Elementary and Special Education

Eric Oslund, Chair
(615) 898-2680
www.mtsu.edu/elementary/

The Department of Elementary and Special Education offers the Master of Education degree with majors in Curriculum and Instruction, Literacy, and Special Education as well as a graduate minor in Curriculum and Instruction.

The major in Curriculum and Instruction offers a concentration in Elementary School Education. A specialization in initial licensure is also available. Concentrations in Special Education Interventionist and Special Education Comprehensive are available through the Special Education major. Initial licensure with an Interventionist specialization is available.

College of Education PLA Experiences

In accordance with MTSU Graduate Transfer Policy, Master’s students may transfer up to 12.0 credit hours of which up to 9.0 may be obtained through prior learning assessment (PLA) experiences.

Requested consideration of PLA experiences undergo careful review and must meet the alignment of course outcomes and standards. PLA evidence must be submitted before a final decision can be arrived at with regard to the acceptance and transfer to meet degree requirements.

Any candidate wishing to transfer PLA experiences to one of the targeted graduate degrees must also meet Graduate Studies and program-specific requirements for admission to the university and selected program. Any Master’s student wishing to request PLA experience credit MUST follow the procedures listed below. Any PLA experiences will be rigorously evaluated to ensure hours are awarded only when the nature of the PLA experiences are directly related to the student’s program of study. The approval process will require approval from each of the following: appropriate faculty, graduate program director, chairperson, and dean.

College of Education Guidelines for PLA Approval:

Meet with graduate program director to determine which courses can be considered for PLA experience credit, and how many credits are allowed (up to 9.0 credit hours) in that program of study.
Master’s students develop a portfolio documenting PLA experiences that meet all course competencies. The course sheet that lists course competencies is to be the first page(s) of the portfolio. Portfolio must include relevant examples and artifacts (e.g., training certificates, videos, licenses, work products, etc.) that attest to the rigor of the PLAs and how they directly map to the course requirements and standards.
Master’s student portfolio is submitted to graduate program director.
Graduate program director assigns review of portfolio to the designated faculty member with expertise in the course for which PLA experience credit is being requested.
Reviewer determines if course competencies are met and returns portfolio and decision to the appropriate graduate program director.
The program director will then forward a decision to the department chairperson for approval.
Once candidate materials have been carefully reviewed and approved by the appropriate faculty, program director, and chairperson, the department representative will submit individual student PLA credit requests to the dean of the College of Graduate Studies for final approval based upon the departmental procedures approved by Graduate Council.
Master’s student is notified if PLA experience credit is earned.