The primary purpose of the organization of the College of Education is to provide a student-centered environment. The College is administratively organized into two divisions; each division contains five Program Areas.
Division I is comprised of the following program areas and program area leaders:
1. Child and Family (Early Childhood Teacher Education, Early Childhood Special Education) - Sandra Wilkins, Ed.D.
2. Elementary Education (Elementary Teacher Education) - Richard Pearson, Ed.D.
3. Secondary Education (Secondary Teacher Education) - Albert Strickland, Ph.D.
4. Special Education (Special Education Teacher Education, Human Exceptionality) - Carol M. Stenson, Ph.D.
5. School Psychology - Gerald Spadafore, Ed.D.
Division II contains the following program areas and program area leaders:
1. Physical Education & Dance (Physical Education Teacher Education, Physical Education, Dance, Coaching) - Michael Lester, Ed.D.
2. Business Education (Business Education Teacher Education) - Roger Rankin, Ph.D.
3. Family and Consumer Sciences (Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Education, Consumer Economics) - Ruth Wilson, Ph.D.
4. Occupational Education (Vocational Teacher Education/Corporate Training/Occupational Training Management)
- Robert Croker, Ed.D.
5. Educational Administration - Gary Jones, Ed. D.
The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) is the highest university award given in recognition of completion of academic preparation for professional practice in Educational Administration. While research is an important component of the Doctor of Education program, candidates are provided primarily with courses and supervised internships to prepare them to function more effectively as professional educational administrators.
In addition to the general requirements of the Graduate School, persons applying for admission to the doctoral program in Educational Administration will be reviewed using the following criteria for selection. Preference will be given to applicants who have:
1. Completed the master's degree or equivalent in Educational Administration.
2. An academic record of at least 2.8 grade point average (GPA) (4 point scale) at the undergraduate level, a 3.5 GPA at the graduate level, and a minimum total score of 1050 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
3. An administrative experience record generally recognized as providing exemplary educational leadership.
Upon request, application procedures will be sent to prospective applicants.
Upon completion of twelve (12) semester hours of work, the progress of each doctoral student will be reviewed by the departmental faculty. Upon completion of this review, the student will either be granted permission to establish a graduate committee, or asked to complete a preliminary examination.
The preliminary examination will be three (3) hours in length and will be tailored to the course work and experience of the candidate. Successful completion of the preliminary examination will enable the student to establish a graduate committee. Unsuccessful completion of the preliminary examination will result in: (a) additional course work in the program, or (b) dismissal from the program.
Each student demonstrating an adequate foundation for doctoral study, based upon the selection criteria and, if required, the preliminary examination, may apply for degree candidacy. The application for candidacy will include:
1. A course of study designed to remove deficiencies indicated by the preliminary examination and to complete the required program.
2. A dissertation topic.
After receiving the written approval of the major professor and two graduate faculty committee members from the College, the Dean of the College of Education will appoint a fourth member; the application then will be forwarded to the Graduate School for the appointment of a fifth member by the Dean of the Graduate School.
The comprehensive examination is a significant aspect of the candidate's total doctoral program. The written examination is normally administered during or immediately following the last semester in which the doctoral candidate is engaged in formal course work.
The comprehensive examination, which will follow the course work, electives, and experiences of the candidates, has as its overall objective the assessment of the candidate's knowledge, understandings, and skills as they relate to the field of educational administration. The comprehensive examination is not, however, restricted to specific or standard course content. Although course work, independent study, and professional experiences are essential in providing the candidate with command of the substance of educational leadership, the examination is designed to test the candidate's ability to integrate and apply knowledge in problem solving and analysis. Therefore, the depth of knowledge, ability to synthesize, and capacity to express conceptual thought are important criteria.
Students will complete a minimum of six hours of written examinations. At least three hours will be in the major area of emphasis and three hours will be in the two cognate areas selected by the student with approval of the advisor.
Dissertation
A student is required to complete the comprehensive examination successfully before defending a dissertation proposal.
Students will be required to maintain enrollment in at least six (6) semester credits of work each semester (including summers) from matriculation to completion of the program. Should a student wish to deviate from this requirement, he/she must successfully petition the Program of Educational Administration, Division Director and Dean.
