M.A. in Special Education
Advising & Review of Student Performance
ADVISING
All students who are accepted into the graduate program are assigned a faculty advisor and should consult with their advisor regularly concerning their progress in the program. Students seeking Initial or Professional teacher licensure are required to schedule an advising meeting with designated program personnel as specified in the letter of admission. It is the student's responsibility to schedule that appointment for appropriate and timely advising about current licensure regulations and for planning an appropriate course of study.
Group informational sessions are held twice a year, and matriculated students will receive notice of such meetings. Those sessions provide information about upcoming courses offered and other program information.
For candidates seeking to obtain a Professional License, in addition to completing designated graduated courses, they must fulfill all of the criteria recorded for this state of licensure in the current state regulations to qualify for the Massachusetts Professional License.
REVIEW OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Special Education program faculty review the progress of all students in the program each semester. Students whose semester GPA falls below 3.0 or who earn below a B- in any course are placed on academic probation. Students whose semester GPA is below 3.0 then have one semester to bring their GPA to 3.0.
Students who have a GPA of less than 3.0 for two consecutive semesters will be terminated from the program.
Students who have not taken a course in four consecutive semesters (including summer session) may be withdrawn from the program. It is the student's responsibility to document in writing his or her commitment to completing the program and to present that statement to the Special Education Program Director.
The graduate program in Special Education prepares students for service to the public. The education department has an obligation to the community to ensure that only those students demonstrating academic and clinical competence and professionally responsible behavior be continued in the program. Students failing to meet these criteria may be recommended for termination from the program.