Instructional Systems, Leadership,                     

                       and Workforce Development

College of Education

Dr. Richard Blackbourn, Dean

Dr. Anthony Olinzock, Department Head and Graduate Coordinator

Industrial Education Building 100

662-325-2281

olinzock@colled.msstate.edu

The Department of Instructional Systems, Leadership and Workforce Development offers graduate course work leading to master’s degrees in Educational Leadership, Instructional Technology, Technology, Workforce Education Leadership, and a Master of Arts in Teaching in Community College Education.  The master’s degree programs are offered with a thesis option and require a minimum of 30 semester credit hours and a comprehensive examination.  The non-thesis option is also offered.  The educational specialist, the doctor of education, and the doctor of philosophy degrees may be earned with a program emphasis in Educational Administration or Technology.  The Ph.D. degrees in Community College Leadership and in Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Education Administration are also available.  For more information, contact the Department of Instructional Systems, Leadership and Workforce Development, Box 9730 , Mississippi State , MS   39762, telephone 662-325-2281, fax 662-325-7599, or email olinzock @colled.msstate.edu.

Admission Criteria—Prerequisites for admission into the graduate program include all the general requirements of the Office of Graduate Studies.  In addition, scores from all sections of the GRE must be submitted.  International students must obtain a TOEFL score of 550 or higher.

Program of Study/Completion Requirements – The master’s degrees require the following credit hours of course work above the baccalaureate degree for the non-thesis option:  Master of Science in Instructional Technology, 33 hours; Master of Science in Technology, 30 hours; Master of Science in Workforce Education Leadership, 33 hours, Master of Science in School Administration, 39 hours, and MAT in Community College Education, 33-36 hours.  At least 15 hours must be from 8000-level courses or above, and a minimum of 15 credit hours must be department courses.  A written comprehensive examination is required.  Students who elect the thesis option must complete an oral comprehensive examination in defense of the thesis.

Educational Specialist students must complete at least 30 semester hours above the Master’s degree, and one-half or more of the hours must be 8000 level courses or above.  A thesis (six credit hours) or a Directed Individual Study (three credit hours) is required.  A final written comprehensive examination is required.

Doctoral students are required to complete a minimum of 90 hours of course work above the baccalaureate degree, at least two-thirds of which must be from 8000 level courses or above.  Each student is assigned a major professor and a committee.  A formal program of study is developed by the student with the advice and concurrence of the student’s major professor and other committee members during the student’s second semester of enrollment.  Twenty hours of dissertation research, written and oral preliminary examinations, a dissertation, and an oral examination in defense of the dissertation are required.

Provisional Admission—If a student does not fully meet the admission requirements of the program, it may be possible for that student to be admitted provisionally.  If admitted provisionally, the student must attain a 3.00 GPA on the first nine hours of graduate courses at Mississippi State University after admission to the program.  Transfer or unclassified graduate credit cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.  If a 3.00 GPA is not attained, the student may be dismissed from the graduate program. 

Contingent Admission—A student may be given a department-contingent admission.  In this case the department will establish requirements the student must meet before regular admission is granted, such as completing specific courses with a grade of B or higher or completing required course work if the student does not have an undergraduate degree in an appropriate area for graduate study in the department.

Academic Performance—Unsatisfactory performance is defined as making more than two grades of C or lower in courses taken for graduate credit or failure to maintain a B average in graduate courses attempted after admission to the program (i.e., program and non-program courses).  In addition, failure of the comprehensive/preliminary examination, an unsatisfactory evaluation of a thesis or dissertation, failure of the research defense, or any other failure of a required component of one’s program of study is unsatisfactory performance. Any one of these or a combination of these will constitute a basis for review for possible dismissal.

If unsatisfactory performance is determined, the graduate coordinator, the major professor, and the dean will review the student’s record and determine a course of action.  Appeal of dismissal can be made by submitting a written appeal statement to the graduate coordinator and/or department head.  If the dismissal is upheld by the graduate coordinator and/or department head upon the student’s appeal, the student can then submit a written appeal to the Dean of the College of Education .

