Department of Graduate Studies in Education

Program Overview

Graduate programs in education at Harding University can lead to a variety of different degrees. Each individual program is designed to meet the needs of the student with a view toward:

• Enriching and deepening the student’s professional knowledge.
• Enhancing the student’s field or fields of concentration.
• Creating a fuller understanding of the role of the educators in American school systems and their function in society.
• Increasing the student’s understanding of the aims, purposes, operation, and administration of American schools.
• Improving instructional skills and abilities through advanced work in professional courses.
• Acquiring an understanding of and skills in research methods, the evaluation of data, and the adaptation of data to professional needs.
• Expanding the student’s area of certification.
• Providing a solid academic background for those students who plan to attain other advanced degrees.
• Providing an atmosphere in which Christian standards are held in high esteem.

Classes are offered on the main Searcy campus, as well as Harding University-Northwest Arkansas in Rogers, Arkansas.

Enrollment, advising, and degree information are available at our Searcy campus. For further information concerning endorsements, licensure, and degrees, contact the chair of Graduate Studies in Education, Box 12261, Searcy, AR 72149-5615; or email graded@harding.edu.

Educator Licensing Disclosure Statement 

Harding University’s Cannon-Clary College of Education provides state-approved educator programs of study that, along with other qualifying criteria, allow candidates to apply for respective educator licenses in the state of Arkansas. If a candidate qualifies for and receives an educator license from the state of Arkansas, he or she may then be eligible for license reciprocity with other states. It will be the responsibility of the candidate to determine what requirements may be in place in the state they choose to apply for a license. The programs of study may not, however, necessarily meet other states’ requirements for licensing in those states. It will be the responsibility of the candidate to ascertain what program and state requirements will be necessary in the state they choose to apply for an educator license. Each jurisdiction has its own criteria and procedures for licensure and requirements vary.

Admission Status

Students may be admitted in one of these categories:

• Degree-seeking student: Degree seeking students in the graduate studies in education program are admitted either unconditionally or provisionally. Submission of application and listed materials is required.
• Non degree-seeking student: Students seeking additional teacher licensure or those who have already taken six hours of graduate work at Harding but are not in a degree seeking program are classified as NSD students. These students must apply for admission to the Graduate Program as NSD students and submission of application and listed materials is required.
• Special student: Students seeking graduate work for professional advancement or personal enrichment are classified as Special. These students will be allowed to take 6 hours of graduate course work for credit. These students are required to submit a special student application.
• Entrance by Letter: Any student currently enrolled in a graduate program in another institution accredited by an agency nationally recognized by the US Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation who wishes to take not more than six graduate hours at Harding University, and who wishes to transfer such credit to the other institution, may register and receive such credit at Harding University by submitting a letter from his or her parent institution. This letter should state the standing of the student and that the work will be accepted in exchange. In this case, no transcripts need to be submitted to Harding University’s graduate program. The chair of graduate studies is authorized to enroll such a student.
• Undergraduate student: Undergraduate students in the University may register for graduate courses during their final semester’s work, provided they lack not more than 9 semester hours of credit for graduation, make formal application for admission to graduate study, and meet the other regular requirements.

ACADEMIC REGULATIONS

Ability to Communicate

Because the ability to communicate is such an integral part of teaching, each candidate for the master’s degree must demonstrate above average competency in written and spoken English.

Advising and Registration

All students must contact the chair of graduate studies or the director of their specific program before their initial registration to plan an individual graduate program upon which subsequent registrations will be based. In addition to the general requirements for admission, all students should:

1. Submit all requested changes in their program of study for approval by the chair of graduate studies or the director of their specific program of study;
2. Consult frequently with the chair of graduate studies or the director of their specific program of study concerning the work progress, as it is the student’s responsibility to see all requirements are met; and
3. Know that registration in the graduate program automatically carries with it an obligation on the part of the student to meet all the requirements of the degree as defined by the regulations of the University.

Attendance

Admission to the University implies the student will observe the regulations of the school in regard to attendance. Regular attendance and participation in class activities are necessary for the attainment of a student’s educational objective. The University reserves the right to dismiss a student whenever, in its judgment, the general welfare of the institution seems to require such action.

Comprehensive Examinations

Comprehensive examination requirements are listed in the requirements for each specific program. Any person showing deficiency may be required to be reexamined or do additional work.

Course Credit

Courses that are not part of a degree program at Harding University will be given graduate credit, but will not count toward a master’s degree, unless given prior approval by the chair of graduate studies in education. Students may register in approved 5000-level courses for graduate credit. They must reflect, however, a quality of work appropriate to graduate standing, and are assigned additional readings, projects or term papers beyond that which is normally expected of undergraduates. All master’s degrees require a minimum of 18 hours to be taken at the 6000-level. Students who register for an independent study course must show evidence through previously completed work that they are academically able to do the required work as independent study. Only two independent study courses may be part of a master’s degree. Degrees in art are the only exceptions to this policy.

