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Graduate Catalog 06-07
Office of Graduate Studies and Extended Education
McKelvie Hall, 102 W. Rosedale Avenue
West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-2943
fax: 610-436-2763
gradstudy@wcupa.edu
Revised March 2006
Professional and Secondary Education
201 Recitation Hall
West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-2958
Dr. Welsh, Chairperson
Dr. Haggard, Assistant Chairperson and Coordinator of Graduate Studies
| Program Description | Degree Requirements | Course Descriptions |
Return to Professional and Secondary Education.
Educational Research
Dr. Welsh, Program Coordinator
The School of Education offers a degree program leading to the master of science in educational research. The degree is designed primarily for those desiring research positions in local school districts, but it is also appropriate for research positions in colleges and universities, community colleges, governmental agencies, regional educational laboratories, and industry.
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the program, the applicant must have:
1. A minimum overall GPA of 2.8 in undergraduate studies and 2.8 in the major field.
2. Satisfactory performance on the General Aptitude Test of the Graduate Record Examination.
3. Personal interview with the coordinator of the program.
Any candidate admitted to graduate study, but not to the degree program in educational research, may take RES courses with the permission of the coordinator. There is no guarantee that courses taken by a nondegree student may later satisfy degree requirements for the M.S. in educational research.
1. Satisfactory completion of the curriculum outlined below.
2. An overall GPA of 3.0 in graduate courses taken in the degree program.
3. Satisfactory performance on the comprehensive examination.
4. Completion of a research report or master's thesis, approved by the coordinator.
Requirements for Admission to Degree Candidacy
Upon completion of 12 semester hours, which must include PSY 501 and EDF 500, candidates will be advanced to degree candidacy, provided they have maintained a minimum GPA of 3.0 and passed a qualifying examination.
The Internship
After mastery of the core courses (EDF 500, PSY 501 and 502, and RES 520), students will serve an internship with an outside agency, or in the Office of Institutional Research conducting educational research. During this period, students will use the skills they have developed to design and conduct a research project under the joint supervision of University and/or host institutional personnel.
The Comprehensive Examination
To be eligible for the comprehensive examination, the candidate must:
1. Have completed at least 28 semester hours and all core courses prior to the semester in which the examination is taken.
2. Have maintained an overall GPA of at least 3.0.
Candidates must indicate by letter their intention to take the examination. The coordinator should receive this letter within the first 10 days of the semester in which the candidate wants to take the examination.
Candidates who fail the comprehensive examination are permitted one re-examination after an interval of at least one semester but not more than two years.
Curriculum (36-39 semester hours)
I. Required (31-33 semester hours)
CSC 550; EDC 540; EDF 500, 510; EDP 531, 550; PSY 501, 502; RES 520, 590, 592
II. Optional (3 semester hours)
RES 610, 650, plus three-credit elective
III. Electives (3 semester hours)
CSC 515 or PSY 526
Others to be determined by program coordinator.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Symbol: RES
520 Research Design (3) Principles for efficient design of experiments and other types of studies. Sampling techniques, methods of analysis, threats to valid inference. PREREQ: PSY 501.
590 Independent Study in Educational Research (1-3) Research project, reports, readings in educational research. PREREQ: Coordinator's approval.
592 Internship Program in Educational Research (3) Opportunity for students to design, conduct, and analyze a study and to prepare a report of the research. The internship is served in local educational agencies, county offices, federal project centers, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, or other research environments. The intern is supervised by both host and University personnel.
610 Thesis (3)
650 Research Report (3)