EDUC 607 Readings in Administration 2 cr
SPED 632 Administration of Special Education 2 cr
EDUC 641 Professional Negotiations in Education 2 cr
EDUC 643 Personnel Administration 2 cr
EDUC 644 Organization and Staff Development 3 cr
EDUC 645 Change Strategies 2 cr
EDUC 649 Seminar: Leadership 3 cr
EDUC 649 Seminar: Advanced School Law 3 cr
EDUC 649 Seminar: Issues in Educational Administration 3 cr
EDUC 657 Internship 3 cr
EDUC 659 Informational Management Systems 2 cr
EDUC 660 School Buildings 3 cr
EDUC 661 Educational Planning and Evaluation 3 cr
EDUC 649 Seminar: Applied Research Design 2 cr
COUN 701 Advanced Statistics 3 cr
EDUC 850 Dissertation 10 cr
Electives (Approval by major professor is required) 15 cr
The masters degree program in education is an individually designed program developed by the student and the major advisor. It is designed to strengthen the candidates understanding, knowledge, and skills in three major areas: Foundations of Education, Content Emphasis, and Research.
Applicants will enter the program after completion of the bachelors degree and will complete a minimum of 33 semester credit hours. Upon admission as a classified or conditional student, the student will be assigned an advisor for program development purposes.
All candidates completing a thesis will orally defend the thesis, but will not complete comprehensive written or oral exams. All candidates not completing a thesis will be required to pass a comprehensive written and oral exam.
The candidate may select from the following fields of emphasis when pursuing the degree of Master of Education:
Curriculum and Instruction
Reading
Family and Consumer Sciences
A student must complete the minimum number of credit hours in each of three areas:
Advanced work in humanistic, behavioral and curriculum studies, providing the student with a context in which educational problems can be understood and interpreted. Courses required would be EDUC 602, 603, and 604.
Advanced study in the subject to be taught,either in the field of emphasis, or in allied fields.
Advanced studies of research methods, interpretation, evaluation, and application, especially with regard to gaining access to research findings and adapting them to professional needs. EDUC 601 is required of all candidates.
With advisor approval, candidates will complete a thesis, paper, or field project. Statistics is required for those students completing a thesis which has an experimental design.
Candidates who seek Idaho certification in the area of their training must meet any requirements of the State Board of Education for certification; e.g., four years teaching experience as a prerequisite for administration. It is recommended that students pursuing the M.Ed. degree have classroom teaching experience.
A program for advanced work in educational administration leading to an educational specialist certificate.
Applicants will enter the program after completion of the masters degree in Educational Administration. Completion of the educational specialist program will require a minimum of 30 semester credit hours beyond the masters degree with an accumulated GPA of 3.5 during the specialist program. Students with a masters degree in areas other than administration will be required to take additional work equivalent to that required in the administration degree and must meet initial administrative certification.
For admission to the sixth-year program the student must be admitted as a classified graduate student. To be considered a classified graduate student, evidence must be provided of completion of a masters degree with a 3.0 GPA anda score of 460 or 50th percentile on the revised Education subject test of the Graduate Record Examination and must also provide threeletters of reference verifying five years of successful teaching and administration experience (administration experience must be at least one year).
A student who does not meet these requirements upon application will be admitted as a conditional student and must complete all requirements for admission during the first semester of enrollment. Exceptions may be petitioned to a committee of educational administration faculty and the department Chair.
All course requirements will be distributed within three areas. A student must complete the minimum semester hours identified in each area. The courses used to meet the minimum area requirements may be taken during the masters degree or educational specialist program.
Advanced work in humanistic and behavioral studies providing the student with a context in which educational problems can be understood and interpreted. In some cases, these studies are part of the content specialization. Specific courses appropriate to the area of specialization will be determined by the candidate and advisor.
Advanced studies and related experiences in administrative theory and practice, development of curricula, program design, and supervision and improvement of teaching. Candidates will complete six hours from business, economics, counselor education/special education, vocational education, psychology, sociology, or government appropriate to the area of specialization. Specific courses appropriate to the area of specialization will be determined by the candidate and advisor.
Advanced studies of research methods, interpretation, evaluation, and application with regard to gaining access to research findings and adapting them to professional needs. Candidates will complete a course in research and writing or will have completed a comparable requirement at the masters level.
