1) it is a logical extension to the in-depth graduate work you will be completing in the certification portion of your studies;
2) admission into a Master's degree program extends the advantages of matriculation in a degree program with respect to financial aid options;
3) putting this plan in place will give you a comprehensive plan for a Master's degree and possibly other certifications.
The graduate credit hours required to achieve certification in the RIC/TFA program are incorporated into an IMEd. There are many courses you can choose to fill the overall 30 (or more) graduate credit hours for your Plan of Study. An IMEd may be designed to combine existing RIC courses to achieve an individualized or unique objective, usually thematic in nature.
Your IMED consists of:
RIC certification courses (Elementary 12 credits, Secondary 15 credits)
Two transfer courses from Delta State University (6 credits)
CUR 592 Special Topics in Instructional Planning and Delivery and CUR 592 Special Topics in Classroom Management and Culture fit in the ELED program as ELED 500 and ELED 590 and in the SED program as SED 506 and SED 590. (No more than 6 credits of graduate transfer can be accepted).
Add one research course to serve as a capstone project or comprehensive assessment for the degree plan
ELED 510 Research Methods, Analysis, and Applications (3 credits)
Choose the remainder of the courses (Elementary 3 additional electives (9 credits), Secondary 2 electives (6 credits). Include the other courses you would like to take. The program must total a minimum of 30 credits of coursework taken for graduate credit, of which no more than 9 credits may be in 400-level courses.
To complete your IMED:
In order to complete the IM.Ed degree you will reflect on your area of study, choose elective courses (to finalize your plan of study and write a proposal (2 page maximum) explaining how these chosen courses support the education degree. This needs to be submitted to FSEHD by April 31, 2021.
Your advisor for the IM.Ed is Dr. Elizabeth Holtzman. If you are interested in pursuing this, please email and set up a time to meet. Prior to this meeting, please review available courses that are interesting and relevant to your continued development. Course descriptions can be found in the college catalog: http://www.ric.edu/recordsoffice/Pages/College-Catalog.aspx At this meeting, we will finalize course selection, review program paperwork and expectations and discuss any questions or needs you may have. Contact: eholtzman@ric.edu
Pointers for creating your Plan of Study
The core of your plan could include the RIC certification courses and must include a research course as a capstone seminar.
RIC allows for 400-level courses (limit 9 credits) to be included in your plan.
Graduate transfer courses (limit 6 credits) from another accredited institution are allowed.
You may consider the strands of the TESL certification, or MLED program.
To see which courses are usually offered, consult the Course Bulletin.
Graduate courses offered by RIC are listed in the College Catalog.