Secondary Education
How long will it take me to complete a Secondary Education
program?
MAT - Approximately two years.
MT - One year
M.Ed. - Students typically complete the MEd in two years. Courses applicable
to this degree must be completed within six (6) years.
Ed.D. - Students typically take 2 to 3 years to complete the course work
and 1 to 2 years to complete the dissertation. All credits and examinations
applicable to this degree must be completed within an eight (8) year period.
Ph.D. - Students typically take 2 to 3 years to complete the course work
and 1 to 2 years to complete the dissertation. All credits and examinations
applicable to this degree must be completed within an eight (8) year period.
Will this degree qualify me for South Carolina teacher certification?
The MAT and MT degrees will allow a student to apply for teacher certification.
Admission to the M.Ed. degree requires that you be certified or have courses/experiences
comparable to a that of a certified teacher. The Ed.D. and Ph.D. degrees are
not certifiying degrees and are intended from professional educators with teaching
experience.
Is there a deadline to apply?
MT - January 15th for the following summer.
MAT - January 15th for the following summer. Social Studies also has
an October 15th deadline for the following spring. Biology - June 15th for
fall semester; November 1st for spring semester and May 1st for summer semesters.
Business - March 15th for summer or fall. English - May 15th for the fall
semester. Geography - May 7th for Summer I; June 1st for Summer II; June 15th
for fall; December 7th for spring. History - January 5th for the year you
are apply for. Social Studies - March 1st for the following summer or fall.
Ed.D. - No deadline
Ph.D. - October 1st for the following spring or summer; March 1st for the
following summer or fall.
Can I take the GRE or the Miller Analogies test?
MAT - Biology, Geography, History, Mathematics, Natural Science, Physics
you may only take the GRE; Business and Social Studies you may take either test.
MT, M.Ed., Ed.D., Ph.D. - You may take the GRE or the Miller Analogies.
Where do I take the GRE or the Miller Analogies test?
You will need to contact the Orientation and Testing Services at 803-777-2782.
Language and Literacy
How long will it take me to complete a Language and Literacy program?
M.Ed., Ed.S. - All courses applicable to these degrees must be completed
within six (6) years.
Ph.D. - All courses applicable to this degree must be completed within eight
(8) years.
Will this degree qualify me for South Carolina teacher certification?
M.Ed. and Ph.D. - No.
Ed.S. - Will meet Masters +30 hours requirement of the SC Department
of Education for certificate advancement. Some courses used to meet the 30
hour certificate requirement may not be applicable to your Ed.S. in teaching program.
You will need to work with your advisor to determine appropriate courses.
Is there a deadline to apply?
M.Ed. - March 1st for the following summer and fall. October 1st for
the following spring
Ed.S. - March 30th for the following summer and fall; October 30th for the
following spring and summer.
Ph.D. - March 1st for the following fall; October 1st for the following spring.
Can I take the GRE or the Miller Analogies test?
You may take either test for the M.Ed., Ed.S. or Ph.D. degrees.
Where do I take the GRE or the Miller Analogies test?
You will need to contact the Orientation and Testing Services at 803-777-2782.
What courses do I need to take to add-on
certification as a Reading Teacher, Reading Consultant, or Reading Coordinator/Director?
Add-on certification is administered through the South Carolina Department of Education.
Steps for adding additional areas of certification can be found at
http://www.scteachers.org/cert/addlcert.cfm. A list of USC courses needed
for Reading certification can be found at
http://www.ite.sc.edu/ReadingAddon.pdf.
Application for College of Education Graduate
Assistantship
University of South Carolina
College
of Education
Office of Student Affairs
Wardlaw 113
Columbia,
SC 29208
For consideration of a
Graduate Assistantship in the
College of
Education:
(1) complete
this
application;
(2) provide letter from
The Graduate School stating you’ve been fully
admitted to a degree program*;
(3) make/print enough
copies of application and any attachments (i.e.,
Grad. School letter, resume,, etc.) to be submitted
to desired
College
of Education
departments/program areas (see number 10 of
Questions and Answers About Graduate Assistantships
page); and
(4) distribute
application and attachments to desired program
areas.
*If no letter, bring
application to Student Affairs for verification of
full admission to graduate program.
General Questions
Is there someone at USC who can answer a question about South
Carolina teacher certification?
