General Information

The Curry School of Education, founded with two professorships in 1905 as one of the academic schools of the University, was endowed by gifts of $100,000 from John D. Rockefeller and $50,000 from the State General Education Fund. The school was named for Dr. J.L.M. Curry, a native Georgian whose accomplishments made him a man of great renown throughout the antebellum and reconstruction South. In addition to being an ordained minister, a Harvard law graduate, a member of Congress, and a U.S. Ambassador, Dr. Curry was a historian, an author, a college professor, and a strong advocate of universal education.

In 1919, the school was given a professional basis similar to that of the Schools of Law, Medicine, and Engineering. In 1950, a graduate division was established, offering the degrees of Master of Education and Doctor of Education. An Education Specialist degree was approved and initiated in 1974.

In 1968, the Curry School of Education entered a period of rapid and significant growth. By the mid 1970s, the faculty had increased to approximately 120 members. Today there are more than 20 specialized programs. The school has assumed a strong leadership role in the state through training educational personnel, providing valuable professional experiences, and applying research findings in service to various school divisions, colleges, and other educational agencies.

The Curry School of Education has two major missions. The first is to prepare personnel to work in America’s educational system, pre-kindergarten through collegiate levels, and to conduct research and scholarship that address problems and issues of importance to our educational system. Through partnerships with other organizations and educational institutions, the Curry School is committed to developing exemplary and innovative approaches to address those issues and problems. The second mission is to enhance human potential by preparing professionals and conducting research in such areas as psychological/emotional development, physical development and fitness, and speech/language/auditory development. These areas contribute to the betterment of the human condition and are directly related to increased learning and successful experiences in our educational system.

The school offers graduate students extensive opportunities for experience in research. The University’s reciprocal relationships with school divisions and other educational agencies allow for practicum experience and provide opportunities to study the implementation of change in varied institutional settings. Extensive information about the Curry School of Graduate Education and its programs is available online: curry.edschool.virginia.edu

Address

Curry School of Education
Ruffner Hall, 405 Emmet Street S
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400261
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4261
(434) 924-3334
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu
curry-admissions@virginia.edu

Degree Programs

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The Curry School of Education offers programs leading to the Master of Education, the Master of Teaching, the Education Specialist, the Doctor of Education, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Education degrees. There is also a five-year Teacher Education Program that allows students to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree simultaneously.

All degree programs offered by the Curry School of Education that are related to teacher education and educational leadership have been accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).

Areas of Graduate Study

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Graduate degrees are available in the following program areas. In some cases, a particular program includes several sub-specialties. For a listing of sub-specialties applicable to the Ed.D. and Ph.D. degrees, see the Doctoral Degrees section.

* Learning Disabilities, Behavioral/Emotional Disorders, Mental Retardation, and Early Childhood Developmental Risk. Note: Students who want to enroll in one or more graduate courses but do not intend to seek a degree at the University of Virginia should apply for admission as professional development students.

Facilities and Services

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Ruffner Hall The majority of academic facilities and offices of the Curry School of Education are located in Ruffner Hall. This facility houses laboratory space for studies in science education, instructional technology, counselor education, reading, educational psychology, and educational research. A well-equipped behavioral study area enables students and faculty to carry on advanced-level clinical observation and research, and a number of flexible meeting areas provide a supportive environment for studies in education. Additionally, Ruffner Hall houses centers that provide services to the community, the state and the nation, while providing students and faculty with instructional and research opportunities.

The Center for Clinical Psychology Services is a non-profit clinic providing psychological and educational services to the public and serving as an in-house training facility for graduate students of the Curry Programs in Clinical and School Psychology and other areas within the Curry School. The center is organized into specialized clinics and offers three basic categories of services: diagnosis, intervention, and consultation.

The Education Library contains approximately 150,000 volumes of current educational materials, a file of over 400,000 ERIC microfiche titles, and access to VIRGO. The library supports the academic needs of the undergraduate and graduate programs of the Curry School and provides periodicals, microfilms, books, and reserve materials required for class reading. Optical disc (CD-ROM) database systems and Internet connections provide access to materials from throughout the world. Retrospective research materials in education are located in Alderman Library.