Instructional Systems and Workforce Development

Master of Science in Technology (M.S.T.)

Required Courses:

EDF  8353     Principles of Curriculum Development. 3 hours

EDF 8363      Functions and Methods of Research in Education. 3 hours

Teacher Education Majors must meet these additional requirements:

TKT 8263      Philosophy and Administration of  Vocational Education. 3 hours

TKT 8213      Content and Method of Teaching in Career and Technical Education. 3 hours

Master of Science in Instructional Technology

(M.S.I.T.)

Prerequisite Courses:

TKT 1273      Microcomputers in Education. 3 hours

TKB 6283      Advanced Office Systems. 3 hours

One of the following two courses:

TKB 6543      Advanced Information Processing. 3 hours

TKT 6743      Presenting with Media. 3 hours

Required courses:

TKT 8703      Trends and Issues in Instructional Systems. 3 hours

TKT 8713      Seminar in Research and Development. 3 hours

TKT 8723      Instructional Design for Industry. 3 hours

TKT 8200      Internship in Vocational Education and Technology. 1-6 hours

TKT 8793      Directed Project in Instructional Technology. 3 hours

Master of Science, Workforce Education

Leadership (W.E.L.)—This program is offered jointly through Mississippi State University and Alcorn State University (ASU).  Courses offered only at Mississippi State University may be taken by distance education by ASU students; courses offered only at ASU may be taken by distance education by MSU students.  Students at either school must take some course work at the other school, usually via distance education techniques. 

Required Courses:

Instructional Technology and Workforce Education. 9 hours

Offered at MSU only:

TKT 8233      Occupational Surveys, Placement and Follow-up. 3 hours

TKT 8272      Instructional Design for Industry. 2 hours

TKT 8763      Seminar in Planning for Instructional Technology. 3 hours

TKT 8773      Teaching and Training with Media. 3 hours

Offered at ASU only:

IE 552            School-to-Work Initiatives

IE 578            Welfare-to-Work Programs

IE 579            Federal and State Job Training Programs

IE 589            Vocational Administration Certification Course

Other required courses:

EDF    8363   Functions and Methods of Research in Education. 3 hours

TKT 8203      Internship in Workforce Development. 3 hours

AIS 8523        Teaching Out-of-School Groups. 3 hours

MGT 8513     Human Resource Management. 3 hours

SO 8303        Rural Sociology. 3 hours

MGT 9813     Seminar in Organizational Behavior. 3 hours

CCL 8113     History and Philosophy of the Community College. 3 hours

Educational Specialist Degree-Technology

(Ed.S.)—Required courses:

:EPY 6114     Educational and Psychological Statistics. 4 hours

TKT 8793      Directed Project in Instructional Technology. 3 hours

TKT 8000      Thesis Research. 6 hours or Additional courses selected with approval of the student’s graduate committee and the graduate coordinator.  Program must include at least 30 credit hours of course work.

Doctor of Education-Technology (Ed.D)

Required College Core—Minimum of 21 hours:

EPY 8214      Advanced Educational and Psychological Statistics. 4 hours

EPY 9213      Advanced Analysis in Educational Research. 3 hours

EPY 8223      Psychological Foundations of Education. 3 hours

EDF 9313      Philosophy of Education. 3 hours

EDF 8363      Function and Methods of Research in Education. 3 hours

EDF 9373      Educational Research Design. 3 hours

NOTE:  Additional courses selected with approval of the student’s graduate committee and the graduate coordinator. The program also includes an area of emphasis (24-36 hours), minor (12-30 hours), dissertation research (20 hours) and electives (12 hours).

Doctor of Philosophy-Technology Emphasis (Ph.D.)

