Education
College of Education
“Expanding Possibilities, Creating Solutions”

MISSION
The College of Education at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, devoted to excellence in instruction, research, and service, prepares leaders representing diverse backgrounds and experiences, to serve the educational needs in the global community.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS
The College of Education (COE) offers the Doctor of Education, Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science degrees in the majors listed below. The COE graduate program also offers the certification areas and Supplemental Certificates listed below.

*(No new students will be admitted into the Master of Science in Occupational Training and Development program starting with the Fall 2006 semester.)

Graduate programs offered by the COE are designed to provide opportunities for students to engage in scholarly pursuits at advanced levels. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition and application of existing knowledge and the generation of new knowledge.

While the course sequence in some of the degrees is designed to provide graduates with competencies required for certification, degree plans may be tailored to meet the special needs of students who desire the degree, but not the certification.

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION GRADUATE POLICIES AND REGULATIONS
In addition to the University’s graduate policies and requirements in the general section of the catalog, the College of Education has the following policies and regulations.

Graduate Admission to the College of Education
Applicants are eligible to pursue master- or doctoral-level course work in the COE if they meet the following conditions.

1. All applicants must meet the general graduate admission requirements of the University.
2. Applicants must have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.00 and a graduate GPA of 3.00 on the last 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate work and any previous work in graduate school.
3. Applicants must complete the goals statement as required on the application form. The statement should be between 300 to 400 words and should include information about their reasons for pursuing graduate study and for choosing a specific graduate program in the College of Education. Other background information relevant to the application may be included.
4. Students who have submitted all required application documents, but who do not meet the minimum GPA of 3.00, may enroll in the degree program of their choice in a conditional status in courses approved by the chair of the department in which the applicant seeks admission. (See “Conditional Status” in the “Admission” section of the catalog.) Such students must achieve not less than a 3.00 GPA in the specified courses. After completing at least 6 semester credit hours with a GPA of not less than 3.00 at this university, applicants may continue the application process into a graduate program in the College of Education. Graduate students on conditional status can normally take no more than 6 graduate hours per semester until the conditional status is removed. However, students admitted conditionally in the department of Counseling and Educational Psychology may take 9 semester credit hours per semester with the approval of the Department. No more than 9 semester hours of courses taken at this university or any other university while in this conditional status may be applied to this specific graduate degree at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Applicants for the doctoral programs in counselor education, curriculum and instruction, or educational leadership must meet all additional requirements for those programs as specified by the program.

Certification Plans and Master of Science Degree Plans
After the student is admitted, graduate-level certification plans and/or Master of Science degree plans must be filed in the COE Certification Office through the faculty advisor. Those students seeking professional or teacher certification within their program should review with the Certification Officer eligibility requirements and State rules concerning the certificate prior to entry. A student becomes an official certification-seeking or degree-seeking student when the plans are approved by the faculty advisor and the Academic Advisor. Certification and degree plans that involve State Board of Education certification also require approval of the Certification Officer. Students desiring to change from their initial choice of certification plan or degree plan must apply to, and be accepted by, the Program Area in which the new plan is offered. Any course waivers within the student’s plan must be filed in the COE Certification Office through the faculty advisor.

Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES)
In addition to successful completion of all courses, to be recommended for teacher certification, students must pass all appropriate TExES examinations required by the State Board for Educator Certification.

Certification programs must be completed or permission must be obtained from the program coordinator or designated person from each teaching field on the student’s certification plan before authorization will be granted to take certification examinations.

Department of Education Title II Reporting
The U.S. Department of Education requires an annual institutional report card on the quality of teacher preparation in compliance with Title II of the Higher Education Act. The summary pass rate of program completers for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in academic year 2003-2004 was 95%. This represents the second quartile ranking in comparison with pass rates for all teacher preparation programs in Texas. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi for the year 2003-2004 had 1144 students enrolled in teacher preparation programs with an average of 40 hours per week of supervised teaching required of students enrolled in these programs. The faculty-student ratio in teacher preparation programs was 1.8 students to one faculty member. This ratio is based on the number of supervising faculty divided by the number of regular and alternative students in programs of supervised student teaching. The University’s teacher education programs are fully approved by the State Board for Educator Certification.

Certification Testing Accountability
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) requires competency exams for specified certification areas. SBEC reports indicate that for completion year 2005, the initial pass rate from 09/01/04 – 12/31/05 was 97%. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi was rated accredited.

REQUIREMENTS FOR PROGRAMS LEADING TO POST-BACCALAUREATE TEACHER CERTIFICATION

Graduate Level Initial Teaching Certification Program
The Initial Teaching Certification Program is a three-semester program (minimum) that is integrated as the initial portion of the Master of Science degree in Elementary Education or the Master of Science degree in Secondary Education. Students with an undergraduate degree seeking an initial teaching certification must meet University admissions requirements as outlined in the Graduate Admissions section of this catalog. Furthermore, students must be accepted by the COE Program Areas providing the M.S. in Elementary Education or M.S. in Secondary Education. Undergraduate-level courses and graduate-level courses may be required on the initial teacher certification plan; however, only those courses with graduate-level designations may apply toward the master’s degree.

Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) Requirement [formerly TASP]
All sections of the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) test must be passed prior to enrolling in EDCI 5305. The passing scores are: 260 on the Reading section, 230 on the Mathematics section, and 220 on the Writing section. Exemptions may be granted for those with a score of 26 or higher on the ACT, a score of 1180 or higher on the SAT, or a score of 1100 or higher on the GRE. Students who hold a master’s degree are exempt from taking the THEA. For clarification, please contact the Certification Office in the COE.

