Lakeland College

Admission Requirements

Standard Admission

To be considered for standard admission to the M.Ed. program at Lakeland College, applicants must submit:

• An official transcript from an accredited institution of higher education indicating completion of a baccalaureate degree;
• A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 on a 4.00 point scale;
• A photocopy of a valid teaching license or successful completion of the following foundation courses and consent of the Director of the M.Ed. program. The foundation courses are: Educational Psychology, Human Growth and Development; Survey of the Exceptional Person, and Majority-Minority Relations;
• Two letters of recommendation indicating the student's potential for success in the graduate education program.
• International students must also submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. The minimum TOEFL score for graduate admission is 550 for the paper-based, and 213 for the computer-based tests.

Probationary Admission

Applicants who do not meet the M.Ed. program's grade point average or foundation course requirements may be given probationary admission upon the recommendation of the Director of the M.Ed. program. The condition to be removed from probationary admission status to standard admission status is the successful completion of six (6) graduate credit hours within one semester at Lakeland College with a minimum grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 point scale (for grade point average deficiency) or successful completion of undergraduate foundation course requirements within two semesters at Lakeland College.

Degree Requirements

The M.Ed. program requires completion of thirty-six (36) semester hours with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 point scale.

Lakeland College's Master of Education program consists of the following courses:

Core Courses (21 credit hours)

• ED 701 Contemporary Philosophies of Education (3 credit hours)
• ED 702 Organization and Operation of American Education (3 credit hours)
• ED 703 Learning and Cognition (3 credit hours)
• One of the following
  • ED 714 Curriculum and Classroom Dynamics (3 credit hours)
  • ED 717 Political and Legal Aspects of Education (3 credit hours)
• ED 720 Assessment in the School and Classroom (3 credit hours)
• ED 800 Educational Research and Evaluation (3 credit hours)
• ED 810 Master's Thesis or Project (3 credit hours)
  (Approval of the Director of M.Ed. program required)

Electives (15 credit hours)

• ED 706 Differentiating Instruction (3 credit hours)
• ED 707 Gifted Education (3 credit hours)
• ED 708 Classroom Management Strategies (3 credit hours)
• ED 712 Multicultural Education (3 credit hours)
• ED 716 Special Education: Meeting Exceptional Education Needs (3 credit hours)
• ED 741 Reading in the Content area (3 credit hours)
• ED 751 Supervision of Student Teachers (1 credit hour)
• ED 790, 791 and 792 Tutorials: Focused Individualized Reading/Research Topics
  (Approval of the Director of M.Ed. program required. Students can register for tutorials only after successful completion of the Core Courses.) (1-3 credit hours)

Up to nine (9) graduate credit emphasis areas (courses specifically designed to meet the needs of school districts/higher education institutions with the approval of the Director of the M.Ed. program.)

Graduate students seeking additional certification in English as a Second Language (ESL) may take the following courses as part of the ESL certification requirements. These courses may apply toward the tutorial sequence or the elective requirements of the M.Ed. degree program.

• ENG 780 English Language (3 credit hours)
• ESL 721 English Grammar (3 credit hours)
• ESL 722 Second Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics (3 credit hours)
  (Prerequisite: ESL 721)
• ESL 724 Teaching Methods in ESL (3 credit hours)
  (Prerequisite: ESL 722)

Academic Policies

1. Upon the approval of the Director of the M.Ed. program, up to nine (9) graduate semester hours relevant to the program may be accepted in transfer from accredited institutions of higher education. However, transfer courses must have been taken within the ten (10) years prior to application to the graduate program. Transfer grades, however, will not be included in calculating the applicant's Lakeland grade point average.
2. Applicants can register for one graduate education course prior to being formally admitted to the M.Ed. program. Registration in subsequent courses is contingent upon acceptance to the program.
3. Course requirements in the M.Ed. program must be completed in seven (7) years from the date of acceptance. Exceptions must be for cause and specifically granted by the Director of the M.Ed. program.
4. Lakeland College does not accept or grant credit for life experience or other informal learning experiences.
5. Successful completion of Lakeland College's M.Ed. program requires a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 point scale in all course work taken in the program.
6. To remain in good standing, graduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 point scale in each term of enrollment.
7. Lakeland College employees and their eligible dependants must meet and maintain the same requirements for acceptance and progress in the M.Ed. program as any other graduate student.
8. The grading system at the graduate level is based on the grades of A, AB, B, BC, C, CD, D, and F. The grade of I (Incomplete) is also used to indicate that a student has the prior consent of the instructor to complete required course work after the end of a regular term. A grade of Incomplete must be raised within one calendar year from the last day of the term in which it was assigned. Failure to satisfy the requirement for which the Incomplete was assigned results in the grade of Incomplete remaining permanently on the transcript.
9. A student may repeat a course for which he or she has already received a grade. However, students may repeat a course only one time and will receive credit for a course only once. The higher course grade will be recorded and used when calculating grade point averages. The lower grade will remain on the transcript and will be marked with an asterisk.