The Educational Technology Center provides students and faculty with opportunities for technology-enhanced instruction and research. The center houses the Audio-Visual Production Lab, a video filming studio and production facility, the Special Technology Laboratory, the Apple Lab, the interactive IBM Microcomputer Classroom, and a collaborative classroom with Internet video conferencing.

The McGuffey Reading Center functions as a laboratory for the study of the reading process by furthering clinical and empirical research in developmental reading and preparing graduate students to serve as reading-language specialists. It also provides a remedial center for children with reading disabilities.

The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented The mission of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) is to produce and disseminate high-quality, practical research studies relating to the identification and development of the talent of students. Research has focused on ways to encourage talent in young, at-risk students; promote the social and emotional development of gifted students; and stimulate high-end learning in middle schools. There are currently six faculty and twelve graduate students working on projects of the NRC/GT.

The Personal and Career Development Center is operated by the Counselor Education Program within the Department of Human Services. The mission of the PCDC is two-fold: to provide a training venue for graduate-level counseling students and to provide assessment and counseling service to individuals. Services are provided to UVa students, as well as individuals from the surrounding community. People typically seek counseling for personal growth or development, as well as when they experience problems associated with career-life planning, interpersonal and family relationships, coping with life transitions, grief/loss, anxiety, and depression.

The Center for the Study of Higher Education fosters informed and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of higher education as a resource for scholars and practitioners. It offers degree programs, seminars, short institutes, and workshops, as well as research reports and occasional papers that provide administrators and other educational leaders with fresh perspectives on developments in the arena of post-secondary education.

The Center for Technology and Teacher Education is a cross-disciplinary institute with collaborating faculty drawn from several disciplines, including educational technology, teacher education, and policy studies. Teachers must be prepared to use the rapidly evolving technologies that are being placed in today’s classrooms to realize the promise that these technologies hold for the future. One goal of the center is to identify and develop educational technologies that should be integrated into teacher education curricula. An equally important goal is to prepare the next generation of educational technology leaders. Graduate fellows affiliated with the center are expected to serve in leadership positions in school districts, state education agencies, and teacher preparation programs.

The UCEA Center for the Study of Leadership and Ethics is sponsored jointly by the Department of Leadership, Foundations and Policy and the Ontario Institute for the Studies of Education at the University of Toronto under the auspices of the University Council for Educational Administration. The mission of the center is to research issues of moral and ethical significance to educational leaders, to hold conferences and workshops for practitioners and professors, and to create and maintain a supportive network for practitioners and scholars interested in moral and ethical dimensions of schooling.

Kinesiology Facilities

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The following physical education facilities are also a part of the Curry School of Education:

The Athletic Training and Physical Therapy Clinic provides therapy for the University's athletic teams, . It is located in the McCue Center, adjacent to University Hall.

The Center for Cardiac Health and Fitness provides professionally supervised programs of physical fitness enhancement and coronary risk factor modification. The programs provide coronary risk factor screening, medically supervised graded exercise testing (stress testing), supervised exercise programs for normal adults, and supervised exercise rehabilitation programs for coronary heart disease patients. The center also serves as a teaching and research facility for experiences in exercise physiology and sports medicine.

The Motor Learning Laboratory is a research facility designed to study factors that influence motor skill acquisition and performance. Research includes investigating perceptual constraints; movement speed; EEG correlates of movement; substructures of balance, strength, and flexibility; and psychological factors related to the acquisition and performance of motor skills. Individuals seeking research experiences related to motor skill acquisition and performance utilize this laboratory.

The Sport and Exercise Psychology Laboratory is designed for experimental and interview studies on such topics as observational learning, peer relationships, perceived competence in sport, coaching feedback, performance enhancement, and character development through sport.

The Exercise Physiology Laboratory is a state-of-the-art research facility. Lines of research examine clinical aspects of diet exercise related to disease states such as the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and peripheral artery disease. Other active areas of research include limits of human exercise performance and other clinical aspects of exercise. We were the first NIH funded Core Exercise Physiology Laboratory, which is part of the General Clinical Research Center of the University of Virginia Health System (http://gcrc.med.virginia.edu). Arthur Weltman, Ph.D. directs this laboratory.

