These requirements and policies apply to all Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Education degrees.
Admission Requirements
In order to be admitted to ALL Graduate Education Programs, the student must have met the following criteria:
- B.A. or B.S. degree from an accredited institution of higher education
- 3.00 undergraduate grade point average
- Formal application with essay
- Official college transcripts
- Current résumé
In addition, applicants to the M.A.T. Program must meet the following additional criteria:
- One college level introductory psychology course
- B.A. or B.S. in Biology, Chemistry, English, General Science, Mathematics, History or equivalent coursework
- You must have current (no more than one year old) clearances for ACT 34 Criminal Record, ACT 151 Child Abuse Record, and FBI Federal Criminal History; negative TB test report dated no more than two years prior to the internship
- Membership in Student Pennsylvania State Education Association (SPSEA)
- Students whose native language is not English must also submit an official report of TOEFL scores or other proof of competency in English
In addition, applicants to the M.Ed. in Instructional Technology, with Specialist Certification, must meet the following additional criteria:
- Current Pennsylvania teaching certification
In addition, applicants to the Special Education Certification Program must meet the following additional criteria:
- Developmental or educational psychology course that addresses the PreK-8 grade band
- Current (no more than one year old) clearances for ACT 34 Criminal Record, ACT 151 Child Abuse Record and FBI Federal Criminal History; negative TB test report dated no more than two years prior to the internship prior to your Practicum experience
Conditional Admissions
Students seeking admission into a graduate education program may be admitted on a regular or a conditional basis. Regularly admitted students are students who the admissions committee determines have the preparation to successfully complete the program. Students who do not meet the above admission criteria may be considered for conditional admission after a personal interview with the program director.
A conditionally admitted student may enroll in a maximum of four courses (12 credits). Upon completion of the four courses and fulfillment of any specified conditions, the student’s record and admissions criteria will be reviewed to determine the student’s potential for successfully completing the program. If the evaluation of all relevant admission criteria is positive, the student’s admission status will be changed to reflect a regular admission.
Graduate Non-degree Students
Individuals with a Pennsylvania Level I Instructional Certificate may take up to 24 credits without enrolling in a degree program. These credits will apply toward a Level II Instructional Certificate and will be eligible for Act 48 credit. Individuals who already have their Level II Instructional Certificate may enroll in courses, up to 24 credits, without enrolling in a degree program to fulfill Act 48 requirements for continued certification.
Financial Aid
Financial aid information may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office. Student loans are available to students enrolled for a minimum of six semester hours. For the purposes of graduate education programs, a full-time student is considered to be anyone enrolled in a minimum of nine semester hours.
Prerequisites
For all graduate education programs a student will need to have access to an Internet connection (high speed access is preferred). Students need basic computer skills including e-mail, word processing, and Internet usage to succeed in these programs.
Degree Requirements
- 30 or 36 semester credits of graduate education courses.
- Candidates must complete 27 semester credits in the 36 credit programs and 24 in the 30 credit programs at Waynesburg University.
- Students must achieve a 3.00 academic average in order to graduate. The Director of Graduate Programs in Education will automatically review the receipt of a letter grade of C or lower.
- All students must begin their Graduate Education Program within one year of notification of admission. Failure to do so will require the student to reapply.
- Requirements for all degree and certification programs must be completed within seven (7) years of registration for the first class unless otherwise notified.
- Inactive status will occur if no registration activity is recorded within two years following the last term of enrollment. Students will be required to reapply to reactivate their graduate student status.
- Degree and certification requirements are subject to change based upon changes in Pennsylvania Department of Education regulations.
Grading
The grading scale for all Graduate Education Programs is available in the Program Guide.
Courses Repeated
A student may take any course for credit if he or she has met the prerequisites for the course and has not already taken the course and received a grade of B or better. When a course is repeated, both the first grade received and the grade earned in the repeated course remain a part of the permanent record; however, only the highest grade is used in computing the academic quotient. Additional credit is not given in cases where the original grade of the course repeated was C. A student who wishes to repeat a course must have the written permission of the Director of the Graduate Programs in Education.
Incompletes
All courses will follow the current Waynesburg University Catalog, which states:
The mark I is given if the work of the course is satisfactory but not completed, and may be removed by completing the unfinished work. Under no consideration, however, is the mark, I, given to a student whose work has been below the passing grade C. Such student is given the grade F. Incompletes are not given except in the case of extenuating circumstances (such as serious illness or death in the family). The student is responsible for fi ling a Request for Incomplete Grade form available through the Registrar's Office. Incompletes must be made up in the fi rst eight weeks of the term following the one in which the work reported incomplete is taken. An incomplete not so made up will be changed to F.
Academic Progression
All graduate students are required to have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher to be eligible to receive a Master’s Degree from Waynesburg University.
To remain in good standing and progress through the curriculum:
- All courses during the graduate curriculum must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
- A student may receive no more than one grade of C or lower during the curriculum.
- A student may repeat a course only once.
- The student’s cumulative GPA must be at least 3.00.
If the student receives a grade of C or lower, a letter of warning will be sent to remind the student of the academic progression policy and standards. Students’ academic performance will be reviewed at the end of each 8-week session.
If the student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.00, the student will be placed on warning and must raise the GPA to 3.00 or higher by the completion of the next 6 credits.
A graduate student will be dismissed from the program if any of the following occur:
- The student receives more than one grade of C or lower.
- The student is unable to achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher after completing the next 6 credits following a warning.
- The student is unable to successfully complete a course with a grade of B or higher after repeating the course one time.
Notification of Academic Status
Waynesburg University makes every effort to notify students of their academic status. A certified letter is mailed to each graduate student placed on suspension. Since communication by mail may be delayed or misdirected, it is the responsibility of every student to obtain this information. Non-receipt of a letter by a suspended student will not be considered grounds for claiming eligibility to enroll for a subsequent semester.