Programs of Study Spring 2005 illinois home
 

Education

Dean of the College of Education: Susan A. Fowler
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs: James A. Leach
110 Education Building
1310 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-2267
E-mail: gradinfo@ed.uiuc.edu

Graduate Degree Programs
Curriculum and Instruction
Educational Organization and Leadership
Educational Policy Studies
Educational Psychology
Human Resource Education
Special Education

Graduate Degree Programs

The College of Education offers graduate programs leading to the master of education, the master of arts, the master of science, the certificate of advanced study, the doctor of education, and the doctor of philosophy degrees.

Graduate students in the College of Education may enroll in one of the six departments listed above. The following suggests the broad range of specialties available within the college: aesthetic education; comparative education; computer applications in education; counseling psychology; early childhood education; educational administration; educational psychology; elementary school subject specialties (mathematics, language arts, science, social sciences); statistics and measurement; higher education administration; history of education; educational policy analysis; human resource development; community college leadership; language development; learning and instruction; philosophy of education; quantitative and evaluative research methodologies; reading; secondary education (English, mathematics, science, social science); sociocultural perspectives; special education (special learning and behavior problems, severe and moderate disabilities, early childhood education, early childhood intervention for infants and toddlers, vocational education for students with special needs, and skills improvement program administration); and teacher education (elementary, secondary, special). Other areas of specialization within education may be developed by the student and adviser. More detailed descriptions of specializations offered within departments are available through departmental offices.

Certification

State certification as a teacher or administrator is required for advanced graduate study in some fields. The Council on Teacher Education functions as the all-University governance system for certification. Graduate students who wish to qualify for the council’s recommendation for a teaching or administrative certificate must complete the appropriate undergraduate or graduate program or equivalent. The College of Education offers graduate-level certification programs in early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education (biology, chemistry, English, earth science, social studies, mathematics, physics, and speech), moderate to severe disabilities, collaborative/resource teaching, and administration. Admission to the certification option for early childhood, elementary, and secondary education within the master’s degree is competitive, with students applying for admission to this option in January of the year prior to admission. Students are invited to contact the relevant department office in the College of Education (Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Organization and Leadership, or Special Education) or the certification staff in the Council on Teacher Education (130 Education, 217-333-7195) for further information on degree and certification requirements.

Admission

Applicants must submit a complete application for admission, including three letters of reference and official transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate work. Students may be considered for admission if they are (1) graduates of an institution awarding a baccalaureate or equivalent degree comparable to that of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the master’s programs, or hold a master’s degree in education or a related field from an institution comparable to Illinois for the Certificate of Advanced Study and doctoral programs; (2) adequately prepared for advanced study as demonstrated by previous experience, personal qualifications, and scholastic records; and (3) recommended by the proposed department of study. In general, a 3.0 grade point average (A = 4.0) for the last 60 hours of the undergraduate program and for any previous graduate work is a minimum requirement for admission. The Graduate College admission requirements apply.

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction requires Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for: all master’s degree applicants; all applicants for computer science education, early childhood education program, instructional technology, and mathematics education; and all advanced certificate and doctoral applicants. No test scores are required from applicants for Educational Policy Studies or Educational Organization and Leadership, but students may submit MAT or GRE scores to supplement their applications. Educational Psychology applicants must submit GRE scores; Special Education and Human Resource Education applicants may submit scores from either the GRE or the MAT.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) requirements: The Departments of Educational Organization and Leadership, Education Policy Studies, Human Resource Education, and Curriculum and Instruction require a minimum paper-based TOEFL score of 590 (243 on the computer-based test). The Department of Educational Psychology requires a paper-based TOEFL score of 585 (237 on the computer-based test).

Applicants should contact the individual departments concerning requirements for submission of test scores and other information.

Master of Education

Within each of the departments in the College of Education exists a rich variety of practice-centered programs adaptable to the interests of beginning graduate students. The master of education is a professional degree designed for those students who seek a practical understanding to prepare them for work in the educational professions.

