Teacher Education
601 Education Building
(915) 747-5475
tedgrad@utep.edu
http://academics.utep.edu/tedgrad
CHAIRPERSON: Elaine Hampton
PROFESSORS EMERTI: Lou Ella Burmeister, Norma G. Hernandez, Joe Lars Klingstet, James Milson
ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS EMERTI: Mary Louise Zanders Aho, John Paul Scarbrough
GRADUATE FACULTY:
PROFESSORS: Ainsa, Bixler-Márquez, Descamps, Huerta-Macias, Tchoshanov, Tinajero
ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS: Blake, Edwards, González, Gunter, Hampton, Hurley, Izquierdo, Munter, Rossatto, Seda
ASSISTANT PROFESSORS: Awalt, Casas, Cashman, Chapman, De La Piedra, Giza, Jones, Kephart, Kosheleva, Licona, Peregrino, Reyes, Robertson, Treadway
The Teacher Education Department offers graduate programs that provide advanced professional education knowledge and skills for application in school and non-school settings. Students who wish to pursue graduate degrees in Teacher Education may select from two programs: the Master of Arts in Education and the Master of Education. The Master of Arts is designed for students wishing to pursue research and/or continue studies beyond the master's degree level. The Master of Education degree is directed toward mastery of professional education practice. Students pursuing the Master of Education may major in Instructional Specialist or Reading Education.
Admission Requirements
Before admission to the Teacher Education Graduate Program, applicants must comply with the General Admission Requirements section of the University’s Graduate Catalog. For admission to the Teacher Education Graduate Program, applicants must be certified teachers or have at least 12 semester hours of undergraduate upper-division education courses. Additional information:
· Applicants must provide 2 letters of recommendation to the department.
· No more than 6 semester hours of graduate work with a grade of “B” or better may be transferred from another institution.
· Courses taken prior to formal admission into a graduate program cannot be counted toward a graduate degree without the specific recommendation of the departmental committee on graduate studies and approval of the Graduate School.
· Applicants may also be invited to an interview.
For more information about admission, please visit the Department’s Graduate Program website at academics.utep.edu/tedgrad and read the College of Education and Graduate School sections of the Graduate Catalog.
Program Advising
· Students are advised to view the information on the Department website at academics.utep.edu/tedgrad or contact the Department for more specific information regarding admission, advising, degree options and requirements, and comprehensive exams.
· Students will be assigned a graduate faculty advisor at the time of admission to the program.
· Students should maintain a continuing advising relationship with the faculty advisor which includes preparing and updating their degree plan, making course selections, and requesting a comprehensive examination or thesis defense.
Degree Programs
Master of Arts in Education
The Master of Arts in Education is a college-wide degree. It is designed to prepare students to pursue research and to continue studies beyond the master's degree. Students in the Master of Arts in Education submit a thesis and do not take a comprehensive exam. The Master of Arts involves:
· A plan of study with 30 semester hours of course work
· Thesis proposal describing research and approved by the committee
· Thesis research for 6 semester hours
· Successful defense of the thesis to faculty committee
Students work with their Graduate Advisor to develop the plan of study. They select a committee of at least three professors (one of whom is outside the department) to guide the thesis study. The 36 semester hours of course work and thesis described above must be completed within 6 years.
Master of Education Instructional Specialist
This program requires 36 semester hours, including at least 27 semester hours at the graduate level. Each student will have a Graduate Faculty Advisor to assist in developing the degree plan. All upper-division undergraduate course work proposed for inclusion in this graduate degree must be recommended for approval by the Graduate Faculty Advisor.
Students may choose to concentrate course work in the areas of bilingual education, early childhood education, educational technology, math education, science education or reading education. Students who wish to focus in other subject areas may select courses form other UTEP departments with Graduate Faculty approval.