Doctoral Course Load Policy

After the successful completion of the doctoral coursework, a candidate will take only dissertation hours through the semester of his/her anticipated graduation. A doctor of education student is eligible for financial aid during the dissertation phase if he/she is enrolled for two or more hours of credit in the fall/spring or one or more hours of credit in the summer. Although candidates may sign up for more than the minimum amounts, candidates must take a minimum of 10 dissertation hours to complete the program. After candidates begin registering for dissertation hours (EDFD 8900 ), they must continue to register each semester until the study is completed. Extenuating circumstances for candidate maintenance status or time extension will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Dropping Classes

To drop a class, a student must submit the Drop Course Form which is located in the Registrar Forms section of Pipeline. Failure to attend or submit assignments does not constitute dropping the course. Please contact the Graduate Office in the College of Education for more information.

No completed class may be dropped.

Email

Communication of important information will be disseminated via Harding email accounts. It is the student’s responsibility to check his or her Harding email account regularly or forward emails sent to that account to another email address.

Examinations

A sufficient number of examinations, including a final, are given during a semester to provide a satisfactory basis for grades. Students are expected to take all regularly scheduled examinations. Students who miss an examination because of extraneous circumstances will need to contact the instructor to receive permission and rescheduling of the examination. A final examination may be taken out of regular schedule only in emergency situations approved by the instructor and the chair of graduate studies.

Grades

In order to determine the student’s scholarship level, the following points are assigned for each hour of the indicated grade: A, 4; B, 3; C, 2; D, 1; and F, 0.

Grades and Reports

Reports of mid-term and semester grades are available to the student online.

Scholarship or achievement of the student in each course is expressed as follows:

A - Excellent
B - Satisfactory
C - Passing
D - Failure
W - Withdrawn
I - Incomplete

“Incomplete” grades for final grades may be assigned only under all of the following conditions:

1. Completion of the course is not possible due to circumstances beyond the student’s control (catastrophic or emergency situations).
2. A majority of the course work has been completed.
3. Contact the chair of Graduate Studies in Education for required instructions.

Academic Standing Requirement

An average scholarship level of 3.00 is required in all course work. No grade below a C is acceptable for graduate credit (but will be used to calculate GPA), and only 6 semester hours of C credit may be counted. These must be balanced by 6 semester hours of A credit. Courses in which a grade of C or lower has been received may be repeated. If a student receives a grade of F, D, or a third C, the student is placed on academic probation.

Semester Hour Definition

A semester hour of credit requires 15 hours of lecture, recitation, discussion or equivalent, exclusive of time devoted to final examinations.

Student ID

Every student is required to have a student ID. In order to use the library and other facilities on campus, an ID is required.

Faculty

Chair: Clay Beason, Ed.D.

Professors:

Usenime Akpanudo, Ed.D.
     Director of Research Initiatives
Clay Beason, Ed.D.
Carol Douglass, Ed.D.
     Director of Special Education
Wendy Ellis, Ed.D.
     Director of Reading
Kimberly Flowers, Ed.D.
     Director of Doctoral and Educational Leadership Programs
Steve Warren, Ed.D.
     Director of Secondary Education

Associate Professors:

Amy Adair, Ed.D.
     Coordinator of Gifted and Talented Program
Leeann Howard, Ed.D.

Assistant Professors:

Darren Mathews, Ed.D.
     Director of the Non-Traditional Teacher Preparation Program
Pam Voss, Ed.D.
     Director of the Northwest Arkansas Professional Center
Jerrod Williams, M.Ed.

Programs

• Leadership (EDDL), EdD

• Educational Leadership (Superintendent) (ELSU), EdS

• Curriculum and Instruction Administration Endorsement (GR)
• Dyslexia Endorsement - Reading (GR)
• Dyslexia Endorsement - Special Education (GR)
• Early Childhood/Special Education Integrated B-K Endorsement (GR)
• Gifted and Talented Endorsement (GR)
• Principal Endorsement (GR)
• Reading Endorsement (GR)
• Special Education Administration Endorsement (GR)
• Special Education Endorsement, K-12 (GR)
• Special Education Resource K-6 and 7-12 Endorsement (GR)
• Superintendent Endorsement (GR)
• Teaching English as a Second Language Endorsement (GR)

• Master of Arts: Excellence in Teaching (EXIT), MA

• Early Childhood/Special Education Integrated (B-K) (SPBK), MAT
• Elementary Level, K-6 (ELED), MAT
• Middle Level, 4-8 (MLL), MAT
• Secondary Level, 7-12 (SLST), MAT
• Secondary Level, K-12 (SLKT), MAT
• Special Education K-12 (MASP), MAT

• Curriculum and Instruction Administration (CIC2), MEd
• Educational Leadership (Principal) (ELPR), MEd
• Reading with Dyslexia Endorsement (MERD), MEd
• Special Education Administration (CIS2), MEd
• Special Education K-12 (MESP), MEd

• Kinesiology (MSE-KINS)
• MSE Various Specialty Areas (MSE)