The Exercise and Sport Injury Laboratory conducts research in areas of prevention, assessment, and rehabilitation of injuries associated with exercise, sport and physical activity.

Communication Disorders Facilities

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Communication Disorders Facilities house clinical, research, and office space. Classes are taught in the Curry School of Education's Ruffner Hall. Program facilities include a conference room, speech and language science labs, audiological suite, rooms for individual and group client assessment and treatment, research space, and a computer lab.

The Speech-Language-Hearing (SLH) Center, housed in the Communication Disorders Facility, is an integral component of the Curry School's Communication Disorders Program. The Center is a full-service clinical facility in which service delivery is supervised by the faculty and staff of the Communication Disorders Program. It provides students in the speech-language pathology academic program with opportunities to work with individuals of all ages who experience a wide range of speech, language, and hearing disorders.

Field Experiences, Associateships, Practica, and Internships

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Charlottesville and the surrounding area provide a rich resource for practical experiences for students in the Curry School of Education. The nature of a student’s particular field experience is determined by his or her field of specialization. It is impossible to list all of the sites available for students; the following list serves to illustrate the variety:

Student Organizations

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Education Council All students in the Curry School of Education are members of the Education Council (EC). In addition to its function as liaison between students and faculty of the School of Education, the EC participates in many service programs affecting the University and the Charlottesville community, such as tutoring underprivileged children and coaching children’s sports.

Council for Exceptional Children is a professional group focusing on issues related to individuals with exceptionalities. Membership is open to both faculty and students who have an interest in working with exceptional individuals. It is sponsored by the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education.

Counselor Education Student Organization membership is open to all counselor education students. The organization helps to coordinate student orientation for the fall semester, provides a peer orientation program, and sponsors both social events and professional development programs for faculty and students.

NSSLHA The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association is open to all students in Communication Disorders. It is a professional, social, and philanthropic organization that sponsors student activities throughout the year. Membership in the organization also qualifies students for a variety of benefits, including special rates for journals and conventions, and initial ASHA membership.

The Clinical and School Psychology Student Association has four major functions. It holds an orientation for new students in the program each year, sends a representative to faculty meetings to act as a liaison between the faculty and clinical psychology students, sponsors social gatherings, and annually bestows the Lucile E. Michie Award in recognition of a professional in clinical psychology who has been supportive of student development.

The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) is open to all students in Communication Disorders. It is a pre-professional, social, and philanthropic organization that sponsors student activities throughout the year. Membership in the national NSSLHA organization qualifies students for a variety of benefits, including special rates for journals, conventions, and initial ASHA membership. NSSLHA membership is required for access to members-only web materials that support certain enrollments.

Student Virginia Education Association membership is open to both graduate and undergraduate students. Members participate in various professional activities, receive educational publications, participate in seminars and conferences, and receive liability/tort insurance.

Academic Honors, Scholarships and Honor Societies

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Chi Sigma Iota is an international counseling academic and professional honor society. Founded in 1985, the objective of Chi Sigma Iota is to promote scholarship, research, professionalism and excellence in counseling and to recognize high attainment in the pursuit of academic and clinical excellence in the field of counseling. The Rho Beta chapter of Chi Sigma Iota was established through the Counselor Education Program at the University of Virginia in 1989.

Kappa Delta Pi, an honor society in education that was founded in 1911, chartered its Eta Kappa Chapter at the University of Virginia in 1951. The constitution of the society reads as follows: the purpose of Kappa Delta Pi shall be to encourage high professional, intellectual, and personal standards and to recognize outstanding contributions to education. To this end it shall invite to membership to persons who exhibit commendable personal qualities, worthy educational ideals, and sound scholarship. It shall endeavor to maintain a high degree of professional fellowship among its members and to quicken professional growth by honoring achievement in educational work.