All Master of Education Instructional Specialist plans include the following:
· Professional Development Core: TED 5300, 5301, 5302 and 5303
· Specialization Area: At least 12 semester hours of graduate level courses in a subject area for which the candidate has prior certification or in a subject area approved by the Graduate Faculty Advisor
· Resource Area: 6 semester hours in courses approved for graduate credit, which provide support for the academic specialization area or for professional development
· Electives: 6 semester hours in courses approved for graduate credit
Master of Education Reading Education
This program major follows State Board of Educator Certification guidelines and leads to the Professional All-Levels Reading Specialist Certificate. It includes the following:
· Professional Development: TED 5300, 5301, 5302, and 5303
· Reading Specialization: At least 12 semester hours of graduate-level courses in reading which must include RED 5341 or RED 5346 and RED 5347
· Resource Area: 3 semester hours of Linguistics and 3 semester hours of Multicultural Concepts at the graduate level
Students holding a Secondary Certificate/License will need six semester hours of graduate-level courses with Early Childhood or Middle Grades Education focus. Students holding an Early Childhood Certificate/License will also need six semester hours of graduate-level courses with Secondary or Middle Grades Education focus.
More specific information on all Teacher Education Graduate Programs is available at academics.utep.edu/tedgrad.
Master of Education Program Requirements
Students pursuing the Master of Education Instructional Specialist and Master of Education Reading Specialist must submit a scholarly paper and pass a comprehensive written exam in addition to successful completion of their coursework.
Scholarly Paper
All Master of Education degree candidates will be expected to write scholarly papers in their graduate courses. The student selects one of these course papers which, upon approval by the professor, will be presented to the Teacher Education Graduate program for inclusion in the student’ file. The scholarly paper reviews relevant research and cites and references the pertinent scholars using the APA recommended format.
Final Comprehensive Examination
During the final semester course work in the TED master’s program (Instructional Specialist or Reading Education degrees), the student will take a written comprehensive examination. The purpose is to synthesize the coursework showing an understanding of a master level teacher educator. Early in this final semester, the graduate faculty facilitates an orientation to the comprehensive exam to provide more specific information about the examination content and process. The following provides important details about the comprehensive exam.
· During the final semester of coursework, graduate students will submit an Application for Comprehensive Examination to the TED Graduate Advising Office and will apply for graduation with the University Graduate School office.
· The exam is given on a Saturday near the end of the semester in which the student is enrolled in her/his final courses.
· The questions for this examination are prepared by graduate faculty. Students respond to one question from the professional development core courses and one question from the area of specialization.
· Students also respond to an additional reflection question which will be written before the exam date. Students submit this response on the exam day.
· Comprehensive Exams are not offered in the summer. However, a student may take courses in the summer after taking the exam in the spring. It is recommended that students take no more than one course in the same semester as the comprehensive exam. It is also recommended that students take no more than two courses in the summer after the comprehensive exam.
Master Teacher Certifications
The Teacher Education Department provides preparation course work for Texas Master Teacher Certification programs. These certification programs were developed as part of the Texas Master Teacher Initiatives (TExMAT), which offer educators assistance to improve student performance in the discipline. The certificates were designed to prepare teachers to teach in critical areas at the elementary, middle, or high school level and to mentor, coach, and consult with other teachers in these areas as well. The Master Certification programs are:
· Master Mathematics Teacher (MMT)
· Master Reading Teacher (MRT)
· Master Technology Teacher (MTT)
· Master Science Teacher (MST)
The Teacher Education Department offers the coursework to prepare teachers for Texas Master Teacher certification. This course work ranges from 15-24 hours of graduate level courses designed specifically to meet the state standards. The courses taken for the MMT, MRT, or MTT certification may, if all graduate school requirements are met, be applied toward a Master’s degrees in Education. Students may enroll in the Master Teacher certification programs at UTEP at any time. State certification for one of the master teacher programs requires three years teaching experience, successful completion of the master teacher program, and a passing score on the appropriate Texas Master Teacher exam.
More specific information on all Teacher Education Graduate Programs is available at academics.utep.edu/tedgrad.
Teacher Certification
Please note that a degree program is not the same as a certificate program. This catalog does not include information on teacher certification requirements. The College of Education Certification Office and the Graduate Advisor of the department can provide more information in this area.
Courses included in a program for a first teaching certificate typically are not applied toward a graduate degree. Courses included in a program for advanced certificates may be applied toward a graduate degree, and most can be combined with a graduate degree program.