The student must pass an oral and/or written examination at the completion of the course requirements.
Courses for areas of specialization will bedetermined by Idaho certification requirements,the area of specialization desired by the candidate, and the background and need of each individual candidate. The program will be jointly planned by the student and major advisor.
The purpose of the planned Fifth-Year Program in Teacher Education is to provide an opportunity for candidates to further their own professional growth and career goals through planning processes and guidelines which allow for maximum flexibility and increased autonomy by candidates in program design. Candidates professional development goals may relate to (a) extending and refining their cognitive background and skills related to their current professional assignment, (b) seeking improvement and/or modification in their professional career status within a teaching staff or institution, or (c) seeking an additional endorsement or advanced certification.
1. Possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution.
2. Meet standard certification requirements in the area and at the level of their planned Fifth-Year Program.
3. Apply for admission to graduate study.
4. See an advisor/sponsor as soon as possible, preferably at the time of application for admission to graduate study.
5. Establish with the advisor a proposal for the planned Fifth-Year Program that reflects the candidates professional development goals and/or career ladder goals.
6. Work with the advisor to submit and gain approval of the proposal.
1. A minimum of 30 semester credits. At least 2/3 of the credits included in the program must be graduate level course work (500-600 level).
2. A minimum of 15 credits to be taken following approval of the planned Fifth-Year Program proposal.
3. A maximum of 1/3 of the credits may be undergraduate work.
4. A maximum of 10 credits of EDUC 397/597.
5. A maximum allowance of 8 transfer credits (graduate transfer credits must meet requirements of the Graduate School.)
6. All course work must be completed within a six-year period.
7. The candidate must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.00 in the planned Fifth-Year course work with a maximum of five credits of C allowed.
During the semester in which a candidate will complete all planned Fifth-Year Program requirements, the candidate will apply for graduation. The advisor, in consort with the candidate, will initiate a written recommendation to the department Chair who will in turn transmit a recommendation to the Dean of the College of Education for issuance of the planned Fifth-Year Program certificate.
The candidate is responsible for initiating any application to the Idaho State Department of Education for certification stemming from completion of the planned Fifth-Year Program in Teacher Education.
The masters degree program in Occupational Training Management has two options:
For those pursuing a career in administration of vocational programs in public schools.
For those who plan a career in the management of training programs in business, industry, public sector, or military.
Both options require a common core of course work which is generic to the management of occupational training:
VED 501 Foundations of Occupational Education 3 cr
CT 531 Supervision of Human Relations in Occupational Training 3 cr
VED 632 Curriculum Assessment and Research Applications in Occupational Training 3 cr
VED 633 Occupational Program Planning, Development and Evaluation 3 cr
VED 634 Administration of Occupational Training 3 cr
VED 635 Practicum in Occupational Training Administration 3 cr
In addition, students in the Vocational Program Management option must complete:
EDUC 608 Educational Administration 3 cr
EDUC 611 School Finance 3 cr
EDUC 612 School Law 3 cr
EDUC 642 School Communications and Public Relations 2 cr
The required course work in this option is designed to fulfill course work requirements for Idaho Vocational Administrator Certification. It also covers the competencies recommended for these professionals by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education.
Students in the Industrial Training Management option must prepare an approved program of elective courses that support and strengthen their occupational specialty and career plans.
All students will complete a minimum of 36 semester credit hours. A thesis or masters paper is optional. All candidates completing a thesis will orally defend the thesis but will not complete written or oral exams. All others will be required to pass a comprehensive written and oral exam.
Students who do not have an undergraduate degree in an approved area of occupational education may be required to complete VTE 502, Occupational Analysis and Course Construction, and either VED 555 or CT 557, Methods of Teaching Adults or provide documentation to show competence in the specific course material.
To meet the needs of employed students, the courses required in this program are made available in the evening both on campus and off campus.
See Department of Education for M.Ed. requirements for the Home Economics emphasis area.