A minimum of 32 hours of study is required to meet degree requirements. Students are required to take two courses in educational psychology and two courses in educational policy studies. In educational psychology, one course is selected from the psychological foundations of learning area (EPSY 400, 401, or 402), and one course is selected from the psychological foundations of personality and development area (EPSY 404, 405, or 406). Students planning to work with adults often take EPSY 407 for 4 gh to meet educational psychology requirements. In educational policy studies, one course is selected from the social foundations area (EPS 400, 404, 421, 420, 423, 424 or 426) and a second course is selected from the philosophical foundations area (EPS 401, 410, 411, 412, 413 or 414). Students may take proficiency examinations in any of these required courses. 12 gh of 500-level courses in education are required, and the program is completed by additional 400- or 500-level courses selected by students in consultation with an academic adviser. Individual departments in the college may require a student to take additional courses beyond these to complete the program. The credit-no credit option may not be used to meet the minimum 32 gh requirement for this degree. No thesis is required for the M.Ed. degree.

Master of Arts and Master of Science

An extensive offering of research-based programs may be found in the college. All the specialties listed earlier may be pursued from a research perspective. The M.A. and M.S. are research-oriented degrees designed for students who seek research careers in education-related fields.

A minimum of 32 gh of study is required to meet degree requirements except in counseling psychology, which requires 40 gh. Students must take two courses in educational psychology and two courses in educational policy studies. In educational psychology, one course is selected from the psychological foundations of learning area (EPSY 400, 401, or 402), and one course is selected from the psychological foundations of personality and development area (EPSY 404, 405, or 406). Students planning to work with adults often take EPSY 407 for 4 graduate hours to meet EPSY requirements. In educational policy studies, one course is selected from the social foundations area (EPS 400, 403, 404, 420, 421, 423, 424, or 426) and a second course is selected from the philosophical foundations area
(EPS 401, 410, 411, 412, 413, or 414). Students may take proficiency examinations in any of these required courses. 12 gh of 500-level courses in education are required (thesis research not included). Individual departments may require students to take additional courses to complete a program. The credit-no credit option may not be used to meet the minimum 32 gh requirement for this degree. No more than 8 gh of thesis research credit count toward the minimum 32 gh. Each student must defend the required thesis in an oral examination before a committee of three faculty members chaired by the student’s adviser.

Certificate of Advanced Study in Education

The Certificate of Advanced Study may be pursued in educational organization and leadership; curriculum and instruction; educational psychology; special education; and vocational and technical education. The advanced certificate program is intended for students who desire a planned course of study beyond the master’s degree, but do not wish to pursue the type of scholarly work typically expected in a doctoral program.

A minimum of 32 gh beyond the master’s degree is required for the degree; 16 gh must be at the 500 level. A student who has not previously taken the foundations courses in educational psychology and educational policy studies required for the master’s degrees must do so or pass proficiency examinations for these courses. The credit-no credit option may not be used to satisfy the minimum requirements for this degree.

Doctor of Education

Students may study any of the broad range of specialties listed in the section on the college’s graduate programs. Programs leading to the Ed.D. degree are planned by each student with an adviser to provide advanced professional training and to develop further ability in the scholarly study of professional practice-centered problems.

The Ed.D. degree requires 64 gh of credit beyond the master’s degree, including at least 24 gh of coursework in the area of specialization or related area and up to 16 gh of thesis research credit. Acceptance of credit earned elsewhere does not reduce the Graduate College academic residence requirement. Within the required 640 gh, a student must complete a cognate requirement of 16 gh, designed to help in understanding and interpreting the developing practitioner-scholar role, and two additional courses in research methods. (See the College of Education Graduate Programs Handbook for a more detailed description of suitable coursework.)

