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Description
This program is intended to meet the needs
of persons currently employed or desiring employment in agricultural
education, including employment in secondary school agriculture
programs, two-year post secondary programs, vocational education
administration/supervision positions, private industry, and international
education.
Admission
Requirements
Graduate
School Requirements
Baccalaureate
degree from an accredited institution as specified
by Graduate School guidelines.
Coursework (undergraduate) completed in
area(s) required by the Department.
Communication Competence. Students are
required to demonstrate high-level competence in the use of the
English language, including reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Proficiency is required at the time of admission or must be achieved
before graduation.
English Proficiency of International Students.
A TOEFL score of at least 213 (computer score or 550 if paper-based)
is required by the University for admission for all students with
English as a second language. Information on the TOEFL can be obtained
online at: http://www.toefl.org.
Deficiencies.
Students wishing to teach secondary agricultural education are required
to meet all certification requirements as required by the Pennsylvania
Department of Education. Similarly, students with a B.S. degree
in agriculture but without certification will be required to complete
deficiencies in education before undertaking a master’s of
education program.
Program
Admission Requirements
Letter of Introduction
and Resume. Applicants must submit a two- to three-page
letter of introduction in which they discuss their interest in graduate
education and how their professional experiences and education and
career goals relate to this interest. A current resume is also required.
References.
Have three individuals complete and forward
a reference form for you. These forms can be downloaded from our
departmental Web site at : aee.cas.psu.edu/apply.html
Official
Transcripts.
Official transcripts providing evidence
of a baccalaureate degree as specified by Graduate School guidelines.
Also submit official transcripts of any graduate credits. Applicants
must provide evidence of either a baccalaureate or a master’s
degree in technical agriculture or related area.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
Scores from the GRE must be submitted
if the junior and senior GPA is less than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants
interested in being considered for fellowships and/or other recognition
should submit GRE scores. Information on the GRE examination can
be found online at: http://www.gre.org.
Certificate
to teach agriculture in public schools or 18 credits of professional
education, including courses in educational psychology and teaching
and/or professional internship.
Advisor
and Committee
Upon admission, the graduate program
officer or Department head will assign a graduate program advisor
to assist the student with registration and related procedures.
Students
should meet with their advisor not later than the beginning of the
first semester in which the student begins his/her graduate program.
During the first semester of residence, a student and his/her advisor
should complete a tentative plan for completion of the graduate
program, see Master's Plan of Study. During the second semester,
a student should be ready to identify a graduate committee consisting
of a minimum of three graduate faculty members, including the advisor.
One committee member must be from a graduate program area outside
of the Department. The majority of the committee should be faculty
in the Department. For example, a committee may be comprised of
the advisor, another department faculty member, and a third member
from outside the Department.
In
selecting a committee, a student should consider the expertise of
individuals, their willingness to participate, and the extent they
may be helpful in future professional goals. The committee is responsible
for approving the graduate course program and master's paper/thesis.
A
graduate student’s committee is responsible for approving
a student’s program and promoting communication among the
graduate student, the committee chair (or advisor), and the members
of the committee, and more generally, for helping to ensure the
successful completion of the student’s program. The committee
should be appointed as soon as possible in the student’s program.
In
order to minimize misunderstandings and help foster a collegial
relationship among the graduate student, the committee chair, and
the members of the committee, the Graduate Student Committee Policies
and Procedures Form (Appendix B) was designed. When a committee
is formed, the student should provide all committee members with
a copy of this form and obtain signatures from each committee member
on the Committee Appointment Signature Form (Appendix B). The original
signed copy of the Committee Appointment Signature Form should be
provided to the graduate staff assistant for signature by the Graduate
Program Officer. The form becomes part of the student’s graduate
file.
An
assigned advisor may be changed at the request of the student and/or
advisor and with the approval of the graduate officer or Department
Head. If a student initiates, the student must first discuss doing
so with her/his current advisor and the proposed advisor. Both faculty
must concur with the change, after which the student makes a written
request to the graduate program officer or Department Head.
Degree
Completion Requirements
Awarding of the master's degree
requires that students comply with Graduate School requirements and
deadlines, as indicated in the Graduate
Degree Programs Bulletin and in the Department's
Graduate Student Handbook. Students should be familiar with these
materials and be aware of updated announcements provided by the Graduate
School http://www.gradsch.psu.edu.
Degree
Requirements
In addition to completing
the departmental publication
requirement (see below), Master of Education degree requirements
for Option 1 include the following.
Time
Frame. A maximum
of eight years, starting with the semester of admission, is permitted
for completion of the degree.
Credits
Required. A minimum
of 30 graduate credits earned with a grade point average (GPA) of
3.0 or higher within eight years is required; 20 of these credits
must be earned in residence. (NOTE: A maximum of 10 graduate level
credits with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher may be
transferred from other accredited universities. A maximum of 15
credits may be transferred from nondegree work completed at Penn
State. Both are subject to the rules published in the Graduate Degree
Programs Bulletin.)
Composition
of Coursework.
Requirements for the 30-credit master’s
degree include:
- AEE
501 Foundations of AEE, 3 credits.
- AEE
590 Colloquium, 1 credit. Graduate students are expected to attend
all departmental colloquia.
- At
least one, three-credit course from each core area: educational
processes; communications/leadership development; program development
and evaluation; research; administration/supervision. Courses,
totaling 15 credits, may be either 400 or 500 level. See AEE Core
Areas for listing of departmental courses by core area.
- 3
credit professional paper (AEE 596) or 6 credit thesis (AEE 600/610)
must have the approval of the student’s graduate committee
and be related to the candidate’s area of expertise.
- 12
of the 30 credits must be at the 500 or 600 level.
MS/MEd
Option 1- Summary of Requirements
Comprehensive
Examination.
The candidates
will complete a written examination (approximately four hours) and
a one-hour oral examination. This exam is administered by the student’s
graduate committee near the completion of coursework.
Writing the Professional Paper
or Thesis. This master
of education program requires that a professional paper or thesis
be written. The topic should be based on the candidate’s area
of professional interest and approved by the candidate’s graduate
committee. A copy of the bound paper is placed on file in the Department.
If a thesis is written, it must be submitted to The Graduate School;
another copy must be filed in the Department. The most recent Thesis
Guide can be accessed at: http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/current/thesis.html.
The defense for this paper/thesis is open to the public and is to
be announced by the candidate’s advisor.
Final
Examination.
All master of education
degree candidates are required to defend the professional paper/thesis
in a one-hour oral examination. This exam is administered by the
student’s graduate committee at the completion of coursework
and paper/thesis.
Professional
Development.
Graduate students
are expected to take advantage of the many opportunities for professional
experience in addition to coursework. See Appendix C for an example
of a professional development plan. See
Master’s Program flow chart.
Publication Requirement
It is required that all M.Ed. graduate
students write an article or a paper for publication or presentation
based upon (1) their professional paper or thesis or (2) their assistantship
responsibilities as determined by the academic advisor and assistantship
supervisor prior to the granting of a degree. For the student completing
the paper option under the M.Ed. in AEE, a professional poster is
also appropriate. The article, paper, or poster will be reviewed
and approved by the student's graduate advisor. Academic credit
for an acceptable article or paper may be granted. The article or
paper will be submitted to a refereed or professional journal, a
professional or research conference, and/or a popular magazine.
If co-authored with a faculty member, the student's name will appear
as the lead author.
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