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Masters-level Graduation Requirements

All Master of Arts, Master of Education or Graduate Certificate programs offered by the Teacher Education Department have a specified set of criteria for graduation, determined in combination by the department and Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s Graduate School. In general, to earn a master-level degree in any Teacher Education Department program, Â鶹¹ÙÍø requires for graduation:

1) successful completion of the specific program designated hours of required coursework with a grade of “C” or better;

2) completion and passing of a Culminating Experience (either a Comprehensive Exam, Capstone Project or Thesis Project);

3) a final GPA of 3.0 or higher [Graduate School Requirement]; and

4) course enrollment in the graduation semester [Graduate School Requirement].

All students in a chosen program complete a sequence of required content coursework as outlined on the program’s official degree plan. The final course(s) in a degree plan are dedicated to the program’s Culminating Experience. Depending on the specific program, Culminating Experiences take the form of either a Comprehensive Exam, a Capstone Project or a Thesis Project.

• The MA in ED with concentrations in Diversity, Equity & Social Justice; Linguistic Diversity & Educational Equity, and STEM Education offer students the option to pursue a Capstone Project Pathway or Thesis Project Pathway as the Culminating Experience requirement for graduation. Students decide on their preferred pathway by their 1^st or 2^nd semester in the program in consultation with their faculty advisor.
• The MA in ED with Alternative Certification Program (ACP) has a Capstone Project as the designated Culminating Experience. For this program, the Capstone takes the form of the Miner Teacher Residency, whereby students teach in a public school as either a Resident Intern, Resident Apprentice or Resident Instructional aid under the guidance of a Mentor Teacher/Teacher Preparation Faculty.  For more details about the ACP Miner Teacher Residency, click here.
• The M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction has a Comprehensive Exam (COMPS) as its designated Culminating Experience.
• The M.Ed. in Bilingual Education, M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education and M.Ed. in Literacy Education all have a Capstone Project as their designated Culminating Experience.
• All Graduate Certificates (K-12 ESL, K-12 Bilingual, Dual Language Bilingual Education and STEM Education) have a Capstone Project as their designated Culminating Experience.

During the final semester of coursework, students will meet virtually with the Teacher Education Department Graduate Studies Coordinator for an audit and verification of coursework and final GPA, verification of completion of their program’s designated Culminating Experience and confirmation of application for graduation with Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s Graduate School office. 

To see specific program degree plans, visit our Degree Programs page, find your choice of program and click on the “Learn More” button.

For detailed information and explanations of the types of Culminating Experiences and their process for completion, visit our FAQs page.