In addition to the requirements listed, students must meet the requirements set by the specific certification content fields. See the appropriate sections of the undergraduate catalog for the individual teaching fields (e.g., Mathematics, English, History) for these requirements.

Admission to and Retention in the Teacher Education Program
Requirements for admission to and retention in the Graduate Level Initial Teacher Certification Program include:

1. Completion of the application process for admission to teacher education. (If denied admission, the student must reapply in order to be reconsidered for admission.)
2. A minimum grade point average of 2.50 on all academic work attempted, or 2.50 on the last 30 hours attempted. (However, to remain in the program, a minimum GPA of 3.00 is required in all graduate work. See “Scholastic Probation and Enforced Withdrawal” in this catalog.)
3. A satisfactory score on all sections of the THEA (see THEA section above).
4. Completion of the University requirement in oral communication.
5. Completion of EDCI 5305 or EDCI 5306 with a grade of “B” or better.
6. Certification Plan approved by the University Certification Officer.
7. Teaching certificate areas and endorsement/Supplemental Certificate areas (i.e., History, English, Science and others) may require above the minimum grade point average of 2.50. Students are to check the catalog section that pertains to the certificate area or the endorsement/Supplemental Certificate for required GPA’s.
8. Completion of a criminal background check form.
9. Completion of TB screening.

NOTE: Every individual, upon application for initial teacher certification, will be investigated for a record of activity by the State Board of Educator Certification in compliance with State Statute 19 TAC SS 141.5. Applicants for the Teacher Education Program may also be subject to a criminal background check by the partner school district. Districts have the right to refuse individual access to their schools and/or students at ANY time and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is obligated to honor that request. Inability to complete field requirements will preclude an individual from successfully meeting course requirements.

Individuals enrolled in the Graduate Level Initial Teacher Certification Program will be required to do field experiences during the day as part of their course work. A meaningful set of experiences requires students to follow the sequence below:

Semester 1- EDCI 5305 and EDCI 5306

Semester 2- EDCI 5307 plus EDCI 5308* for Grades 8-12 and EC-Grade 12 or EDCI 5315*, EDCI 5316* or EDCI 5317* for EC-Grade 4 and Grades 4-8. (All certificate levels require completion of EDCI 5305 and Admission to Teacher Education.)

* These courses require completion of EDCI 5306.

Semester 3- Student Teaching: EDUC 4692 Student Teaching EC-4, EDUC 4693
Grades 4-8 and Grades 8-12 or Teaching Internship

Requires completion of:
READ 5323 (Grades 8-12 only)
READ 5321 or READ 5322 (EC-Grade 4 and Grades 4-8 only)
SMTE 1350 or SMTE1351 (EC-Grade 4 and Grades 4-8 only)

Individuals enrolled in the graduate level initial Teacher Certification Program who already hold a teaching position as the teacher of record in a school should follow the following sequence.

Admission to Student Teaching or Teaching Internship
All initial teacher preparation programs offered by this University require appropriate professional laboratory experiences. Students may register for student teaching or, if employed by a Texas school district on an emergency teaching certificate, the student may register for a teaching internship. Registration for either student teaching or the teaching internship requires admission in writing from the Field Experiences Office. Student teaching or teaching internship must be completed at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, unless the Director of Field Experiences has approved a cooperative agreement with another university and written documentation is on file in the Office of Field Experiences.

Written application for admission to student teaching or teaching internship must be made at the Office of Field Experiences the semester before the assignment begins. The deadline for submitting applications is March 1 for students seeking FALL placement; July 1 for students seeking SPRING placement.
Other requirements include:

1. Admission to the Teacher Education Program.
2. A minimum GPA of 2.50 on all academic work attempted or 2.50 on the last 30 hours attempted.
3. A minimum of 3.00 on all COE work attempted.
4. Teaching certificate areas and endorsement/Supplemental Certificate areas (i.e., History, English, Science and others) may require above the minimum GPA of 2.50. Students are to check the catalog section that pertains to the certificate area or the endorsement/Supplemental Certificate for required GPA’s.
5. Completion of 9 semester hours of English and 3 semester hours of public speaking.
6. Completion of all professional education courses and required reading courses with a grade of “B” or better.
7. Completion of 80% of the courses required in the student’s certificate area, areas of specialization, or delivery system.
8. Transfer students are to complete a minimum of 6 semester hours of required professional development education courses at the student’s level of certification at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
9. Completion of a “Fall Experience” (beginning of the year activities in a public school) and submission of a written summary of the experience is required for all students seeking student teacher placement.

Recommendation for Initial Teacher Certification
Initial teacher certification by the State Board of Educator Certification is not automatically granted with the completion of an approved program of study. The student must first be recommended for certification by the COE. In order to be recommended, a student must:

1. Have successfully completed the appropriate approved certification program with an overall GPA of 2.50.
2. Have completed the appropriate student teaching or teaching internship experience with a grade of “C” or better.
3. Have passed all appropriate TExES tests. In addition, students seeking certification in Bilingual Education or Spanish must have passed the TOPT.
4. Submit an application online through the State Board for Educator Certification website for certification to the Certification Office in the COE. Application fees are required.

Supplemental Certificates
For those individuals who are already holding an initial teaching certificate, the College of Education offers supplemental teaching certificate preparation in the four certificate areas noted below. Upon completion of the prescribed courses, teaching experience and passing the required TExES content area exam, the student may apply to the State Board for Educator Certification for this certificate.