Social Studies Education

Master's Degree

(Revised September 4, 2008 )

Ronald Butchart
Graduate Coordinator

Todd Dinkelman
Social Studies Program Coordinator

Introduction

This guide to the Social Studies Education Program's Master's Degree Programs supplements regulations of the Graduate School contained in the current Graduate Bulletin of The University of Georgia. The Graduate School and the Department communicate policies through the Graduate Bulletin, this web site, direct mail, bulletin board postings, e-mail distribution lists, and faculty advising. Every effort is made to help students stay informed of requirements and deadlines. However, it is the student's responsibility to meet deadlines and to seek advice regarding degree requirements.

Admission Standards

Admission to the Graduate School of The University of Georgia is competitive, with each candidate's credentials judged in comparison to other candidates' credentials within the same degree program applicant pool. Selection is based upon a consideration of the strength of the complete application package.

M.A.: Graduate Record Exam (GRE) taken within the last five years with a combined score of 850 on the verbal and quantitative and 4.5 on the analytical writing portions of the exam, a minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.80, a writing sample, and three letters of recommendation--at least one of which must be from a former professor.

M.Ed.: Graduate Record Exam (GRE) taken with the last five years with a combined score of 800 on the verbal and quantitative and 4.0 on the analytical writing portions of the exam, an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.80, a writing sample, and three letters of recommendation--at least one of which must be from a former professor. Note: Applicants seeking certification through the M.Ed. Initial Certification (M.Ed.I.C.) degree program must present a GRE score with a minimum score of 400 on the verbal and 4.0 on the analytical writing portions of the exam.

Non-Degree Admissions: The Social Studies Program gives priority in admissions to applicants for graduate degree programs. Applicants interested in a program leading to a recommendation of initial certification are advised to apply to the M.Ed.I.C. program. Non-degree applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. Generally, non-degree status is an admissions category used by the program in exceptional cases.

Application materials to be submitted:

Information on Graduate School Admissions
Social Studies Education Supplemental Application

The M.A. and M.Ed. Programs

The Social Studies Education Program offers two degree programs at the master's level for individuals who wish to become social studies specialists in elementary or secondary education. Each of the programs requires a systematically planned program of study. The M.A. degree culminates with an oral comprehensive exam and a thesis; the M.Ed. degree culminates with either a written comprehensive examination or an oral comprehensive and an applied project (see below).

Individuals who plan to pursue graduate work beyond the master's degree, who enjoy independent research activities, and who can take most or all of their course work in continuous residence are encouraged to consider the M.A. program. The M.Ed. Plan A is recommended for individuals who wish to study part-time and who plan to continue graduate work beyond the master's degree. The M.Ed. Plan B is recommended for individuals who do not plan to continue graduate work beyond the master's degree. The M.Ed. Initial Certification (M.Ed.I.C.) enables secure initial teacher certification.

These degree programs are further distinguished by the amount of course work they require:

M.A. in Education

30 semester hours including a thesis, ESOC 7300

M.Ed. in Education

Plan A: 33 semester hours, including an applied project, ESOC 7650
Plan B: 36 semester hours
Initial Certification (M.Ed.I.C.): 36 semester hours*
All master's degree programs offer students flexibility in designing programs of study according to course availability and student interest. Typically, students will be advised to take courses from the following areas of study: curriculum and instruction, educational foundations, history and social sciences, and educational research. The following course distributions are provided as examples of course distributions in each degree program.

Program of Study

An official program of study form must be completed before your last term of enrollment. This form is forwarded to the Department's Graduate Coordinator for approval and then sent to the Dean of the Graduate School. The official program of study form must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than one business day following drop/add in your final semester. As with other deadlines (see a summary at the end of this guide) it is your responsibility to secure this form and initiate its review in time to meet the deadline.

Advising

Advising for M.Ed. Plan B and M.Ed. Initial Certification (M.Ed.I.C.) students is performed by the Program's Academic Advisor in coordination with Program faculty. All M.A. and M.Ed. Plan A students are initially assigned an interim faculty advisor who will help the student select courses to take in the first semester and schedule a preliminary program planning committee meeting of faculty members no later than the end of the first semester of study to plan a tentative program of study and discuss potential thesis or applied project ideas. The interim advisor who is initially assigned to M.A. and M.Ed. Plan A students may be changed in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator. All M.A. and M.Ed. Plan A students are expected to schedule their required committee meetings (day/room/time) in consultation with their advisor.

Thesis or Applied Project Committee

M.A. students and M.Ed. Plan A students work with their interim faculty advisors to establish a three-person thesis or applied project committee. The Major Professor serves as the head of the committee. The committee helps plan the student's program of study, conducts an oral comprehensive exam over the program of study, and assists in developing and assessing the thesis or applied project.

Thesis: Students in the M.A. program produce a thesis. A thesis is an independent research effort that meets scholarly criteria for publication. All students are required to submit a written prospectus of their thesis plan and obtain approval from their committee prior to undertaking thesis research. Students must have their thesis research cleared by the Institutional Review Board if human subjects are used. The Graduate School publishes a guide to thesis preparation and processing. The Department encourages students to use the APA (5th ed.) style manual for thesis preparation.

