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UGA Has 16th Largest Online Graduate Program in Education Writer: Michael Childs, 706/542-5889,, mdchilds@uga.edu Contact: Janet Truluck, 706/542-4019, jtruluck@uga.edu
An online master’s degree and several certification programs in the College of Education has UGA ranked as the 16th largest E-learning graduate program in education, according to a survey in the latest edition of U.S. News & World Report.
The master’s degree program in adult education, which was UGA’s first online degree program when it launched in 2001, is designed to meet the needs of working professionals who are unable to attend classes in the traditional university setting.
“We started this program because we believe that adult education is increasingly important in society and that there is great need for adult educators to be prepared at the graduate level,” said Ron Cervero, professor and head of the department of lifelong education, administration, and policy.
Students come from a variety of fields including the cooperative extension service, hospital and health education, community development, the corporate sector and post-secondary institutions.
“With Web CT, e-mail and other telecommunication methods, classes are conducted with the same high degree of instruction as found in traditional classrooms,” said Cervero. “With the use of technology, this program is delivered to the students’ computers allowing them to study and learn at a time and at a pace that is right for them.”
The requirements for the online master’s degree in adult education include an approved program of 33 hours (11 courses) of graduate coursework. In addition, students must complete an applied project, prepare an M.Ed. Student Portfolio and complete a final oral exam. The program admits 25 students each fall.
Earlier this year, the University System Board of Regents approved a second online master’s degree program in the College, this one in occupational studies. That program began accepting students this fall. Both online master’s programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
In addition, the College offers several online graduate certificates and endorsements:
-- ESOL Endorsement,
-- Gifted Endorsement,
-- Educational Leadership Certification,
-- SETWEB - Initial Interrelated Special Education Certification,
-- Reading Endorsement.
The College reported 678 students enrolled in online graduate programs in the fall of 2005 when the survey was taken.
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