Program

All candidates planning to pursue a master's degree or certification plan which requires a master's degree,

  • must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited university
  • submit official scores from either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT). The GRE or MAT is not required of any candidates who already hold a master's or doctorate upon entry to the plan.

To be admitted to a master's program or certification program requiring a master's degree

  • candidates must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited university with a 3.000 ("B" average) or greater GPA in the last 60 hours of coursework
  • must take the GRE or MAT to verify success on standardized tests.
  • The last 60 hours chronologically including the full semester in which the 60th hour appears, will be used to calculate the GPA.
  • Candidates who wish to be admitted to the counseling plan must complete a special admission process described under the heading "Master of Science in Counseling" later in this section.

Candidates with a GPA of 2.500 or above, but less than 3.000 in the last 60 hours, may pursue a master's degree or certification plan requiring a master's degree by obtaining:

  • A combined score of 900 or greater on the quantitative and verbal portions of the GRE and a 3.5 or greater on the analytical writing portion of the GRE.
  • A score of 36 or greater on the MAT

Candidates with less than a 2.500 GPA in the last 60 hours, or 2.500-3.000 but not meeting the GRE or MAT requirements listed above:

  • will not be allowed to pursue a master's degree or certification plan requiring a master's degree, except by sponsored admissions.
  • A full-time SoE faculty member may sponsor four candidates a year for admission to a master's degree or certification plan requiring a master's degree.
  • To be considered for sponsored admission, candidates must have submitted a GRE or MAT score, but no minimum score requirements are specified.
  • The faculty member's recommendation for sponsorship will be based on consideration of the candidate's previous academic record, standardized test scores, leadership potential, professional experiences and such other factors as the individual faculty member may deem predictive of potential success in a graduate plan at UHCL.
  • The "Request for Sponsorship" form is available in the SoE Office of the Associate Dean.
  • A sponsoring faculty member must complete and sign the form.
  • Candidates admitted through sponsored admission must maintain an overall GPA of 3.000 in all coursework taken.
  • In sponsoring candidates, faculty members agree to provide advisement support for those candidates to enhance the likelihood of success in their academic plans.
  • In addition to the other admission criteria listed above, international graduate candidates whose primary language is other than English also must meet the UHCL admission requirement on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
  • Credits earned prior to formal admission to a master's degree or certification plan requiring a master's degree as defined under this policy may not be credited toward that degree or certificate.

Assignment of Graduate Advisors

  • Faculty advisors are assigned at the time of admission to a graduate degree or certification program requiring a master's degree.
  • candidates should contact their faculty advisors as soon as possible following admission to the SoE to obtain a graduate plan of study.

Graduate Candidate Plan of Study (CPS)

  • Graduate degree-seeking candidates in the SoE must have on file in the Office of Educator Certification an approved CPS, which will include a minimum of 36 hours of coursework.
  • The CPS will be developed jointly by the candidate and advisor and approved by the Associate Dean.
  • These documents specify the coursework that must be completed in order to fulfill the requirements for the graduate degree or certification plan requiring a master's degree.

Age of Coursework for Graduate Degrees

Coursework, whether transfer or resident, may not be used for degree purposes if it is more than five years old at the time the degree is to be conferred.

Course Credit and Residency Requirements

  • A maximum of six hours of approved 4000-level courses may be used toward a 36-hour degree.
  • The final 24 hours of coursework must be taken in residence at UHCL.
  • A minimum of 30 hours must be taken from 5000 and 6000-level courses.
  • Correspondence or extension credits may not be applied toward a graduate degree.
  • EDUC 6032 is the prerequisite to EDUC 6033 and EDUC 6033 is to be completed before candidates register for Master's Options 1 or 2.
  • Candidates must have an approved Master's Thesis/Project Form on file with the SoE Office of the Associate Dean prior to enrolling in either a master's project or master's thesis.

Transfer of Credit

  • Only graduate courses in which grades of "B-" or better were earned may be considered for transfer credit toward a master's degree.
  • Grades of "C+" or below or grades of Satisfactory ("S"), Passing ("P") or Credit ("CR") will not be accepted toward meeting requirements for the master's degree.
  • In most instances, the transfer of credit is limited to six hours of coursework but may not include more than 12 hours.

Age of Certification Coursework
for Candidates Who Hold a Master's Degree

All coursework, whether resident or transfer, may not exceed ten years in age at the time of recommendation for a certificate requiring a master's degree.

Grade Point Requirements for
Certificates Requiring a Master's Degree

  • Candidates seeking a certificate requiring a master's degree must maintain a "B" (3.000) average in certification coursework to be recommended for any certification.
  • Only grades of "C-" or better are accepted for credit toward any professional certificate.
  • A maximum of six hours of grades within the range of "C+", "C" and "C-" are acceptable toward a certificate requiring a master's degree.

Transfer Credit Toward a
Certificate Requiring a Master's Degree

  • Only coursework in which a grade of "B-" or above was earned from an accredited institution may be considered for transfer credit.
  • At most twelve credit hours may be transferred toward the certificate plan.
  • Any required practicum or internship experiences must be completed at UHCL in order to be recommended for that certificate by the SoE.

Deadlines

  • Applications for graduate practica and internships may be obtained from and returned to B1231.
  • These applications must be received by June 8 for the fall semester, October 1 for the spring semester and March 1 for the summer session.
  • Candidates are authorized for enrollment in either the practicum or the internship as soon as possible after all requirements have been verified.
  • Candidates are referred to the Master's Option Guidelines booklet for specific information regarding theses, projects and internships/practica. This booklet is available in the Office of the Associate Dean.
  • Completed theses and projects are due in that office by the posted deadlines.