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Graduate Edition 2016-2017

Program Description

Elizabeth City State University provides a challenging and supportive environment that prepares its students for knowledgeable, responsible participation and leadership in an ever-changing, technologically advanced society. ECSU continues to promote excellence in teaching as its primary responsibility to meet the needs of the students and citizens of the state, nation, and world.

The Department of Education, Psychology and Health offers the Master of Education degree in Elementary Education. The primary goal is to ensure that teachers, through continuous decision making, become effective collaborators and leaders. The program’s focus is to fully implement national standards for teachers, including the North Carolina Standards for Graduate Teacher Candidates. Merging these standards results in high quality education for P-12 students.

The Conceptual Framework of the Department of Education, Psychology and Health represents the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are essential for the development of professional educational leaders as 21st Century Professional Educators. The knowledge, skills, and dispositions identified in the conceptual framework are attained through a collaborative relationship between the University, the Local Education Agency, the community, and the family. The conceptual framework identifies three types of knowledge: content knowledge, professional knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge, that candidates in the program will attain. In addition, successful candidates are expected to demonstrate the six dispositions, which are global competitors, advocates for diversity, healthy and responsible citizens, crucial thinkers and innovators, embedded technology users, and effective communicators and collaborators. The conceptual framework also directs the Master of Education in Elementary Education program by informing the decisions that faculty make regarding teaching and evaluation. Students are expected to engage in action research prior to exiting the program.

Mission

The Master of Education in Elementary Education program seeks to fulfill its mission by preparing 21st Century Professional Educators to:

  1. Respond effectively to children’s differences resulting from development, diversity, and exceptionalities;
  2. Demonstrate knowledge of the content and pedagogy of the elementary curriculum as it relates to preparing students with 21st century skills;
  3. Improve educational practice through reflection, self-evaluation, and applied research;
  4. Direct their own personal and professional growth as educators.

Transfer Credits

A total of 36 credit hours are required to complete the Master’s Degree Program. A minimum of 30 credit hours must be earned in residence at Elizabeth City State University. No more than 6 credit hours may be transferred from other institutions. Courses numbered 500 or higher can be counted toward completion of the graduate degree. Graduate students who seek and obtain permission to take courses at other institutions for subsequent transfer to the degree program at ECSU may obtain credit only with permission from the student’s advisor, the Graduate Coordinator, and the Chair of the Department of Education, Psychology and Health.

Admission Requirements

The admission requirements are:

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution;
  • North Carolina "A" license in Elementary Education or the equivalent from another state;
  • Two official transcripts from all institutions attended;
  • Completed ECSU Health Form;
  • Overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (4.0) scale;
  • GRE or MAT Scores (the original copy should be sent from testing agency to ECSU;
  • Interview with Department of Education, Psychology and Health Graduate Coordinator and Graduate Faculty;
  • Typewritten two-page essay specifying educational philosophy; and
  • Recommendations from three professional educators who can document work performance or relevant experience.

The requirements described above are minimum requirements and do not guarantee acceptance. Students are selected and admission decisions are based on consideration of educational factors (i.e. interview, performance, communication skills). A limited number of students who do not meet the minimum standards may be allowed to enroll with special permission. We encourage you to apply.

Course Load

A full load is nine (9) semester hours. The maximum number of hours in any semester is twelve (12).

Residence

Candidates in the Master of Education in Elementary Education program must meet the Elizabeth City State University residency requirements. No more than six credit hours may be transferred from other institutions. Thirty semester hours must be earned at ECSU.

Time Limitations

The Master of Education in Elementary Education degree must be completed within six successive calendar years. Programs remaining incomplete after this time period are subject to cancellations, provisions, or special examinations. A special appeal must be made, in writing, to the Chair of the Department of Education, Psychology and Health for appropriate action to be taken.

Advisors

Advisors are assigned by the Graduate Program Coordinator. The Graduate Program Coordinator submits the advisor assignments to the Office of Graduate Education. The student will be notified of his or her advisor by the Program Coordinator and/or Department Chair.

Graduate Advisement Committee

The student selects his or her Graduate Advisement Committee. The Committee shall consist of the advisor and additional members to a total of three: One member should be a university faculty member from outside the student’s major department. The Graduate Advisement Committee shall be responsible for approval of the Product of Learning. Each committee member must sign the Graduate Advisement Committee Agreement Form indicating agreement to serve on the Committee. The Graduate Advisement Committee must be approved by the Chair of the Department of Education, Psychology and Health.