PE 605 Leadership and Administration 3 cr
PE 615 Philosophy of Athletics 3 cr
PE 631 Athletics and The Law 3 cr
PE 635 Management of Athletics 3 cr
PE 640 Research and Writing 3 cr
PE 649 Issues in Administration 3 cr
PE 650 Thesis 1-6 cr
IN ADDITION:
Approved Electives 6 cr
PE 610 Advanced Sport Psychology 3 crPE 645 Sports Medicine 2 cr
IN ADDITION:
Approved Electives 10 cr
To be accepted as a candidate for the Master of Physical Education degree, the student must meet all the requirements of the Graduate School. In addition, the Department of Physical Education and Dance requires that (1) the candidate shall have had the necessary background in the related natural sciences, and (2) the candidate shall have had the necessary background in testing and measurements and a knowledge of statistical procedures. Both a thesis and a non-thesis option are available.
Special education at the graduate level prepares students for professional certification in selected specialty areas and/or the masters degree in Special Education and Psychological Services. Upon completing the masters degree program, the graduate will have developed sufficient competencies to operate within the resource room model, to consult with regular education teachers about programs for exceptional children, and to assume some of the leadership positions available in special education.
School Psychology is graduate-level preparation for persons seeking employment as school psychological examiners (M.Ed. in Human Exceptionality with a School Psychological Examiner emphasis and as school psychologists (Ed.S. in School Psychology).
Degree programs offered are Educational Specialist and Master of Education. Majors are available in Human Exceptionality (M.Ed.), Special Education (Ed.S.), and School Psychology (Ed.S.).
At the bachelors degree level, the department offers a major in Human Exceptionality, teaching majors and minors in Special Education.
The programs for preparation of school counselors, special education teachers, school psychological examiners, and school psychologists are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (1996) and NASDTEC (1996).
The Ed.S. program is designed for persons who have completed a masters degree and wish to increase their skills for advanced certification requirements or other professional objectives. The Ed.S. level is the minimum preparation for school psychologists and directors of special education in most states. Further, the Ed.S. has become the intermediate degree for many professionals who supervise masters degree level personnel.
The applicant must hold a masters degree in the area of the chosen Ed.S. major. Masters degree majors in a closely related field may be approved upon recommendation of the selection committee.
Admission to Ed.S. Candidacy
To be considered for degree candidacy, the student must have prepared a program approved by two graduate faculty members and be approved by a majority of the members of the graduate faculty. Before admission to degree candidacy, the student must have completed 12 credit hours of the proposed program.
The student must complete 64 credit hours of course work (including the masters degree) and a specialist paper. All post-masters degree course work must be taken from members of the ISU graduate faculty or be approved in advance by the graduate faculty. A minimum grade point average of 3.00 (B) is required over all course work taken in the Ed.S. program. An oral examination which will cover the specialist paper and other relevant topics is required.
School Psychology Major
The Ed.S. in School Psychology is designed to be consistent with the minimal entry-level requirements in the field of School Psychology as presented by the National Association of School Psychology. A Masters Degree in School Psychological Examiner or its equivalent is required. The Ed.S. is viewed as a practitioner's degree and will focus on applied activities.
SCPY 616 Psychological Assessment 2 crSCPY 652 Specialist Paper 3 cr
SCPY 661 Techniques in School Psychology 2 cr
SCPY 665 Clinical School Psychology 3 cr
SCPY 669 Internship in School Psychology 3 cr
SCPY 759 Ed.S. Internship in School Psychology 6 cr
An additional 16 credits of approved electives are required which comply with the National Association of School Psychology guidelines: SCPY 613, 614, 619, 660, 662, 663, 668, 759, SPED 530, 534, 633, 638, COUN 610, 611, 622, 624, 627, PSYCH 531, EDUC 604.
Substitutions are acceptable but must be equivalent in content and approved in advance.
A masters degree in School Psychological Examiner, or its equivalent, is required prior to enrolling in the Ed.S. program. Students who enter the program with an equivalent masters degree must satisfy all of the requirements for the School Psychological Examiner degree.
Students will complete a Specialist Paper which will consist of an applied research activity in the field of school psychology. This paper will be written in a form suitable for submission to an appropriate journal.
The following coursework is required:
a. A minimum of 21 credits in special education course work at or above the 600 level (including administration of special education), of which 6 credits are in the supervision of clinical practicum in special education and 3 credits are in internship in special education.
b. Behavioral sciences and/or counselor education/school psychology, 9 credits.
