Master of Education in Professional Development
The master of education in professional development degree has been designed to help licensed educators upgrade their skills and meet the continuing demands on professionals in American education. A specific emphasis in library science and media education is available. Other emphases may be selected from combinations of the following more general categories: curriculum development techniques, instructional techniques and technology, human relations/communications, evaluation techniques, research techniques, and educational foundations. Opportunity also is provided to strengthen skills and understandings in a teaching subject specialty.
This program is offered by the departments of curriculum and instruction and the department of foundations of education.
Goals and purposes of the program
The goals of the MEPD degree include the following:
- To help participants further develop their competencies in the education profession.
- To provide for the continuous service needs of educational personnel.
Prerequisites for admission to the program
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or institution and have met requirements for licensure as a teacher.
- A minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 2.75.
- Two years of teaching or equivalent experience.
Requirements of the program
After admission to the program, the student must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate work in an approved course of study. A minimum of 15 of these credits must be in courses open only to graduate students. Additional credits may be required in specific cases where background and needs suggest further study. Along with the 30 semester credits, students must complete CI 788, “Seminar in Professional Education,” and Fed 740, “Introduction to Educational Research” if a thesis is chosen as an exit option. Students also may complete a maximum of 12 credits in content area and a maximum of nine credits of independent study. A maximum of nine credits may be transferred from another accredited institution. Credits earned prior to admission to the program must be approved by the adviser at the time of admission in order to be credited to the program. Required credits in the program must be completed within seven years.
Exit options
The MEPD program offers four exit options:
- Standard written comprehensive examination
- Take-home examination
- Portfolio
- Scholarly paper, research paper or thesis
All candidates must pass an oral examination prior to graduation.
The standard written comprehensive with oral exam is a four-hour written examination consisting of questions compiled by the chair of the program committee, the candidate and the other two members of the committee. The student is expected to demonstrate knowledge and skills appropriate to the master’s level in integrating facts, concepts and arguments from diverse sources into a systematic, well-reasoned, well-written narrative.
The purpose of the portfolio with oral exam is to provide an in-depth, long-term opportunity for student reflection, self-evaluation and synthesis of intellectual/professional development over the course of the master’s program. The decision to compile a portfolio is made well before the students’ final semester in the program and in consultation with the primary adviser. It should relate course work, papers and other items in the portfolio to a coherent body of knowledge and to the student’s intellectual and professional growth.
The take-home and oral exam consists of two parts: a written open-book examination taken during an agreed-upon period and an oral follow-up of professional concerns and issues related to his/her course work. Specific questions, including information regarding the time period for completion and expected length, are submitted to the graduate studies program assistant when the questions are given to the student.
The student may write a thesis for one to six hours of credit or a research paper for one to two credits. The thesis problem must be approved by the student's thesis committee. The thesis should be a study of a problem in education and professional development. The thesis should represent new evidence or new interpretation and not simply a chronicling or summary of previously published works. The thesis should have a unifying theme or offer direction and the possibility of specific conclusions. The student should use primary and secondary resources.
The research paper should be a problem or topic related to the candidate’s goals in professional development. The student should show exploration of primary sources; secondary sources may be included. The paper may parallel the typical research paper that has a unifying theme and offers direction and the possibility of a specific conclusion; or it may be in the form of a project that is innovative, historical, cumulative, descriptive, directive or otherwise interprets and reports research.
The thesis and the typical research paper should follow the writing and form in the latest editions of the Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association and the Thesis Manual. The topic, length and the determination of suitability will be mutually agreed upon between the student and her/his research paper or thesis adviser.
Admission application requirements
To apply to the MEPD program, an applicant must submit the following:
- A complete application for graduate admission along with the application fee.
- Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions previously attended.
- Evidence of certification or eligibility for certification to teach in secondary or post-secondary educational settings, including a copy of your certificate or a letter from your supervisor describing your current responsibilities.
- A description of your teaching experience including location, time period and grade level of each assignment, as well as specific courses you taught; other responsibilities such as school committees, curriculum development activities, etc.; any experimental or innovative projects in which you have engaged during your teaching experience.
- An account of experiences related to teaching, including voluntary as well as salaried activities, community service activities, seminars/workshops, etc., that would not appear on your transcripts.
- A statement of your professional aspirations and related needs.
- A statement of your beliefs about students, the processes of formal education and the responsibilities of professional educators.
Send materials to:
Graduate Admissions
UW-Eau Claire
Schofield Hall 112
Eau Claire WI 54702-4004
The Eau Claire Advantage
- U.S. News & World Report magazine consistently ranks UW-Eau Claire among the top public regional universities in the Midwest in its annual America’s Best Colleges guidebook.
- Four UW-Eau Claire professors have been recipients of Wisconsin Professor of the Year awards.
- UW-Eau Claire is a member institution of The Council of Graduate Schools and is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
- UW-Eau Claire offers flexible graduate programs, such as the Community of Learners, a program in which education graduate students spend one weekend a month together for two years sharing experiences, research and teaching strategies.
For more information
To learn more about the options available in the MEPD program at UW-Eau Claire, contact: |
For general information about the campus and admission to a program, contact: |
