plan to teach and the Single Subject Assessment for Teachers (SSAT).
The Education Specialist Credential in Mild/Moderate Disabilities authorizes the teaching of individuals with specific learning disabilities, mental retardation, serious emotional disturbances, and other health impairments.
The Education Specialist Credential in Moderate/Severe Disabilities authorizes the teaching of individuals with autism, mental retardation, both deafness and blindness, serious emotional disturbances, and multiple disabilities.
Students are no longer required to earn a basic multiple subject or single subject credential first but may enter a specialist credential program directly. Both education specialist credentials are two-level credentials, meaning that after the Level I Preliminary Credential is earned, the student has five years to complete a Level II Professional Credential. The second level is completed while the candidate is teaching in a special education setting. The specialist credentials offer the opportunity to integrate some of the credential work with a master's program; the master's is normally completed the following year. Eligibility in the integrated master's program is determined by undergraduate grade point average based on the last 90 quarter units, Graduate Record Exam scores, and an interview.
Internships are available in all of the above-mentioned credential programs for candidates with adequate teaching experience. However, the dual credential program in which students earn a special education credential and either single subject or multiple subject credential is available only through a student teaching program.
For more information regarding UCR teaching credential programs call (909) 787-5225. To obtain a list of dates for the credential information seminars, check the Web site at http://www.education.ucr.eduand pick up a 3-Step Book from the rack outside the Teacher Education Office, 1215 Sproul. The seminars are free, and no reservations are needed.
Advanced programs for the Preliminary and Professional Administrative Services Credentials are also offered.
Students who have received, or are working toward, advanced degrees in educational administration are eligible to pursue a program of study leading to the Administrative Services Credentials.
UCR is approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to recommend candidates for both the Preliminary and Professional level Administrative Services Credentials.