The specialist paper in School Psychology/Special Education is viewed as a scholarly work agreed upon by the student and his/her two graduate faculty members. This paper may be either research or non-research oriented, but should reflect an issue of concern to practicing school psychologists/special educators, and thus it would tend to be of a practical nature as it relates to a specific problem in the field.
The paper should be written following the American Psychological Association Style Manual and completed and given to the examination committee a minimum of two weeks prior to the final oral examination.
All requirements for the Ed.S. must be completed within a period of five years from the date of completion of the first post-masters degree course to be applied toward the degree.
For admission as a classified (degree-seeking) student in one of the School Psychology/Special Education programs, the student must have (1) a grade point average of 2.75 over the last two years of undergraduate study and (2) a score of the 35th percentile or above on the Miller Analogies Test or the Graduate Record Examination Verbal, Quantitative, or Analytical Scales. An individual who has not met these requirements may apply as a conditional student and must then meet certain standards to be admitted as a classified student. A person who does not wish to pursue a degree program at this time, may apply as an unclassified (non-degree-seeking) student. If at a later date the student wishes to pursue a degree and meets the above requirements, the student may request a transfer to a classified status. At the option of the program and with the approval of the Graduate School, up to a total of 30% of the course work applied toward a degree program may be completed as an unclassified student.
Beginning March 1, applications will be reviewed and degree-seeking students will continue to be admitted until each graduate program is full.
A student who has been admitted to graduate study may apply for admission to degree candidacy following the midterm of the first semester of enrollment at Idaho State University as a full-time graduate student or after nine semester hours have been completed on a part-time basis at ISU. To be accepted as a candidate, the student must:
1. Develop a program of study consistent with the Graduate School requirements and procedures.
2. Obtain the approval of two departmental faculty members in the students discipline who would be willing to support the proposed program and to serve on the candidates committee (one of whom must be willing to serve as Chair).
3. Receive a majority of the votes of the faculty holding professional rank in the department.
COUN 610 Statistical Assessment (or EDUC 610) 3 cr
COUN 611 Research and Evaluation (or EDUC 601) 2 cr
The student must either have an undergraduate special education major or a 14-credit undergraduate core of special education course work, including SPED g330, g334, g424, g425, and g427. These courses will not be counted as part of the masters degree program.
The additional credits to complete the minimum of 34 credits for the masters degree must be selected with the approval of the advisor.
SCPY 614 Diagnostic Evaluation of Learning Difficulties 2 cr
COUN 624 Cultural Counseling 2 cr
SPED 630 Professional Development in Special Education 2 cr
SPED 638 Practicum in Special Education 6-8 cr
SCPY 662 Consultation in the Schools 2 cr
SPED g400 Foundations of Early Childhood Special Education 2 cr
SPED g437 Families and Disability 3 cr
SPED 605 Working with Families in Early Childhood Special Education 1 cr
SPED 615 Assessment in Early Childhood Special Education 3 cr
COUN 624 Cultural Counseling 2 cr
SPED 630 Professional Development in Special Education 2 cr
SPED 635 Curriculum and Intervention in Early Childhood Special Education 3 cr
SPED 636 Medical and Health Issues in Special Education 2 cr
SPED 637 Practicum in Early Childhood Special Education 3-6 cr
SPCY 662 Consultation in the Schools 2 cr
Additional credits to total a minimum of 34 semester hours must be taken from relevant graduate level courses in Counseling, Special Education, Early Childhood Education, Health Education, Speech Pathology and Audiology, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Psychology, or other appropriate disciplines. Elective credits for the Masters degree must be selected in advance and must be approved by the students advisor.
SCPY 619 Individual Intelligence Testing 3 cr
SCPY 660 Seminar in School Psychology 2 cr
SCPY 668 Practicum in School Psychology 3 cr
An additional 22 credits of approved electives are required: SPCY 613, 614, 616, 652, 661, 662, 663, 665, 669, 759, SPED 530, 534, 633, 638, 664? COUN 622, 624, 627, PSYCH 531, EDUC 604.
Idaho State University Academic Information
Revised: May 1, 1996
URL http://www.isu.edu/academic-info/prev-isu-cat/grad96/gradedct.html