Overview of the Fitchburg State College/Jon L. Jenmarc – Catherine Leahy Brine M.Ed. Program

The M.Ed, Program conceived of and authored by Catherine Leahy Brine in spring, 2000 is based on A Conceptual Model for Professional Development outlined by Roland Barth in his book, Improving Schools from Within.

The M.Ed. Program is a total of 36 credits, made up in the following way:

Cohort Seminar: 6 credits; credits awarded at end of the last semester

In the summer semesters, Seminar meets every Wednesday for a minimum of 2 ½

hours per session. In the fall and spring semesters, Seminar meets every other Wednesday for a minimum of 2 ½ hours. On the alternate Wednesday during the fall and the spring, a CORE course will be offered at the Seminar site wherever possible. The end product of the Cohort Seminar is a Professional Portfolio which includes a professional resume/biography and a personal philosophy of education (both of which are developed through coursework), the Capstone Project and the work product from each course in the M.Ed. Program.

Each semester of the Cohort Seminar is organized around a different theme.

Semester One: Teacher as Reflective Learner

Semester Two: Teacher as Change Agent

Semester Three: Teacher as Leader

Semester Four: Presentation of Capstone Projects

The Capstone Project: credits for this project are contained in the 6 credits of Seminar

The Capstone Project is begun during the first semester in the Research course with

Dr. Terrasi. The end product of the Research course is a Literature Review. The Literature Review is then taken back to the Cohort Seminar and, with the advice of the Cohort Leader, a plan of action is determined for implementation of the Literature Review in the candidate’s classroom. There are separate requirements for the Capstone Project in each of the four semesters.

Five Course Courses: 3 credits each

EDUC 8300 Research in Education

EDUC 7000 A Reading Course (appropriate for the candidate’s teaching level)

EDUC 7400 Contemporary Issues in Education

EDUC 7300 Advanced Child Development

EDUC 7500 Curriculum Design and Implementation for Multi-Needs Populations

Five Elective Courses: 3 credits each

Electives will not be offered until the second semester of the candidate’s program. Electives vary each semester and will be announced at the mid-point of each semester so that the candidate may plan for the next semester. Students seeking Professional Licensure must take the required licensure course(s) as elective(s).

Transfer credits are treated as electives. Our Fitchburg State College program advisor will review each candidate’s Transfer of Credit Request Form and determine the eligibility of courses based on the regulations set forth by the college. Students will be notified by the college. Do not call the college.

12 accepted transfer credits: candidate must take one elective

9 accepted transfer credits: candidate must take two electives

6 accepted transfer credits: candidate must take three electives

3 accepted transfer credits: candidate must take four electives

0 accepted transfer credits: candidate must take five electives.

Regulations on Transfer Credit Set Forth by the College:

1.  Courses must be of graduate level, taken from an accredited institution.

2.  Grade received must be a “B” or better.

3.  Courses must not be older than six years upon the candidate’s completion of the program.

4.  A total of 12 credits may, upon approval, be transferred. No more than 6 of these credits may be from a college other than Fitchburg.

5.  The courses must be considered by the program advisor to be appropriate for the candidate’s M.Ed. program.

6.  Transfer credits must have been taken before matriculation begins.