Required College Core—Minimum of 22 hours:

EPY 8214      Advanced Educational and Psychological Statistics. 4 hours

EPY 9213      Advanced Analysis of Educational Research. 3 hours

EDF 8363      Function and Methods of Research in Education. 3 hours

EDF 9373      Educational Research Design. 3 hours

EDF 9313      Philosophy of Education. 3 hours

EPY 8223      Psychological Foundations of Education. 3 hours

NOTE:  Additional courses selected with approval of student’s graduate committee and the graduate coordinator.

The program also includes an area of emphasis (24-36 hours), minor (12-18 hours), dissertation research (20 hours) and electives (11-13 hours).

Department Courses—Course prerequisites are noted in parentheses.

Technology:

TKT 6073      Instructional Materials Development and Use in Vocational Education. 3 hours

TKT 6103      Delivery of the Vocational-Technical Instructional Program. 3 hours

TKT 6143      History and Philosophy of Vocational and Technical Education. 3 hours

TKT 6183      Coordination of Part-Time Education. 3 hours

TKT 6213      Teaching Basic Business Subjects. 3 hours

TKT 6223      Management of the Vocational- Technical Learning Environment. 3 hours

TKT 6233      Design of the Vocational-Technical Instructional Program. 3 hours

TKT 6253      Evaluation and Measurement of Students in Vocational Education And Technology. 3 hours

TKT 6713      Authoring for Instruction (TKT 1273 or consent of instructor). 3 hours

TKT 6733      Managing a Multimedia Learning Environment.  3 hours

TKT 6743      Presenting with Media. 3 hours

TKT 6753      Electronic Presentations. 3 hours

TKT 6853      Philosophy and Principles of Vocational-Technical Instruction. 3 hours

TKT 6990      Special Topics in Technology Teacher Education. 1-9 hours

TKT 7000      Directed Individual Study. 1-6 hours

TKT 8000      Thesis Research/Thesis. 6 hours

TKT 8200      Internship in Vocational Education and Technology. 1-6 hours

TKT 8213      Content and Method of Teaching in Career and Technology Education. 3 hours

TKT 8233      Career Planning and Occupational Decision Making. 3 hours

TKT 8263      Philosophy and Administration of Vocational Education. 3 hours

TKT 8273      Seminar in Vocational Education and Technology. 3 hours

TKT 8703      Trends and Issues in Instructional Systems. 3 hours

TKT 8723      Instructional Design for Industry. 3 hours

TKT 8733      Telecommunications:  Applications in Scholarship. 3 hours

TKT 8743      Interactive Media. 3 hours

TKT 8763      Seminar in Planning for Instructional Technology. 3 hours

TKT 8773      Teaching and Training with Multimedia. 3 hours

TKT 8793      Directed Project in Instructional Technology. 3 hours

TKT 8803      Design and Evaluation of Instructional Software (TKT 1273). 3 hours

TKT 8813      Issues in Distance Education. 3 hours

TKT 8833      Design and Implementation of Data Networks. 3 hours

TKT 8990      Special Topics in Technology Teacher Education. 1-9 hours

TKT 9000      Research/Dissertation. 20 hours

Industrial Education:

TKI 6113        Industrial Fluid Power (PH 1113 and TKI 3103). 3 hours

TKI 6203        Automated Systems (TKI 4103). 3 hours

TKI 6213        Survey of Energy Sources and Power Technology (three semester hours of physical science or other physics). 3 hours

TKI 6223        Quality Assurance (BQA 2113, ACC 1203). 3 hours

TKI 6263        Manufacturing Technology and Processing (TKI 3363). 3 hours

TKI 6303        Industrial Robotics (TKI 4103). 3 hours

TKI 6990        Special Topics in Industrial Technology. 1-9 hours

Business Technology:

TKB 6283      Advanced Office Systems (TKT 1273). 3 hours

TKB 6583      Graphics and Web Design.  3 hours

TKB 6990      Special Topics in Business Technology. 1-9 hours

Admission Criteria for Master’s Degree (M.S.T., M.S.I.T., W.E.L.):

·          2.75 undergraduate GPA minimum from a four year accredited institution or a 3.0 graduate GPA minimum.

