Atlanta Campus Catalog 2011-2012 - Mercer University

Performance-Based (PL-7) Building Level or System Level TrackOptionAfter completing all requirements of the Educational Leadership Ph.D. in P-12 SchoolLeadership, candidates who meet Georgia PSC requirements for Performance-based eligibilitymay complete the requirements to become eligible for PL-7 status by completinga year-long internship. (See Internship II, EDEL 645B in the Ed.S section.) For admissioninto this PL-7 certification only option, candidates must meet all requirements set by theGeorgia PSC.Academic StandardsCandidates for the Ph.D. in Educational Leadership degree must meet and maintainthe following program standards:1. A cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above on a 4.0 scale is required tograduate.2. No grade below a B may be used to satisfy degree requirements.3. A course in which a candidate earns a C or lower may be repeated only once. Upto 6 semester hours of courses for graduate credit may be repeated. A candidatemay not take an equivalent course at another university to replace a grade earnedat Mercer.4. All degree requirements must be completed within a six-year period.5. Students who do not enroll for three consecutive semesters are subject to all programpolicies, guidelines, and requirements in place at the time of re-enrollment.Exit Criteria for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in EducationalLeadershipA dissertation is required of all candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy degree.Candidates who are writing a dissertation should obtain, from their graduate advisors, acopy of the regulations for preparing and submitting a dissertation. These regulationsshould be followed carefully in preparing the manuscript. After approval by the appropriatecommittee within the Tift College of Education, the dissertation should be submittedto the chief academic officer of the University, accompanied by a receipt indicating paymentof all applicable graduation and dissertation fees. All additional program-specificrequirements must be met.Reading EndorsementIn addition to the M.Ed. in Reading, the Tift College of Education offers a readingendorsement for teachers who hold a valid teaching certificate in any field. Successfulcompletion of the three-course sequence of study with a GPA of at least 3.0 (with nograde lower than a B) will lead to eligibility for an in-field endorsement in reading and willprovide the certified teacher with strengthened and enhanced competencies for teachingreading and literacy at the prerequisite certification level. The courses required for the infieldreading endorsement are:EDUC 687. Reading Theory: Research & Best Practices in ECE Reading (Fall)(for ECE) orEDUC 688. Content Area Literacy Research & Best Practices(Spring) (for MG and SEC)EDUC 647. Preventing, Diagnosing, & Correcting Literacy Problems (Fall)EDUC 662. Clinical Practicum (Spring)TIFT COLLEGE OF EDUCATION / 209