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THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA GRADUATE CATALOG |
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10.2
MASTERS DEGREE PROGRAMS The
prerequisites for programs leading to the master of arts degree in
education include (a) the completion of an appropriate baccalaureate
curriculum, and in most programs, (b) professional teacher
certification. For a student in college and clinical mental health
counseling or higher education, the completion of a bachelor's
degree in an approved program is required. For a student in music
education, audition, ensemble performance or teaching sample, and
music history and music theory testing are required prior to or
during the first 12 hours of graduate study. There
are two study plans available to students pursuing the master of
arts degree. Candidates for the masters degree under Plan I must
earn a minimum of 24 semester hours of credit in coursework and must
write a thesis. Candidates for the masters degree under Plan II must
earn a minimum of 30 semester hours of credit; a thesis is not
required. Each student pursuing a masters degree is required to file an Admission to Candidacy for the Masters Degree after 12 semester hours of graduate credit have been earned at The University of Alabama. The Admission to Candidacy for the Masters Degree form is available at the Graduate School website. It must be approved by the time of registration for the semester in which requirements for the degree are completed.
Additional details on Admission to Candidacy and all other degree
requirements are in the
Degree Requirements
section of this catalog and may be outlined in the individual
program descriptions in this catalog.
Under each plan (including the nontraditional, alternative program)
the student must pass a written comprehensive examination in the
field(s) of study at an appropriate time toward the close of the
student's work. The College of Education has been approved by the state board of education to offer special programs of study leading to the masters degree for degree holders who have not previously completed a teacher-education program. Admission to these programs requires a passing score on an entrance examination-- the revised Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the GRE general test, or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT)--appropriate for admission to the Graduate School and a minimum 3.0 grade point average for all previous college-level work attempted. Individuals may be considered for conditional admittance if the graduate admission test score or GPA does not meet the above criteria. Additionally, applicants to alternative certification programs must earn a passing score on each subtest of the Basic Skills Assessments of the Alabama Educator Certification Testing Program (AECTP) for admission. Information about the Basic Skills Assessment is available online at https://actapps.act.org/wkala/wkala or in Student Services, 104 Carmichael Hall.
Individuals applying for alternative initial teacher certification programs must also meet the minimum qualifications that are expected of candidates entering and completing undergraduate (Class B) certification in the same discipline. This usually means minimum GPA requirements in the core curriculum as well as minimum GPA requirements within the disciplines in which the applicant is seeking certification. Other requirements, such as completion of writing tests, a passing score on the Alabama Educator Certification Testing Program (AECTP), and other screening associated with undergraduate certification, must be completed before formal admission to the alternative certification program. Some additional undergraduate work may also be required for admission. In addition to admission to the Graduate School, each prospective student must secure an appropriate transcript evaluation letter from personnel in the Office of Student Services and Certification, 104 Carmichael Hall. Students may not complete more than five approved program courses prior to unconditional admission. [Alabama Administrative Code 290-3-3-.44(3)(a)3]
Nontraditional,
alternative certification programs are available in elementary,
English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), languages other than
English (foreign languages), music education, physical education,
secondary education (most fields), and special education
(collaborative, early childhood special education, gifted, and
multiple abilities).
Clinical Placements
All
clinical placements in the College of Education relating to teacher
certification are coordinated through the Office of Clinical
Experiences. These placements are in the greater Tuscaloosa area
(with the exception of music education) in order to facilitate
supervision of students. For students in the educational leadership
program, internships are coordinated through the Department of
Educational Leadership, Policy, and Technology Studies.
Students enrolled in College of Education courses that require a
clinical placement are required to provide proof of professional
liability insurance before being allowed to participate in a
clinical placement. Professional liability insurance may be
purchased through an independent insurer or is available to students
who are members of the Student Alabama Education Association (SAEA),
the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), or Collegiate Music
Educators National Conference (CMENC). Further information and
membership applications may be obtained from the Office of Clinical
Experiences.
The
teaching internship (formerly called student teaching) is one of the
most important experiences College of Education students have. It is
generally regarded as the culminating activity of one's preparation
to become a teacher.
Registration for Internship Credit Hours
Graduate students are required to register for the number of
internship credit hours specified by their program. In some
programs, graduate students may be allowed to choose a 6-hour
registration or a 9-hour registration; course requirements are the
same whether 6 hours or 9 hours are taken. Graduate students whose
program requires two internship placements should register for two
sections of internship (3 hours per section or 4.5 hours per
section). Students enrolled for internship must not expect to be
enrolled in other courses while interning.
All
internship placements are coordinated by the College of Education
Office of Clinical Experiences. Placement sites are selected so as
to ensure the quality of the internship experience and of the
supervision provided by the cooperating teacher. All internship
placements are in the greater Tuscaloosa area (with the exception of
music education) in order to facilitate supervision of students by
University of Alabama faculty or other designees of the department
heads. Placements outside the greater Tuscaloosa area are made only
if the director of clinical experiences and/or the department head
determines that an appropriate local placement is unavailable.
Summer Internship Summer internships are rarely available and then only to persons who hold an undergraduate degree and certification and have one or two years of successful teaching experience at the level and in the subject for which they are seeking certification (with approval from the department head). In addition, summer internship assignments are allowed only if an appropriate placement can be secured in the Tuscaloosa area and appropriate supervision can be provided. These conditions also apply to those seeking to update or renew their certification or add an additional endorsement to a current certificate. To apply for a summer internship, file an appropriate application with the Office of Clinical Experiences in 105 Graves Hall by March 31 of that year.
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THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA GRADUATE CATALOG |
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