Specialist in Education: Educational Administration (P-12) Emphasis
Admission
Admission to The University of Southern Mississippi’s graduate programs in educational leadership and school counseling is selective. Regular admission is contingent on having graduated with a master’s degree from a college or university accredited by a recognized regional accrediting agency. In addition, the Department’s Admissions Committees recommend admittance only for those applicants whose academic background, work experience, demonstrated leadership, and communication skills meet the challenging demands of graduate programs in educational leadership and counseling. In evaluating applications, the admission committees utilize separate criteria in each degree program offered.
| Required Criteria |
Supplementary Criteria* |
| Certification/ licensure in education field |
other official standardized test scores |
| Documentation of a minimum of three years of |
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successful teaching experience |
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| Three letter of recommendation |
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one from the immediate supervisor |
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plus two additional letters from persons qualified |
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to assess the applicant’s readiness for graduate study |
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| GPA on previous graduate degree |
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| GRE - Verbal, Quantitative, Writing (within past 5 years) official scores |
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| Writing exam |
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| Resumé |
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| Portfolio |
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| Interview |
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| Letter of intent |
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*Supplementary criteria may be submitted at the student’s discretion or may be requested by the admissions committee.
Members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
Application for Graduation
Graduation is based upon
- completion of an approved program of studies as determined by the student’s committee which will consist of 36-39 semester hours of credit;
- satisfactory completion of the comprehensive examination;
- successful defense of the research project or completion of the field problem; and
- a minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA.
Continuous Enrollment Requirement: Students must meet the requirements specified in the front section of this Bulletin for continuous enrollment.
Plan of Study. Students must submit their signed, official Plan of Study form to the Graduate School by the end of the first semester they are enrolled. The Plan of Study forms are available at www.usm.edu/graduateschool/planofstudy.php - click on the “Plans of Study” link.
Responsible Conduct of Research Training
All graduate students must complete the RCR training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments the first semester they are enrolled in graduate school. The RCR policy and training information are found on the Graduate School web page – www.usm.edu/graduateschool. Contact the Dean of the Graduate School if you have any questions regarding the policy or training information.
Programs
Students accepted into the program pursue either a building level or district level plan of studies depending on their educational certification. The building level program is for students who are currently not certified/licensed as educational administrators. The district level program is for students who are certified/licensed as educational administrators.