The College of Education requires Ed.D. candidates to complete a continuous residence of four consecutive terms (including summers) in an approved full-time combination of academic courses and professional experiences. Plans describing ways in which academic work can be integrated with professional experience during the residency will be on file in the department office.

Near the end of coursework and before admission to the oral preliminary examination, the applicant must take written qualifying examinations in the general field of study of the home department or division, in a special field covering an area of specialization proposed by the student with the concurrence of the adviser, and in research methodology. Additional written or oral examinations may be required by some departments or areas of specialization. Each portion of the examination is read and evaluated separately by three readers. All parts of the examination must be judged competent doctoral work by all readers.

An Ed.D. candidate must complete a thesis in accordance with the general requirements of the Graduate College; no more than 16 gh of thesis credit may be used to meet the 64 gh requirement. A student who has completed coursework taken as part of the requirements for the Certificate of Advanced Study in an education field at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign may petition for the application of not more than 24 gh of such work toward the program leading to the doctor of education, provided that the coursework has been taken within five years of the date of petition.

Doctor of Philosophy

Students may study any of the specialties listed in the section on the College’s graduate programs in the college of education. The Ph.D. program is planned by each student with an adviser to develop the student’s ability to do scholarly research in a specialized field of education.

The Ph.D. degree requires 64 gh of credit beyond the master’s degree, including up to 32 gh of thesis research credit. Acceptance of credit earned elsewhere does not reduce the Graduate College academic residence requirement. The College of Education requires a residence period beyond the master’s, which must include two successive semesters of full-time study on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Each candidate will satisfy an early research requirement early in the program under the guidance of a research committee.

A Ph.D. candidate is required to demonstrate competence in one of several research methodology areas. The four courses typically submitted as part of this demonstration are taken in addition to the minimum of 64 gh of credit beyond the master’s degree. Requirements for all research methodology areas are available in the Instructional Programs Office, College of Education.

Near the end of coursework and before admission to the oral preliminary examination, a Ph.D. candidate must complete written qualifying examinations in the general field of study embraced by the home department or division, and in a special field covering an area of specialization proposed by the student with the concurrence of the adviser. Additional written or oral examinations may be required by some departments or areas of specialization. Each portion of the examination is read and evaluated separately by at least three readers. All parts of the examination must be judged competent doctoral work by all readers.

A Ph.D. candidate must complete a thesis in accordance with the general requirements of the Graduate College; no more than eight units of thesis research credit may be applied to the 16-unit requirement.

Financial Aid

All major doctoral programs have limited teaching and research assistantships available. Some fellowships and tuition and service fee waivers are also available. In the past a majority of doctoral students have received some form of financial aid during their period of study.

Curriculum and Instruction

Department Head: Violet J. HarrisGraduate
Programs Coordinator and Associate Department Head: Georgia Earnest García
Graduate Programs Secretary, Wendy Wimmer
Room 311 Education Building
1310 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217)244-3391
Fax: (217)244-4572
wwimmer@uiuc.edu

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers an off-campus graduate program that leads to a Master of Education (Ed.M.) with a specialization in elementary education, in addition to the on-campus master’s, doctoral, and advanced certificate programs in education. Students in the on-campus programs may pursue the following specializations: aesthetic education, bilingual education and linguistic diversity, curriculum, early childhood education, elementary education, instructional technology, language and literacy education (includes English education), mathematics education, multicultural education/cultural diversity, science education, secondary education, social studies education, and teacher education.

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction also offers a Master of Education with teacher certification programs in the following areas: early childhood education, elementary education, secondary English education, secondary mathematics education, secondary science education, and secondary social studies education.

Admission

Applicants interested in graduate work in early childhood, instructional technology, mathematics, or science education should submit GRE scores. International applicants must submit a TOEFL score. The Department of Curriculum and Instruction’s TOEFL requirement is 590 on the paper-based test and 243 on the computer-based test.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Although supervising student teachers, working as a teaching assistant and/or a research assistant are not requirements of the doctoral program, they are strongly encouraged.