·          GRE scores

Admission Criteria for Education Specialist Degree—Same as for the Master’s degree, plus have earned a Master’s degree from an accredited institution.

Program of Study for Master’s and Educational Specialist Degrees :

·          Minimum number of hours required for the Master’s degree: 30-33

·          Minimum number of hours required for the Education Specialist degree: 30

·          An comprehensive examination is required for both the Master’s and Education Specialist degrees.  

Educational Leadership

Master of Science and Educational Specialist Degrees in Educational Leadership

Admission Criteria—A GPA of 2.75 on the last one-half of undergraduate work is required.  A GPA of 3.00 on prior graduate work is required for the Master’s degree, and a GPA  of 3.20 is required on prior graduate work for the Educational Specialist degree.  The GRE is also required.  Additional requirements include an entry interview, an entry portfolio, letters of recommendation, and evidence of teaching experience.  An applicant should contact the department for specific guidelines. 

Program of Study—The Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership requires 39 hours, and the Educational Specialist degree requires 42 hours. Prerequisite and Core Courses for Master’s and Specialist Degrees:

EDL 8990      Technology for Educational Leaders. 3 hours

EDL 8113      Contexts of Educational Leadership. 3 hours

EDL 8123      Principles of Educational Leadership. 3 hours

EDF 8363      Functions and Methods of Research. 3 hours

EDL 8143      Educational Leaders as Instructional Leaders. 3 hours

EDL 8163      Educational Budgeting and Resource Allocation. 3 hours

EDL 8173      Legal and Ethical Perspectives of Leadership in Schools. 3 hours

EDL 8193      Educational Environments. 3 hours

EDL 8213      Internship I. 1 hour

EDL 8223      Internship II. 2 hours

EDL 8233      Internship III. 3 hours

EDL 7000      Directed Individual Study (for Ed. Specialist Degree students only).3 hours

Doctor of Philosophy in Community College Leadership

Admission Criteria—To be eligible for regular admission to the program, the applicant must hold a Master’s degree from an accredited institution, meet the basic requirements specified for graduate students at Mississippi State University , and demonstrate academic proficiency based on the following indicators:

·          Grade point average (GPA) of 3.40 on a 4.00 scale for all graduate-level credit hours completed

·          Graduate Record Examination results

·          Writing sample

·          Structured interview

·          Current résumé

Foundation and Core Courses for Doctor of Philosophy:

CCL 8113     History and Philosophy of the Community College.  3 hours

CCL 8123     Community College Finance and Budgeting.  3 hours

CCL 8233     Community College Legal Issues.  3 hours

CCL 8333     Organization and Administration of the Community College.  3 hours

EDA 8283      Educational Leadership.  3 hours

EDA 8383      Ethical Decision Making in Educational Administration. 3 hours

Interdisciplinary Requirements (21 hours):

SO 8303        Rural Sociology.  3 hours

PPA 9613      Rural Government Administration I. 3 hours

EC 6313        Introduction to Regional Economics.  3 hours

EC 6333        Applied Regional Economics. 3 hours

PPA 9623      Rural Government Administration II. 3 hours

AEC 8993      Rural Community and Economic Development.  3 hours

EDA 8993      Principles of Educational Facilities Design.  3 hours

Prerequisite Course:

EPY 6214      Educational and Psychological Statistics.  3 hours

Core Courses:

CCL 8113     History and Philosophy of the Community College. 3 hours

CCL 8123     Community College Finance and Budgeting. 3 hours

CCL 8233     Community College Legal Issues. 3 hours

CCL 8333     Organization and Administration of the Community College. 3 hours

EDA 8283      Educational Leadership. 3 hours

EDA 8383      Ethical Decision Making in Educational Leadership. 3 hours

Research Requirements (13 hours):

EDF 9373      Educational Research Design. 3 hours

EPY 8214      Advanced Educational and Psychological Statistics. 3 hours

PPA 8733      Public Program Evaluation. 3 hours

EDA  8353     Applications of Theory to Educational Administration.  3 hours

EDA 9000      Research/Dissertation. 20 hours

Additional Requirements (38-50 hours):