Phi Delta Kappa is an international professional fraternity for men and women in education. The membership is composed of recognized leaders in the profession and students whose leadership potential has been identified. Members come from a wide range of educational endeavors. They are classroom teachers, administrators, and college and university professors, who represent research and teaching interests in all areas. Members promote free public education through research, service, and leadership. Alpha Beta Chapter was established at the University of Virginia in 1921.

General Academic Requirements

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Admissions Applications for admission to Professional Development Studies and the Master of Education, Master of Teaching, Education Specialist, Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree programs may be obtained from the Office of Admission and Student Affairs, Curry School of Education, Ruffner Hall, 405 S. Emmet Street, P.O. Box 400261 University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4261; (434) 924-3334. Students who wish to apply for a doctoral degree program should note the differences in requirements for the Ed.D. and the Ph.D. as outlined in the section titled Doctoral Degrees.

Online applications and extensive information about admissions can be found at www.curry.edschool.virginia.edu.

Admission criteria include strong Graduate Record Examination scores, academic records that reflect advanced capabilities (generally a grade point average above 3.0), strong letters of recommendation, and professional experience related to the field of study. Students must also submit a statement of professional goals that reflects their writing skills and their desire to study at the University of Virginia. This statement should also describe how professional goals will be enhanced by study in the Curry School. Students from under-represented groups and/or with diverse backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply.

Special instructions apply to the clinical psychology program. Any student who holds a master’s degree in psychology, counseling, or another closely related area should complete an application for the Ph.D. program in clinical psychology. Students not holding a master’s degree should complete the application for the M.Ed. program. The application deadline is January 5.

Official transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate work, Graduate Record Examination scores, and at least two letters of recommendation must be provided as part of the application process. There is a $40 non-refundable application fee that must accompany the application.

Application Deadlines Admission applications and all supporting documents, including GRE scores, should be received by deadlines specified by program areas. Priority for funding will be given to doctoral applicants who submit applications by February 1. Students are permitted to enter the clinical and school psychology programs in the fall semester only. Applications and required materials for the Curry Program in Clinical and School Psychology are due January 5. Counselor Education applications are due by January 15 for admission to the fall semester. The Communication Disorders Program has a February 1 deadline. The following programs have March 1 deadlines and generally accept new applicants for the fall semester only: M.T. programs, Risk and Prevenion in Education Sciences, and Sport Psychology.

Graduate Record Examinations The Curry School of Education requires the Graduate Record Examination basic core of verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing tests for admission to all graduate programs.. GRE scores must be current (within five years of the date of application).

Examinations should be taken as early as possible so that scores are available prior to the application deadline. Information on the GRE may be obtained directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) or from the Office of Admission in 104 Ruffner Hall.. The designation of Code 5820 should be indicated at the time of administration to ensure that scores will be sent to the Curry School of Education.

Completed registration forms and test fees should be mailed to ETS at least five weeks before the test date to request a test center in the United States or Puerto Rico, and seven weeks to request a test center in any other country. For a registration form and detailed information about registration dates, test centers, fees, and score reporting, obtain the Information Bulletin (National Administrations Editions) from Graduate Record Examinations, Educational Testing Service, Box 955, Princeton, NJ 0854; www.gre.org.

It is also possible to take a computerized version of the GRE in many major cities.

TOEFL Scores All international students for whom English is not the native language must take and submit TOEFL scores.

Other Requirements

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Change of Program Area Students are admitted into a specific program area in the Curry School of Education. To change a program area or registration status, students must be in satisfactory standing in their present program area and be approved for admission to the new program area. Change of status forms to initiate this process are available in the Office of Admission and Student Affairs in 104 Ruffner Hall and online: http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/admissions/pdf/changeofstatusform.pdf.

Matriculation A student who is offered admission must accept that offer (in writing) and take at least one course at the University within one year of the matriculation date stated on his or her application or the school assumes that he or she is not attending the University. After one year, application materials are destroyed, requiring a new application for readmission. Readmission is not automatic in such instances and depends upon a full review of the student’s record.

