Education, School of

Dean: Amy Schweinle, Ph.D.
Associate Dean: Robin Wiebers, Ed.D.

School of Education
University of South Dakota
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
Phone: 605-677-5437
ed@usd.edu
www.usd.edu/ed

Degrees Available from the School of Education at the University of South Dakota:

GRADUATE CERTIFICATES
Alternative Teacher Certification
Mental Health Counseling
Science, Technology, and Math Pedagogy

MASTER OF ARTS
Counseling and Psychology in Education
Educational Administration and Leadership
Elementary Education
Kinesiology and Sport Management
Secondary Education
Special Education

MASTER OF SCIENCE
Technology for Education and Training

SPECIALIST IN EDUCATION
Counseling and Psychology in Education
Educational Administration and Leadership

DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
Curriculum and Instruction
Educational Administration and Leadership

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Counseling and Psychology in Education

The School of Education, established by the Board of Regents in 1927, has evolved into its present leadership position in the state offering a broad range of graduate degrees as listed above. The School of Education’s academic programs are organized to include five divisions: Curriculum and Instruction; Counseling and Psychology in Education; Educational Leadership; Kinesiology and Sport Management; and Teacher Residency and Education. Field-based experiences are integrated throughout graduate programs to provide practical application, evidence-based practice, and continual development of life-long learners and leaders.

The shared vision of the School of Education is that of Inspiring and Leading through Excellence in Education. The School is committed to preparing candidates a) to realize their professional potentials through visioning and innovation while being committed to inclusiveness and social justice; b) who have the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions to advocate for learners, align support systems, and facilitate the work of others to foster success; and c) who improve lives through evidence-based best practice, exemplifying the highest ethical and professional standards.

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), now renamed as the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), has accredited all the School of Education programs for the preparation of elementary/secondary teachers and school service personnel through the doctorate degrees. All programs leading to teacher certification or other school services licensures are approved by the State Board of Education of the South Dakota Department of Education (DOE).

School of Education Graduate Program Policies and Procedures

Doctoral Programs in the School of Education

Core Course Requirement - The following core courses must be completed:

1. A minimum of three semester hours from statistics courses EDER 762 or EDER 860.

2. A minimum of three semester hours from the five foundation courses:

AHED 715 Foundations of Global Lifelong Learning
EDFN 710 History of Education
EDFN 720 Philosophy of Education
EDFN 740 Comparative Education
EPSY 741 Cognitive Approaches to Educational Psychology

Credit Hour Requirements - A minimum of ninety (90) semester hours of graduate work (including fifteen (15) semester hours for the dissertation) beyond the baccalaureate degree including a minimum of sixty (60) semester hours beyond the master’s degree, or a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours beyond the specialist in education (Ed.S.) degree is required. At least forty-five (45) semester hours of graduate work (including dissertation) must be in the student’s major and at least fifteen (15) semester hours of supporting graduate courses must be earned in other options as determined by the student’s advisory committee. The balance of the coursework may be selected from any of the departments in the Graduate School. Note: a minimum of fifteen (15) semester hours of post specialist coursework in addition to the dissertation must be earned at the University of South Dakota.

Master’s and Specialist in Education Programs in the School of Education

Required coursework - All initial graduate programs of study (M.A. or initial Ed.S.) must include EDER 761: Graduate Research and Design within the first 2 semesters of coursework.