Electives (3-6 hours)

CCL Internship (optional)

EDA 8213 Internship (optional)

Career Concentration/Minor Area (12-18 hours)**

Dissertation (20 hours)

**A total of 12-18 hours may be taken from courses in business, arts and sciences, relevant education areas, engineering, etc.  Twelve hours in a content area and a minor committee member are required to declare a minor.  The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools requires 18 graduate hours in a teaching field for community college instructors.  Those students who fail to meet SACs requirements will be required to complete 18 hours. 

NOTE:  Students must complete all University and college requirements, include satisfaction of the research tool requirement.  EPY 6214 Educational and Psychological Statistics or a similar course is a prerequisite for EPY 8214 Statistics (prerequisite for EPY 8214 Advanced Educational and Psychological Statistics).

Completion Requirements—Twenty hours of research/dissertation must be completed. Doctoral candidates are required to meet with committee members to prepare and present the dissertation proposal.  A minimum of four committee members is required, five if the student has declared a minor.

Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Education Administration

Doctor of Philosophy in Elementary, Middle, and Education Administration

Admission Criteria—To be eligible for admission to the program, an applicant must be a practitioner holding Mississippi or reciprocal administrative licensure, have a Master's or Educational Specialist degree from an accredited institution, and meet basic requirements for doctoral students as published  in The Graduate Studies Bulletin of the Office of Graduate Studies at Mississippi State University.

An applicant must submit a résumé documenting career accomplishments in professional education and satisfy requirements for graduate study as outlined in the University’s graduate application packet (e.g., Letters of Recommendation, statement of purpose, transcripts, etc.).

The applicant must have a minimum 3.40 GPA on a 4.00 scale for all previous graduate work completed.

The applicant must submit acceptable scores for each of the four sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

In a brief paper the applicant should discuss what he/she has learned from prior PK‑12 administrative practice.

In a personal interview the applicant should demonstrate potential for achieving excellence as an educational administrator. 

A student accepted into the program is expected to have his or her own personal computer and Internet access. Approximately 10‑20 students will be accepted annually.

Program of Study—Four distinct but connected thematic strands comprise the curriculum: 1) leading and managing in educational environments, 2) applied research, 3) educational foundations, and 4) dissertation research.

1) Leading and Managing in Educational Environments (24 hours) The focus of this strand is leadership and management. To satisfy the requirements, the student must select and successfully complete (3.00 grade point average) a minimum of eight educational administration courses listed below:

EDA 8163      Public School Finance. 3 hours

EDA 8173      School Law. 3 hours

EDA 8193      Workshop in Educational Administration and Supervision. 3 hours

EDA 8210      Internship in Supervision and Administration. 3 hours

EDA 8223     Seminar in Educational Administration. 3 hours

EDA 8273      Educational Administration and Supervision. 3 hours

EDA 8283      Educational Leadership. 3 hours

EDA 8293      Professional Development of Educational Personnel. 3 hours

EDA 8323      Educational Facilities Design. 3 hours

EDA 8343      School Personnel Administration. 3 hours

EDA 8353      Applications of Theory to Educational Administration. 3 hours

EDA 8383      Ethical Decision Making in Educational Administration. 3 hours

EDA 8990      Special Topics in Educational Administration. 3 hours

The specific number of courses in Educational Leadership required for a particular student may vary depending on previous degrees and experience. In many instances, credit is given for previous courses taken in earning Master's and/or Educational Specialist degree(s).