Educational Organization and Leadership

Department Head: Richard C. Hunter
333 Education
1310 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217)-333-2155; EOL-INFO@mail.ed.uiuc.edu

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Educational Organization and Leadership offers educational administration programs leading to the master’s, advanced certificate, and doctoral degrees as well as state certification requirements for the General Administrative Endorsement and Superintendent Endorsement. The Master’s Degree with General Administrative Endorsement is offered on the Urbana-Champaign campus and in the Chicago suburban area at Oak Brook. The Higher Education Administration programs are offered on the Urbana-Champaign campus and lead to the master’s, advanced certificate, and doctoral degrees. All doctoral programs are on the Urbana-Champaign campus and some are offered in cohort format.

Admission

No GRE or MAT scores are required. The minimum TOEFL score requirement is 620 on the paper-based test (260 on the computer-based test).

Educational Policy Studies

Department Head: James D. Anderson
360 Education Building
1310 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820-6990
(217) 333-2446
Fax: (217) 244-7064
kandy@uiuc.edu

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Educational Policy Studies offers graduate programs for preparing scholars, teachers, and educational policy analysts. The programs provide a basis for informed analysis and evaluation of educational theory, practice, and policy within the intellectual and empirical contexts of history, philosophy, and the social sciences.

The department is composed of three divisions: (1) History of Education, (2) Philosophy of Education, and (3) Comparative Education and Social Sciences. For a student whose interests cut across these divisions, there is latitude to plan an appropriate course of study. In addition, the department offers an educational policy analysis program and work in educational aesthetics, which draw upon the resources of the entire Department of Educational Policy Studies and also of other departments in the College of Education and the University. Students in these programs are trained for careers in academic institutions and in educational agencies at state, federal, and international levels.

Admission

While it is useful for students to have had preparation in the humanities or social sciences, students are accepted from a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate backgrounds. The quality of previous academic work is more important than its particular emphasis.

Facilities

The Department of Educational Policy Studies and the Department of Administration, Higher, and Continuing Education jointly sponsor the Office of Educational Policy and Leadership, a unit that oversees a variety of school-related research projects.

Educational Psychology

Department Chair: Lizanne DeStefano
Graduate Programs Coordinator: Jenny Singleton
226 Education Building
1310 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820-6990
(217) 333-2245 or 1(888)843-3779
Fax: (217)244-7620
edpsy@uiuc.edu

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Educational Psychology is located within the College of Education. All programs in the department are at the graduate level and come under the purview of the Graduate College.The department is divided into five instructional divisions: Counseling Psychology (APA accredited program), Development and Socialization Processes (DASP), Learning and Instruction (L&I), Quantitative and Evaluative Research Methodologies (QUERIES), and Sociocultural Perspectives in Education (SCUPE).

Although most students apply and are admitted to a specific division, the actual coursework, research, and faculty often overlap divisional boundaries. Departmental policy makes it possible for a student to change advisers and affiliation from one division to another when interests and research foci become more clearly defined or change. Many faculty members are affiliated with more than one division.

The department offers graduate programs leading to the master of arts, master of science, master of education, and doctor of philosophy degrees.

The department currently offers an online Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum, Technology, and Education Reform (CTER). Admissions requirements are somewhat different and applicants should consult the program’s Web site, cter.ed.uiuc.edu, for current admissions criteria.

Educational Psychology graduate students can also apply to particular interdisciplinary specializations such as: Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education (SLATE) (URL: http://slate.lang.uiuc.edu/index.html); and Technology Studies in Education (TSE) (URL: www.ed.uiuc.edu/tse).

Admission

The Department of Educational Psychology carefully considers all applicants for graduate study. The quality of the applicant’s undergraduate and graduate training and grade point average (GPA) are a primary consideration. Other important factors evaluated include the three required letters of recommendation, statement of goals, scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and, when applicable, TOEFL test scores. Availability of a suitable course of study and faculty adviser is also considered.