Faculty Advisor After being admitted, each student is assigned a faculty advisor. The advisor must be contacted before the first semester of matriculation to plan the degree program. All courses taken for degree credit must be appropriate to the student's degree program and must have the advisor's approval.. It is the student's responsibility to determine the specific requirements prescribed by the department and program area.

Transfer of Credit Students may, with the approval of the associate dean and the department offering the program, transfer some graduate credit earned at other accredited institutions. All graduate credit offered for transfer must be applicable to the degree program the student is pursuing. Specific limitations and policies governing the application of transfer credit toward degrees are listed in the section on degree requirements. Undergraduate courses, or courses previously applied toward an undergraduate degree, are not transferable for credit to graduate programs.

Through the many continuing and professional studies centers located throughout the state, the Curry School of Education offers courses that may be taken for graduate degree credit. Upon request, the Curry School will organize courses for local school systems or other organizations in which teachers may earn non-degree credit.

Enrollment Requirements Although it is not necessary to be enrolled continuously from the time of acceptance as a graduate student until completion of the degree, students must apply for readmission to the Curry School if they allow 12 consecutive months to elapse without being enrolled in at least one course for credit toward a degree program. Readmission is not automatic in such instances and will depend on a full review of the student’s past record and departmental resources. Students who are readmitted are subject to the current requirements.

Ph.D. students must be continually enrolled each academic (fall and spring) semester. Students who fail to do so must re-apply.

All students, resident or non-resident, must be officially registered during the semester in which a degree may be conferred and at any time in which University resources are used (e.g., examinations, committee meetings, faculty conferences).

Registration Registration and advising days are announced in the calendar in this Record and online at www.virginia.edu/registrar/calendar.html. Students should use ISIS to register for classes (http://www.virginia.edu/registrar/reginst.html) after consulting with their advisors. Registration includes two steps: course enrollment and final registration. Professional Development students may enroll online or at the Office of Admission and Student Affairs of the Curry School on the first day of class.

Course Load Full-time students take a minimum of 9 graduate credits during each regular semester. A student must petition for special permission to take 18 or more credits.

Students who are employed full-time may enroll for a maximum of three credits each semester. Permission to enroll in more than three credits must be secured from the employer, advisor, department chair, and associate dean.

Drop and Add After the final date for adding or dropping courses, any change in enrollment (or requests to change the grading system by which the student is evaluated) can only be made by completing a policy exception form and receiving approval of the instructor, advisor, and associate dean.

In general, it is not possible to drop a course after the specified date; with the instructor's consent, it may be possible to be assigned a grade of W, WP, or WF.

Grade Changes It is the student’s responsibility to monitor the accuracy of university transcripts. This can be done through ISIS at www.virginia.edu/isis. All corrections or inquiries must be completed within one calendar year of the course.

Incomplete Policy An IN is recorded when reasons known to the professor are judged adequate to justify an extension of time to complete course requirements. An IN may not be used to allow a student to attempt to raise a grade at the end of the term. The time line to complete an incomplete may be negotiated with an instructor but may not extend beyond one year of the semester in which the course was originally taken. Students are expected to enter into a written contract with the instructor specifying the remaining requirements and agreed-upon time line. It is the student’s responsibility to file the incomplete agreement in the Office of Admission and Student Affairs. After one year, if the student has not met the terms of the incomplete agreement, the faculty member may submit a grade of F, U, WF, or W; if no action is taken by the faculty member, the incomplete is administratively changed to a W. Because the structure and content of courses constantly change, in order to change an incomplete grade that is older than three years to a regular course grade, the instructor may require that the student take the course again.

Withdrawal From A Course A student may withdraw from a course at any point prior to 5:00 P.M. on the last day of classes (in the term of enrollment) if permission has been secured from the student’s advisor and instructor and a petition has been approved and filed in the dean’s office. This action results in the course remaining on the transcript and the instructor being asked to record a grade of W, WP or WF on the final grade sheet; a W may be assigned only if there is no basis on which to determine a WF or WP. None of these notations affect the grade point average, nor does the course count toward credits earned.