2) Applied Research (15 hours)

The focus of this strand is on applied statistics and research methods. To satisfy the requirements, the student must select and successfully complete a minimum of five research courses from the list below:

EPY 6214      Educational and Psychological Statistics. 4 hours

EPY 8214      Advanced Educational and Psychological Statistics. 4 hours

EDF 8363      Function and Methods of Research in Education. 3 hours

EPY 9213      Advanced Analysis in Educational Research. 3 hours

EPY 9263      Applied Research Seminar. 3 hours

EDF 9373      Educational Research Design. 3 hours

EDF 9443      Single‑Subject Research Designs in Education. 3 hours

EDF 9453      Qualitative Techniques in Educational Research. 3 hours

Whenever feasible, the student's dissertation research should address problems particular to elementary, middle, or secondary education administration.In addition to successfully completing at least five applied research courses, students are expected to demonstrate competency in research skills in one of three ways:

a.    publish a research paper in a recognized journal,

b.    present a research paper at an annual meeting of a regional or national association, or

c.  pass an examination in statistics and applied research administered in the department.

3) Educational Foundations (12 hours)

The focus of this strand is on core foundational courses. To satisfy the requirements, the student must select and successfully complete (3.00 grade point average) a minimum of four foundation courses from the list below:

EPY 8223      Psychological Foundations of Education. 3 hours

EDF 8313     Philosophy of Education. 3 hours

EDF 8323     Comparative Education. 3 hours  

EDF 8353      Principles of Curriculum Development. 3 hours

EDF 8383      Issues in Education. 3 hours

EDF 8393      History of Education in the United States. 3 hours

The specific number of courses in Educational Foundations required for a particular student may vary depending on previous degrees and experience. For some students, courses not appearing on the list above but taken previously in earning a Master's or Educational Specialist degree may be used to satisfy this requirement.

4) Dissertation Research (20 hours)

The focus of this strand is on dissertation writing. To satisfy the requirement, the student must successfully complete a minimum of 20 research/dissertation credits (EDA 9000).

Many of the courses in the program are taught using an intensive weekend (Friday‑Saturday) format supplemented with studio‑based distance learning and online e‑learning. Most students proceed through studies as members of a cohort, working closely with core faculty. 

Prerequisite and Core Courses:

1) Leading and Managing in Educational Environments

EDA 8223      Seminar in Educational Administration. 3 hours

EDA 8273      Educational Administration and Supervision. 3 hours

EDA 8283      Educational Leadership. 3 hours

EDA 8293      Professional Development of Educational Personnel. 3 hours

EDA 8323      Educational Facilities Design. 3 hours

EDA 8343      School Personnel Administration. 3 hours

EDA 8353      Applications of Theory to Educational Administration. 3 hours

EDA 8383      Ethical Decision Making in Educational Administration. 3 hours

EDA 8990      Special Topics in Educational Administration. 3 hours

2) Applied Research

EPY 6214      Educational and Psychological Statistics. 3 hours

EPY 8214      Advanced Educational and Psychological Statistics. 3 hours

EDF 8363      Function and Methods of Research in Education. 3 hours

EPY 9213      Advanced Analysis in Educational Research. 3 hours

EPY 9263      Applied Research Seminar. 3 hours

EDF 9373      Educational Research Design. 3 hours

EDF 9443      Single‑Subject Research Designs in Education. 3 hours

EDF 9453      Qualitative Techniques in Educational Research. 3 hours

3) Educational Foundations

EPY 8223      Psychological Foundations of Education. 3 hours

EDF 8313      Philosophy of Education. 3 hours

EDF 8323      Comparative Education. 3 hours

EDF 8353      Principles of Curriculum Development. 3 hours

EDF 8383      Issues in Education. 3 hours

EDF 8393      History of Education in the United States. 3 hours

4) Dissertation Research

EDA 9000     Research/Dissertation. 20 hours

Completion Requirements—The written preliminary examination and the written and oral written examination for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. in Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Educational Administration may be taken only after the student has completed or is within six hours of completing the course work listed in his/her program (per Graduate Council, date).  To meet the research skills requirements, the student is expected to be actively involved in a regional educational research association and must demonstrate competency in one of three ways: publish a research paper in a recognized journal, or present a research paper at an annual meeting of a regional or national association, or pass an examination in statistics and applied research administered in the department.