Admission, Retention, and Exit

The overall framework of the graduate program in teacher education focuses on the development of teachers who are committed to their on-going professional growth and are aware of the challenges in our culturally diverse society. These teachers will apply and practice decision-making while engaging in scholarship, asserting leadership, and exercising reflective thinking to meet the needs of learning communities. The synthesis of scholarship, leadership, and reflective thinking will occur in the investigation of a subject in depth through research and the creation of a culminating product derived from that investigation.

Matriculation

Upon admission to the program, the student is expected to assume the following responsibilities:

  1. Follow all policies of the Office of Graduate Education and the program area as specified in the Graduate Catalog;
  2. Consult with an assigned advisor before registering for courses in the degree program;
  3. Prepare a plan of study approved by the student, the advisor, the Graduate Coordinator, the Chair of the Department of Education, Psychology and Health, and the Director of Graduate Education; and
  4. Obtain permission from the advisor before making substitutions or altering the plan of study.

Retention Requirements

To gain approval to proceed with exit requirements, each student must:

  1. Complete a total of 12 but no more than 15 hours of graduate credit with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better (Advance to Candidacy).
  2. Maintain enrollment in EDUC 640 Collaborative Action Research and complete Milestones 1 and 2 resulting in a plan of action for the Transformational Teaching Project (final product of learning).

Exit Requirements

In order to be awarded the Master’s Degree, each student must:

  1. Complete a minimum of 36 semester hours of graduate credit applicable to the program;
  2. Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0;
  3. Complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of credit in courses offered at Elizabeth City State University;
  4. Submit an Admissions to Candidacy Application;
  5. Complete an Application for Graduation;
  6. At the end of the Transformational Teaching Project (TTP), candidates will have the following artifacts: (A) an introductory report that identifies the problem, the team, the context process, and the content of the project; (B) a review of the literature; (C) documentary evidence; and (D) final reflection.
  7. The four artifacts will be submitted to the University in an electronic format (e.g. PowerPoint). All artifacts will be included in this product through links to word documents, video documentation, state standards, etc. The product will include an introductory description of how it meets all NC Standards for Graduate Teacher Candidates.

Oral Examinations

The following actions will be implemented in reference to oral examinations:

  1. In the semester that the Master’s level student is scheduled to graduate, the student will be required to submit an electronic version of the Product of Learning. The deadline dates for the student to submit the Product of Learning are listed below:

    Fall Semester – The Monday after the first Sunday in November.

    Spring Semester – The Monday after the first Sunday in April.

  2. Oral presentations will be scheduled during the week following the submission of the Product of Learning during the months of November and April.
  3. The candidates will be expected to be prepared to defend their Products of Learning before the Graduate Faculty and other parties interested in the students’ products.

Please note: The EDUC 640 Collaborative Action Research course is taken over 4 semesters and is required. This course will provide guidance to candidates as they prepare for the Transformational Teaching Project, which is the final product and is required for graduation.

Department of Education, Psychology and Health Support Services

The Department of Education, Psychology and Health provides the following support services:

The Curriculum Materials Center, located in the Willie and Jacqueline Gilchrist Education and Psychology Complex, provides a wide variety of books and instructional materials in the Teacher Education areas and at levels ranging from pre-primary through high school. The Center houses State curriculum textbooks, ancillary materials, and selected journals. For prospective teachers, materials are available for unit construction, lesson planning, instructional aids, and teaching strategies. Other specific areas include the Children’s Reading Room and the Professional Library.

The Instructional Technology Laboratory provides state-of-the-art instructional technology. Candidates have the opportunity to focus in-depth on class assignments and research projects. Students and faculty are taught to use state-of-the-art technologies for integrating these technologies into a 21st-century delivery system.

The Elizabeth City State University Laboratory School serves children from ages three through five. The Laboratory School is a component of the Department of Education, Psychology and Health. The Laboratory School’s goal is to provide education majors an opportunity to become familiar with young children and their characteristics, and to enable the transition of theoretical concepts into practical application. In addition to being a site for training teacher education majors, the Laboratory School’s goal is to provide a learning environment that will help young children develop to their maximum potential physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally.

All classrooms in the Willie and Jacqueline Gilchrist Education and Psychology Complex have been constructed to support full audiovisual conferencing, and classrooms have audiovisual display capabilities to enhance instruction. These resources serve as a technological support for faculty, staff, and students for presentations, research, demonstration, and teaching.

Elizabeth City State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097: Telephone number is 404-679-4501) to award degrees at the Baccalaureate and Master’s levels.

The Teacher Education Program is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) and the North Carolina Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (NCACTE).

The Teacher Education Program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 210 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036-1023) and has North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) program approval.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Zenobia Smallwood

Department of Education, Psychology and Health

Phone: 252.335.3630

Fax: 252.335.3554

zwsmallwood@ecsu.edu

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