Grading Grades are awarded only to students who register for and complete a course for credit. The letter grade symbols used for grading graduate students in the Curry School of Education are: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F, W, WP, and WF. The lowest grade that can be applied toward a degree is B-.

Student work may be graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) basis in certain courses within the Curry School. These courses or sections are approved for this grading system by the department offering the course and the associate dean for academic and student affairs. The specific S/U graded courses and the maximum number of credits that may be completed under this system and applied toward a graduate degree must be approved by the student’s major program advisor and, if a doctoral student, by the doctoral committee.

A course may not be repeated on an S/U basis to change a grade in a course previously completed on a letter-grade basis. If a course is repeated, the original grade stands, and the credits earned in the second taking of the course cannot be used for degree credit. The last day for changing to or from an S/U grade in a course is the last day for adding a course.

Students in the Curry School of Graduate Education are not permitted to take courses on a CR/NC basis.

Attendance Students are expected to attend classes throughout the session, with the exception of University holidays, unless permission to be temporarily absent or to withdraw has been first granted by the student's advisor and the dean. Excuses for absence from class are arranged between the student and the instructor of the course in question. Routine excuses for illness are not furnished by the Department of Student Health either to the student or to the instructor. If final examinations are missed for medical reasons, the Department of Student Health notifies the dean. Upon request from the dean, the Department of Student Health evaluates the effect of any illness upon a student's attendance and academic performance. Failure to attend classes or other prescribed activities in a course may result in enforced withdrawal from the course or other penalties as determined by the instructor.

Attendance During Examinations Written examinations are an essential part of most courses. A final exam or culminating experience is expected in all classes. The time period assigned for final examinations is considered part of the regular academic semester, and classes must meet during their scheduled examination period. Absence from exams is not excused except for illness on the day of examination as attested by a physician’s certificate, or for other causes that the instructor, advisor, and dean, by special action, may approve. An unexcused absence is counted as a failure and, at the discretion of the instructor, may result in failing the course.

Standards for Satisfactory Performance in Graduate Programs A graduate student’s performance is subject to periodic review by his or her advisor and major program area. Course work, clinical performance, and competence in general professional practice, as well as other professionally relevant qualities, are considered. The department may, upon recommendation of the student’s major advisor or doctoral committee, require withdrawal from the program whenever the student’s performance fails to reflect the potential for high-level professional contributions. Before any decision to require withdrawal is made final, a student must be given notice of inadequacies in his or her performance, advice as to appropriate remedial steps, and a reasonable opportunity to improve. On the other hand, receipt of one or more failing grades (C+ or below) in any semester or summer session may initiate a review by a student’s major program area or department. Under such circumstances, the department may, upon recommendation of the student’s major advisor or doctoral committee, require the student’s immediate withdrawal from the program. (The same policy applies to professional development.)

Voluntary Withdrawal A student may petition to withdraw from the University any time up to 5:00 P.M. on the last day of classes. An official application to withdraw, accompanied by a statement describing the reasons for withdrawal, must be obtained from the Office of Admission and Student Affairs. The application must be approved, in writing, by the assistant dean. If the student withdraws for medical reasons, among the requirements for readmission is clearance from the Department of Student Health. A student under 18 years of age must have parental approval for such withdrawal. An exit interview must be held with the dean of students and all University identification cards must be submitted at that time. In addition, the student must clear any financial debts to the University before the withdrawal is final.

Readmission to the Curry School of Education is not automatic. After an absence of 12 months or longer, a former student must apply for readmission. To apply for readmission, the student must submit an application to the academic dean’s office at least 60 days before the next University registration period. Failure to comply with these regulations subjects the student to suspension from the University by the vice president for student affairs.

Enforced Withdrawal A student may be required to withdraw from the University if the academic advisor, department, and the dean determine that the student is making unsatisfactory progress toward a degree. Such a determination must follow the policies established by the school and those set forth in the chapter titled University Regulations.

Application for Teacher Licensure and Endorsement Students seeking an initial teaching license in Virginia, or those who wish to add an endorsement to their Virginia license, may receive procedural instructions and forms from the assistant dean of admission and student affairs in the Office of Admission and Student Affairs, 104 Ruffner Hall. The assistant dean is also available to help students who wish to apply for out-of-state certification. Under the Interstate Certification Project, the state of Virginia has reciprocity with 28 other states, the District of Columbia, and the Panama Canal Zone.

