Department of Education
Department Chair: Kelly Ballard
Graduate Education Faculty
Associate Professors: Chrystal Hodges, M.Ed. Program Coordinator, Kelly Ballard, MAT Program Coordinator
Assistant Professors: Christy Adams, Alison Buehler, Hope Durst
Purpose Statement for the Department of Education
The “Educator as Reflective Decision Maker” is the model for the conceptual framework for the educator preparation programs at Mississippi University for Women. The programs have adopted the Core Standards of the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) and Five Core Propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as goals for teacher candidates. Further explanations of requirements and expectations for undergraduate teacher candidates are in the EPP Teacher Education Handbook available on the university’s School of Education website.
The Department of Education aligns with the School of Education’s goal to develop effective educators through a personalized, lifelong learning approach from early childhood through post-graduation in alignment with and support of the Mississippi University for Women’s mission of delivering high-quality instruction designed to assist students in attaining their academic, professional, and personal goals.
Program Purpose:
The Graduate Programs in Education provide high quality, advanced professional development and leadership training for educators, which will strengthen their theoretical knowledge, their practice, and increase their accountability for student learning. This reflects the University’s mission of professional education with an emphasis on academic and leadership preparation.
The conceptual framework of the Department of Education has been extended for Graduate Studies in Education to include the five core propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The related belief statements that follow each core proposition further characterize the advanced programs in education.
1. Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
2. Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.
3. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.
4. Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from their experience.
5. Teachers are members of learning communities.
Progression in the Program
- The potential Graduate student must make formal application for admission, providing official transcripts of all coursework (undergraduate and graduate), email addresses and/or contact information for three references who are willing to provide letters of recommendation, proof of immunization, and $25.00 application fee.
- The Graduate student, in consultation with his/her Program Coordinator, works out a proposed program of study.
- The Graduate student must meet with their Program Coordinator prior to registration to secure approval for courses to be taken in the ensuing semester.
- The Graduate student must submit an official transcript of any transfer credits before their last semester of coursework. The Program Director must approve any transfer work applied to the student’s program. No more than 6 hours with minimum grade of B may be transferred.
- Withdrawal from a graduate class must be done in consultation with an approval by the Program Coordinator.
- The Graduate student needs to meet with their Program Coordinator to confirm completion of graduation requirements: all admission and program requirements have been satisfied, all transcripts of transfer credit have been submitted to and processed by the Registrar, The Portfolio and Comprehensive Final Examinations have been completed satisfactorily, the MUW cumulative GPA and overall GPA are at least 3.0 and no grades of incomplete remain on the student’s academic record.