Please see the College of Education Office of Student Affairs web page on teacher
certification at http://www.ed.sc.edu/SA/certification.html
or contact Jammie Turner, Certification Coordinator, at 803-777-3022 or at
turnerj@gwm.sc.edu
Information on SC Certification
and Praxis requirements.
What kinds of housing is available on campus and off campus?
Contact the USC Housing Department http://www.housing.sc.edu/
Where can I get information about parking and a parking decal?
Contact the USC Parking Services http://www.sc.edu/vmps/
How do I get a student ID card?
Contact the Carolina Card http://carolinacard.sc.edu/
How do I find where a particular USC building is located?
Maps of USC http://www.sc.edu/uscmap/
I have applied for admission. How can I find the status of
my application?
Contact the Office of Student Affairs, College of Education, Wardlaw 113; 803-777-6732.
How do I apply for a graduate assistantship?
Complete the application for Graduate Assistantship
http://www.ed.sc.edu/SA/docs/GRADAST.pdf
Where can I find information about awards, scholarships,
or fellowships?
Awards, Scholarships and Fellowships at the College of Education
http://www.ed.sc.edu/asf.asp
What is the difference between the MT, MAT and MEd degrees?
The MT and MAT degrees are designed to allow degree candidates to earn an initial
teaching certificate. The MEd is designed for certified teachers to pursue graduate
studies and earn a master's degree (you can not be admitted to the MEd without a
teaching certificate or it's equivalent including teaching experience). The MT is
designed for students who complete an undergraduate degree at USC including undergraduate
core education course requirements. The MAT is designed for any student who has
completed a bachelor's degree in an appropriate major (or has undergraduate coursework
equivalent to that major) for an initial certification program.
I am a certified teacher and want to add-on certification
in a new area. What courses do I need?
Add-on certification is administered through the South Carolina Department of Education.
Steps for adding additional areas of certification can be found at
http://www.scteachers.org/cert/addlcert.cfm. Specific courses that may be
needed are listed in the state Certification Manual
http://www.scteachers.org/cert/Certpdf/TeacherCertificationManual.pdf). You
can check the Master Schedule to see if a USC course is being offered in an up-coming
semester. Responsibility for ensuring that the USC course satisfies the
state requirement rests with you, the student. Typically, if the USC
course title matches the state requirement, the course will be accepted.
What is the role of an advisor in graduate school?
Your graduate program advisor will work with you to develop your program of study
(the actual courses that make up your particular degree program). This should be
completed and signed during your first semester in your degree program. Once this
document is submitted and accepted, it is a contract between you and the USC Graduate
School. Completing the courses, meeting the grades, time and other conditions and
your degree will be awarded.
What about reciprocity of state certification?
Teacher certification is under the ultimate authority of the South Carolina Department
of Education. Information about state's with reciprocal agreements regarding South
Carolina teaching certificates can be found at
http://www.scteachers.org/cert/reciprost.cfm including requirements and
information on requests.
What do I need to know about the Praxis examination?
Praxis is the current state required examination for teacher certification. Information
is available at http://www.scteachers.org/cert/exam.cfm.
What do I need to know to graduate?
You must complete all degree requirements. This should be nothing more than the
courses on your approved program of study, but you must also adhere to all academic
regulations. At the very beginning of the semester you plan to graduate, you MUST
also apply for graduation. Detailed information is available at
http://www.gradschool.sc.edu/GSbasic/text/PreG_Index.html.
I graduated from USC with a bachelor's
degree from another department other than the College of Education. What do I need
to do if I want to become a high school teacher ?
To earn a teacher certificate for grades 9-12 in SC, you must either graduate from
an approved program or qualify for the Program for Alternative Certification of
Educators (PACE). Information on PACE, administered by theSC Department of Education
can be found at www.scteachers.org. Through USC, we offer MAT degrees in various
areas related to high school teaching. The MAT is for those who completed undergraduate
degrees in areas related to high school subject areas and wish to pursue certification
after earning the bachelor's degree. To qualify for admission to a USC MAT degree,
you must have a major or the equivalent of a major in that subject area (English,
mathematics, biology, Spanish, etc). To determine if your background is equivalent,
you should meet with the MAT primary advisor. Information on who the advisor is
for each subject can be obtained by contacting the Office of Student Affairs (803-777-6732
or Teach@gwm.sc.edu).