M.Ed. Plan A students work with their Major Professor and advisory committee to develop a 3 credit hour (ESOC 7650) applied project. The student is required to submit a brief prospectus and obtain approval from his or her advisory committee prior to implementing an applied project. An applied project is usually carried out in a typical classroom or school setting. The project may, for example, involve a quasi-experimental trial of a teaching approach advocated in education literature. The format and contents of applied projects vary considerably. Since the Graduate School does not review applied projects, the Major Professor and advisory committee serve as the final arbiter of acceptability for both content and format. The Department encourages students to use the APA (5th ed.) style manual for the preparation of applied projects. Applied projects that are based on research with human subjects must be cleared by UGA's Institutional Review Board.

M.Ed. Plan A students take either a written comprehensive exam or an oral comprehensive exam, as determined by the Major Professor and advisory committee. For a description of the written comprehensive exam, see below. The oral comprehensive exam addresses questions about the applied project and/or the program of study.

Comprehensive Examination

Candidates for all M.Ed. Plan B and M.Ed.I.C. degrees must successfully complete a written comprehensive examination. M.Ed. Plan A candidates may take a written comprehensive examination,as determined by the Major Professor and advisory committee. The comprehensive examination is typically a take-home examination requiring essay responses to questions regarding social studies research and social studies curriculum and instruction. During the final semester of their coursework students are responsible for scheduling the comprehensive examination with the Graduate Coordinator or Graduate Secretary. The examination is offered every fall, spring, and summer.

Students must schedule to take the examination by the following dates: for fall semester, October 10; for spring semester, March 1; for summer sessions, July 1.

Time Limit

All requirements for a master's degree must be completed within six years, beginning with the first course listed on the student's program of study. Extension of time will be considered only for conditions beyond the control of the student and will be approved or denied on a case by case basis by the Graduate School.

Financial Support

The University of Georgia offers a variety of scholarships and loan programs. This information, along with other information about fees can be found on the UGA web page at http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/financial/index.html. The Social Studies Program routinely offers a number of teaching assistantships, although these are almost exclusively given to doctoral level students.

Certification Information

The Social Studies Education Program offers an approved program for Georgia State Teacher Certification through its M.Ed.I.C. program. The Department's Social Studies Program faculty review in- and out-of-state undergraduate and graduate transcripts to determine the extent to which applicants have completed coursework required to meet certification regulations. Additional social science content area courses may be needed in order to qualify for certification. These courses are taken in addition to those education courses required for completion of the M.Ed.I.C. program.

Single field certification is available in history, geography, economics, or political science.

Single field certification requires a 24 semester hour major of upper division undergraduate (or graduate) courses in either history, geography, economics, or political science plus an additional 12 semester hours in supporting social science or history coursework. Single field certification also requires a minimum of 3 hours of non-western coursework.

Beyond these social science and history coursework requirements, the M.Ed.I.C. program requires students to complete the following for certification: (a) a 3 semester hour course in educational foundations, (b) a 3 semester hour course on learning disabilities, (c) a 9 semester hour block of curriculum, methods, and practicum courses (d) a 3 semester hour Student Teaching Seminar taken concurrently with 15 semester hours of student teaching which should be completed, whenever possible, after the student has fulfilled requirements a, b, and c. So far as the State Professional Standards Commission is concerned for purposes of certification, it makes no difference whether these courses are taken at the undergraduate or graduate level. Field-based graduate-level courses do not normally appear on the official program of study.

Depending on the upper-level and graduate social science and history courses previously completed, it is possible for students to "front load" the M.Ed.I.C. program with the education and field-based courses required for certification so that certification requirements are met within a single academic year.

Those seeking initial certification in any social studies field must pass the appropriate Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) exams.

As an approved teacher education program in social studies education, those who successfully complete program requirements are recommended to the Georgia State Professional Standards Commission for initial certification. Since certification rules and regulations are subject to change, those seeking certification should frequently visit the GA PSC web site for updated and current requirements at http://www.gapsc.com/.

Forms Required for Degree Completion

To help ensure smooth progress through your graduate degree program, a variety of forms need to be filed. These forms are available from http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/forms&publications/currentstudent_forms.html or the Graduate Secretary. Submit completed drafts to the Graduate Secretary by the established, published deadlines which appear at http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/academics/deadlines.html. The chart below lists the forms used for the M.A. and M.Ed degrees.

FORM	PURPOSE	WHO NEEDS IT	TARGET AND DEADLINE DATES
Application Materials	For entrance into graduate school	Everyone	TARGET-- Fall and Summer Terms, April 1; Spring Term, November 1
Preliminary Program of Study and Advisement Record	To make sure you are on the right track	Everyone	Created at first advising appointment and updated each semester
Official Program of Study	To formally establish a plan for your degree	Every student	Created during your next to last semester
Thesis Advisory Committee	To formally establish your thesis committee	Every M.A. student	No later than start of second semester
Approval Form for Master's Thesis & Defense	To establish graduation date, title of thesis, and successful completion	Every M.A. student	Upon completion of comps and defense of thesis.
Report of Final Examination	To certify successful completion of M.Ed. degree	Every M.Ed. student	Upon successful completion of the written comprehensive exam.

Additional Information

This guide provides information considered most essential to help students gain an overview of the Department's degree programs and make a decision about which program best fits their needs. Further information regarding Graduate School policies is available from faculty advisors and the persons listed on the coversheet.