Program in progress
Contact your adviser/plan your program
M.Ed./professional studies students should contact their faculty adviser upon receiving the M.Ed. admission packet to begin planning their program. Students and advisers work together to develop a “program plan,” a document of coursework and other requirements designed to guide students through program completion.
Faculty members hold regular office hours and are generally accessible via e-mail and voice mail. It is a good idea for students to check in regularly with their faculty adviser to ensure that they are on track with their program.
Changes to your program
Once students have discussed with their faculty adviser a plan for their M.Ed. program, they may encounter the need to make changes. It is a good idea for students to check in with their adviser about these changes. Students may be required to complete a petition form to obtain department and College approval on the requested changes (see “Petition process” section for details.) Students are advised to keep copies of all faculty and College correspondence (e-mail and petition forms) for their own records.
Changing your name, contact, and other personal information
Students who have changed their name, contact, and other personal information during the course of their program are responsible for notifying the University. In order to request an official change with the University, students must submit the appropriate University forms, including the Name Change Request or Notice of Address Change forms, available at the University’s Office of the Registrar. Students must also contact Student Services and their faculty adviser with these changes so that all records can be updated.
Petition process
A petition allows a student to seek permission to vary their own program from the program requirements listed in the CEHD publications. Petition categories include: course substitutions, transfers, exemptions, extensions, and program changes.
How to file a petition:
- 1. Obtain the University of Minnesota Petition for Students in Undergraduate and Professional Programs form from Student Services, 110 Wulling Hall, 612-625-6501; the department; or the University’s Office of the Registrar.
- Fill out all information (including student ID number and major) and confer with a faculty or department adviser about the request.
- Obtain a faculty signature under “Adviser/Department Recommendation” section.
- After obtaining signatures, submit the completed petition to the front desk at Student Services, 110 Wulling Hall.
- Student Services will act on your petition within four weeks of receiving it from your adviser.
You will receive a copy of the petition with the College’s Student Scholastic Standing Committee action in the mail.
Transferring coursework
A maximum of 12-14 graduate semester transfer credits may be applied to the M.Ed. program. Credits may include any combination of the following coursework:
- Up to 4-8 graduate semester credits from fully accredited institutions other than the University of Minnesota for students enrolled at the University’s Twin Cities campus; up to nine graduate semester credits for students enrolled at the University’s Rochester campus
- Credits completed at the University of Minnesota before admission to the M.Ed. program
Transfer coursework must be completed at the graduate level and approved by a faculty adviser and the College. Workshop credits are usually not accepted for transfer to C&I programs. Contact the program’s faculty adviser for more information.
Transfer credit requirements vary from program to program. Credits from the University of Minnesota coordinate campuses, except for Morris and Rochester, are considered to be transfer credits. Transfer courses completed at a “quarter” system institution are converted to semester credits by multiplying the quarter credits by 0.67 (e.g., 4.5 quarter credits equal 3 semester credits).
Transfer coursework must meet the following criteria:
- The course must be relevant to the student’s M.Ed. program and be approved by the faculty adviser.
- The institution where the course was taken must be accredited.
- The course must be approved as graduate-level at the institution where it was taken.
- The course must be taken after the date of the posting of the student’s bachelor degree.
- The course must have been taken for graduate credit.
- The term and year the course was taken must fall within seven (7) years of University of Minnesota M.Ed. graduation.
Note: Workshop classes are generally not accepted for graduate-level credit.
Procedures for transferring coursework
- Check the accreditation status of the school from which you wish to transfer credits. Student Services has a reference guide if you need assistance.
- Bring a copy of your transcript and a course description or syllabus to your faculty adviser at your initial meeting. If your adviser approves the course(s) as relevant to your program and they meet the stated guidelines, then fill out the “Student” section of a petition form.
- After the appropriate forms are signed and completed, they are
then forwarded by your adviser to the College’s Student Scholastic
Standing Committee at Student Services (110 Wulling Hall) for review. Actions by
the committee are either approved or not approved, as described in
the comment section of the petition. If petitioning for transfer
course approval, students must submit an official transcript in
order to post the course to your University of Minnesota transcript.
Revised October 2005