In the Curry School of Education, degree requirements and license/endorsement requirements are distinct. While many programs of study can meet both degree and licensure/endorsement requirements, and major portions of the two may be synonymous, a student may meet one set of requirements and not the other (i.e., receive a degree without qualifying for recommendation for licensure). Students should see their advisor or the assistant dean, 104 Ruffner Hall, for clarification of degree and license/endorsement requirements.

To be recommended for licensure/endorsement, a student must satisfactorily complete all requirements of the appropriate Curry School of Education approved program, make appropriate application through the Office of Admission and Student Affairs, and, for initial license, submit passing scores on required assessments (e.g., Praxis I, Praxis II, Va. Reading Assessment) to the State Department of Education.

Any student seeking initial licensure through the Curry School must be in a Curry School "approved program" and have completed student teaching or an approved equivalent practicum. (See description of master’s, M.T., programs and Professional Development non-degree licensure program.)

Accelerated Teacher Education Program Option Students enrolled in a Master of Teaching degree program may complete all requirements and graduate in 1.5 years. Attendance at a 3-week summer session program is required.

Application and Registration for Degrees Application for a degree must be submitted by the student in accordance with the deadlines listed below. Forms may be obtained online at: http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/admissions/pdf/ and should be submitted to the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs after being signed by the student's advisor.

Degree Applications are due October 1 for January graduation, February 1 for May graduation, and June 1 for August graduation. The application specifies all courses offered in fulfillment of degree requirements and must be signed by the official advisor and department chair.

Candidates who do not receive degrees in the session for which their applications have been approved must renew their applications at the beginning of the session in which candidacy for the degree is desired.

Non-resident degree applicants must be registered for the semester in which the degree is to be awarded. Registration for an evening or weekend course in residence meets this requirement, but registration through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies does not.

Degree candidates enrolled through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, as well as those not enrolled at all, must complete registration for the degree and pay registration fees to the University of Virginia during the semester or summer session in which the degree will be conferred. A student who is registered for the degree but who fails to meet the requirements for that degree must register and pay a fee for the preparation of a new diploma in the next term.

Special Tuition and Fee Information

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Any person who undertakes any form of academic study within the University, including supervised research, or who uses any University facilities, or who consults regularly with a faculty member concerning graduate work, must register as a student and pay the research fees specified in chapter 2.

Tuition/Related Academic Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree Students must complete 72 credits of courses while regularly enrolled as graduate students; full tuition must be paid for at least 54 credits other than non-topical research; and only 24 credits of a completed master's degree from another institution may be counted toward either the 54 or 72 credit requirements. Thus, at least 36 credits of regular courses (full tuition) and 48 credits overall must be completed at the University of Virginia (beyond the master's degree).

Reduced University Charges Students who are candidates for advanced degrees and who carry course loads of fewer than nine credits are permitted to pay reduced University tuition and/or fee charges. (Note: to establish full-time status for doctoral residency, at least nine credits must be carried.)

A student not in residence at the University who wishes to return to receive a degree or take an examination (e.g., comprehensives, research, qualifying exams) must pay the non-resident fee for the semester or summer session during which the degree is conferred but is exempt from all other fees.

Special Tuition Fees for School Personnel School employees under contract have the benefit of paying a reduced rate for any one class taken during an academic session. This special fee applies to individuals employed in Virginia’s public K-12 schools or private schools that are members of the Virginia Council of Private Education and are accredited by such. Educators under contract in licensed K-12 residential schools are also eligible for special tuition fees.

Summer Session

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Students interested in earning a degree must be admitted to the professional development category or a graduate degree program before taking courses through summer session. (Admission as a visiting graduate through summer session is not related to admission to any specific degree program or status in the Curry School of Education.) Inquiries concerning summer offerings should be addressed to the Director of the Summer Session, Garrett Hall, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400161, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4161.