Elementary Education, M.Ed.

Dr. Valerie Rutledge, Director
(423) 425-5374 or email at Valerie-Rutledge@utc.edu

The program in elementary education has both a licensure and non-licensure track. The non-licensure track is designed for licensed teachers who wish to deepen their insight, gain additional knowledge, and improve their professional competencies; the licensure track leads to initial teacher licensure. The program is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and the Tennessee State Department of Education.

Admission

Candidates for the licensure and nonlicensure tracks must satisfy all university requirements for admission to the UTC Graduate School. In addition, licensure students must submit appropriate minimum scores on the Praxis I Academic Skills Assessment (2000-2001 required scores: PPST Mathematics 173, PPST Reading 174, PPST Writing 173; CBT Mathematics 173, CBT Reading 174, CBT Writing 173). Information about this test may be obtained from the ETS Web site (www.ets.org) by clicking on the requirements for the State of Tennessee. However, nonlicensure track students may waive the Praxis I requirement for admission by providing evidence of a license to teach and teaching experience.

Program of Study

Students must submit a Program of Study during the first semester of graduate coursework. The Program of Study consist of all core courses and any electives and establishes the courses the student must take for partial fulfillment of the degree requirements. The Program of Study form must include all core courses and electives, if known at the time, the student will take. The Program of Study form is located at www.utc.edu/GraduateSchool/CurrentStudentForms.

Admission to Candidacy

The Application for Admission to Candidacy is typically filed in the semester prior to a student’s anticipated graduation semester and should list all courses not listed on the Program of Study and any changes in coursework. Please refer to Admission to Candidacy section. The appropriate form may be obtained from the Graduate School Web site at www.utc.edu/graduateschool.

Comprehensive Examinations

The examination is normally taken in the semester in which the candidate is completing course requirements. An application must be submitted to and approved by the dean of The Graduate School at least one month prior to the date of the comprehensive exam.

Thesis

The Master of Education degree requires a final project (EDUC 5900 - Culminating Experience ) as a component of several of the degree concentrations. A student may choose to meet this requirement by exercising the Thesis Option (EDUC 5999 - Thesis ). The project must be approved by the student’s adviser and a formal prospectus submitted to the graduate committee for approval prior to writing the paper. The specific requirements on format, registration, and scheduling are available from the office of the dean of The Graduate School in Race Hall or in the Education Graduate Studies Division office.