The current admission guidelines include: undergraduate GPA of 3.5 to 4.0 for the last 60 hours of undergraduate work (A=4.0); graduate grade point average of 3.5 to 4.0 (A = 4.0); GRE Verbal score of 600 or higher; GRE Quantitative score of 600 or higher, taken within four years of date of requested admission; TOEFL scores of 585 on the paper-based test (or 237 on computer-based test) taken within two years of date of requested admission.

Divisions within the department may differ in their emphasis on certain guidelines. An applicant whose measures fall below the guidelines may be accepted for graduate study when experience, references, or other information strongly suggest that success in a graduate program is highly probable.

Human Resource Education

Interim Department Head: James Leach
Graduate Programs Coordinator: Scott Johnson
Correspondence and Admission Information: Laura Irle
345 Education Building
1310 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217)333-0807
hre@uiuc.edu

Graduate Degree Programs

Three specializations have been developed that require proactive leadership and represent critical arenas in human resource education: human resource development, community college leadership, and international human resource education. For each area of specialization, the department offers four areas of concentration. These are learning and teaching, evaluation and assessment, learning technologies, and organization and leadership development

Admission

The Department of Human Resource Education carefully considers all applicants for graduate study. The quality of the applicant’s undergraduate and graduate training and grade point average are primary considerations. Other important factors evaluated include the three letters of recommendation and statement of purpose. International applicants must submit a TOEFL score. The minimum department TOEFL requirement is 590 on the paper-based test (243 on the computer-based test). The MAT is required for all doctoral candidates.

Joint Degree Program

The Master of Education/Master of Business Administration (M.Ed./M.B.A.) degree is earned by students who satisfactorily complete 15 units of business courses and eight units of human resource development courses (32 semester hours).

Off-Campus Programs

Human Resource Education Online (HRE Online) offers innovative instructional programs that use the Internet and a variety of online technologies to provide quality learning in a collaborative environment. Through HRE Online, students can take advantage of readily accessible online instruction offered worldwide.

The online master’s degree program in global human resource development (Global HRD) enables students to complete a master’s degree from home or work, thus saving the time and expense normally associated with traveling to and from class. The program is designed to provide both individual and group interaction with the instructor and places a strong emphasis on self-directed learning. Customized degree and nondegree programs in Global HRD are offered nationally and internationally. Examples include special programs in Kenya, Poland, Korea, and Thailand.

The graduate curriculum in community college leadership also offers an online sequence of professional development courses to support excellence in community college teaching and learning. Through a program known as "Teaching and Learning in the Community College" (CCTL Online), the Internet and online technologies combine to enable community college faculty and administrators to design and implement quality instruction within the community college system in Illinois and the nation.

Special Education

Department Head: Adelle Renzaglia
Correspondence and Admissions Information: Peggy Marley, Secretary
288 Education Building
1310 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-0260
Fax: (217)333-6555
pmarley@uiuc.edu

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Special Education offers master’s programs in three areas: moderate and severe disabilities, collaborative resource teacher training (working with students with learning disabilities, social emotional disabilities, and mild mental disabilities), and the early childhood special education. In addition to programs that prepare teachers for their initial certificate, the department has a variety of master’s-level programs of study available for teachers and other professionals interested in graduate studies. These programs can be completed as either a full or part-time student. In most cases these programs take two years to complete.

An advanced certificate degree is available in any of the areas listed above for individuals who currently hold a master’s degree. In collaboration with the Department of Educational Organization and Leadership, the Department of Special Education offers an Administrative Certificate in Special Education.

Doctoral programs are tailored to the individual. Each candidate works closely with an adviser to develop an integrated course of study reflecting his or her individual goals in the area of special education. All doctoral students have the opportunity to be involved in research, University teaching, and service to the field of special education during their doctoral studies. Doctoral students typically complete the program in three to four years of full-time resident study.