Middle Grades Education M.Ed. (Online)

The Middle Grades Education M.Ed. Program offers an advanced professional degree for those who already have their initial teacher certification, or have met the eligibility requirements for initial certification. The M.Ed. Program focuses on the study of the development of young adolescents at an advanced level as outlined in the conceptual framework. Within the context of the master's degree program, candidates are exposed to a wide variety of information related to education and work with young adolescents with particular emphasis on deepening their content knowledge, serving as mentors for beginning teachers, advocating for middle grades students in the larger professional community, and conducting action research in classrooms.

The Middle Grades Education M.Ed. Program is delivered online, using both synchronous and asynchronous instruction. This program is available to teachers who already hold T4 certification, and culminates in the successful candidate being eligible for T5 certification in Georgia. 

Program Admission Requirements

• Minimum 2.75 GPA from a regionally accredited college/university

  • Option 1: Applicants who have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 from a regionally accredited university may be considered for admission to College of Education graduate programs.

  OR

  • Option 2: Applicants who have completed an undergraduate degree with an overall GPA between 2.5 and 2.74 from a regionally accredited university and hold 3 successful years of teaching experience, as documented by a letter from the current employer, may be considered for admission to a College of Education graduate program.

• Possession of, or eligibility for, a Professional Certificate, level four (4) Georgia Teacher Certificate

• Two professional recommendations (pdf) using the College of Education form

• Submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended. Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution to be eligible for admission into a graduate program at Georgia College.

Program Overview 

The Master of Education degree requires a minimum of 36 semester hours of course work in professional education, the certification area, and program requirements or electives. The degree program must be completed within six years beginning with the initial date of course work. Only those courses listed on the Program of Graduate Study fulfill degree requirements. Substitutions must be approved by the advisor prior to course enrollment and a Change of Graduate Program of Study form submitted to the appropriate departmental chairperson prior to enrollment. Up to nine (9) graduate credit hours may be transferred with the approval of the advisor prior to course enrollment. The appropriate form and documentation must be submitted with your request. Grades below a C do not fulfill degree requirements.

Graduate Assistantships

Limited Graduate Assistantships are available. Applications can be accessed at http://www.gcsu.edu/sites/files/page-assets/node-512/attachments/application_form_pdf.pdf

Dismissal Policy

Any course in which a student earns less than a C will not be counted for graduate credit in the student’s master’s degree program, and any course in which a student earns less than a B will not be counted for graduate credit in the educational specialist programs. A graduate student will be placed on academic probation if the student’s institutional grade point average falls below 3.0 at any point during his or her graduate studies. A graduate student will be dismissed from the program if their grade point average stays below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters.

Academic honesty is a critical component of the academic process in the Middle Grades programs. Submitting another’s work as one’s own is plagiarism; allowing another student to copy one’s own work is cheating. Both, along with any other evidence of academic dishonesty, will be dealt with using the procedures outlined in the Graduate Catalog.

Total Credit Hours: 36