Curry School of Education

New students may enter the program during the fall semester only.  Application for admission must be received by March 15th of each year for students to enroll in the following fall. Application materials from the Curry School Admissions Office specify what to submit to complete the application process. When submitting a statement of professional goals, students should identify their specific interests in educational psychology and applied developmental science, their rationale for applying to this program, and their long-term goals.
The faculty makes decisions regarding admission. As is the case for entrance to all Curry programs, applicants must have solid academic preparation, and strong GRE scores and letters of reference.  The faculty is especially interested in considering applications from persons of traditionally underrepresented groups in higher education.

Application for admission must be received by March 15th of each year for students to enroll in the following fall.

COURSES — The M.Ed. program requires completion of a minimum of 35 credit hours (including a six-credit internship). 
Courses are shown in the course guideline table, found in the Guidelines for Prospective and Current Students handbook

These guidelines may be used to plan, review, and document progress.  The guidelines offer opportunities for electives and we encourage students to shape their Master’s experience to be consistent with their interests and their long-term goals.

Courses fit into three categories: substantive courses on developmental science, methods courses in education science, and proseminar.  The substantive courses in developmental science offer students a broad understanding of child, adolescent, and lifespan development.  The methods courses provide instruction on the qualitative and quantitative tools that researchers use to answer questions about child and youth development.  The proseminar offers students an opportunity to discuss research papers and be exposed to an array of speakers brought in from universities around the country. 

Student are permitted (and encouraged) to take elective courses.  In addition, student can choose which of several methods courses they would like to pursue during their second semester.  Students should make these decisions in collaboration with their advisor.  Advisors must approve all elective courses.

In the event that a student has already completed one or more of the recommended offerings with graduate courses taken elsewhere, up to six credits may be transferred into the program. (To document these imported credits, the student should include the name of the course in the “Alternative Courses” column, the date completed, and the institution where the credit was earned.) Although no more than six credits may be used from other programs, we encourage students to substitute electives for recommended courses they have already taken to avoid duplication of content.  The advisor must approve all transferred credits and substitutions.  In keeping with the interdisciplinary goals of the program, we encourage all students to take one course outside of Curry. 

In accordance with Graduate Record requirements, at least 24 of the 35 required credit hours must be taken at the University of Virginia.  Further, at least 18 credits must be completed after admission to the program. 
o INTERNSHIPS— Students must complete a six-credit field experience internship.  This requirement may be met by working as an educational scientist in a professional setting, collaborating on an evaluation project, or a number of other opportunities. (See our website for a sample of potential opportunities.)  Interns are expected to work cooperatively or under the direction of a work supervisor for a total of 200 hours.  Some students conduct their internships over the summer as a 12-week summer term whereas other students work on half of their internship during their spring semester and finish their internship in the summer.  Both the supervisor and a program faculty member develop an internship plan and evaluate job performance and any final products.  Interns may receive remuneration for their work. 

o COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION— Comprehensive examinations are administered when students have completed their coursework.  In general, the examination is taken during the last term of academic study (often, the summer).  Each student meets with his or her advisor to select a topic appropriate for the Master’s comprehensive exam.  After this conversation, the student develops two questions about the research literature in one broad area or two related smaller areas.  Each student meets with his/her advisor to discuss content and arrange the date for their comprehensive exam.  Students study the research literature for several weeks and sit to complete the exam in a four-hour period (allowing 2 hours of writing per question).  Students may not use notes to complete the comprehensive exam.  Two core faculty members evaluate performance on the exam. 

TO ASSURE COMPLETION OF A DEGREE PROGRAM, THE STUDENT MUST COMPLY WITH ALL RULES AND REGULATIONS CONTAINED IN THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA GRADUATE RECORD (http://records.ureg.virginia.edu/).

Unfortunately the department is unable to offer financial support at the Master’s level. Therefore, we strongly encourage students to explore the following options:
1. Scholarships:

o Curry Foundation Scholarships (ranging from a few hundred dollars to 10K)
o List of Fellowships from the website of the UVA Office of Graduate Student Diversity Programs

2. Federal Need-Based Financial Aid: Loans and Work-Study — To apply for need-based financial aid, applicants should submit:
o Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to the U.S. Department of Education and
o University of Virginia Financial Aid Application (UFAA) form to the UVA Office of Student Financial Services. 

(Both forms are available on the Student Financial Services website.  Please also see Curry’s Financial Aid page which includes a link to FAQs.)

3. Optional Monthly Payment Plan
(For information about billing and setting up monthly tuition payments, please see the Student Accounts website.)

12 months

Full or Part Time:

Full time.

Total credits earned must total 35 or more.

Please note: * if a Master’s student later enters the Ep-ADS PhD program, all courses except those marked with an asterisk may apply towards the PhD, with the approval of the Steering Committee.

The EP-ADS program prepares promising students to assist in education research, work in school districts, validate tests, evaluate the effects of instruction and special programming, design educational interventions, and pursue doctoral study.

Sara Rimm-Kaufman 

serk@virginia.edu      

350 Old Ivy Way       

434-982-2863