Mar 28, 2024  
Graduate Record 2011-2012 
    
Graduate Record 2011-2012 [ARCHIVED RECORD]

Curry School of Graduate Education


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General Information

History

The Curry School of Education offers professional programs designed to prepare individuals for a variety of careers related to the practice of education. The school was named for Dr. Jabez L. M. Curry, an eminent southern educator. It was endowed in 1905 by gifts from John D. Rockefeller and the General Education Fund and became a professional school in 1919. Graduate programs in education were established in 1950, and the degree programs offered now include the Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.Ed.); a five-year teacher education program leading to the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Master of Teaching (M.T.); the Master of Education (M.Ed.), Master of Teaching (M.T.), Educational Specialist (Ed.S.); and two doctoral degrees (Ed.D. and Ph.D.).

The School Today

The Curry School of Education has two major missions. The first is to prepare individuals 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 education 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, and to improving instruction and schooling in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As such, the Teacher Education Program has provided national leadership in the preparation of beginning teachers, as well as advanced training for experienced teachers and personnel related to teaching. The five-year Teacher Education Program is an integrated program sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Curry School of Education. It combines strong subject matter preparation with professional training that leads to teacher licensure and results in the simultaneous receipt of a bachelor’s and master’s degree after a total of five years of study at the University.

The second major mission of the Curry School is to enhance human potential and performance 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.

Programs leading to teacher licensure include specializations in elementary education, health and physical education, early childhood special education, k-12 special education, K-12 foreign language, and secondary education. Specializations in secondary education are available in English, mathematics, sciences (biology, chemistry, earth science, physics), and social studies. Students may also apply to dual programs in special education and elementary or secondary education.

The Curry School also offers areas of concentration in the Departments of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education; Leadership, Foundations and Policy; and Human Services that allow applicants to earn degrees at the following levels: Master of Education, Education Specialist, Education Doctorate, and Doctor of Philosophy.  For those exploring areas of study, there is an option to take courses as a non-degree “professional development student.”  Certificate programs are also available to individuals interested in licensure- or endorsement-only options.

Programs within the Curry School are among the best professional education offerings in the country. Faculty hold offices in professional organizations, are scholars of international renown, and are numbered among the University’s finest teachers. Students score well above the national norms on the national examinations, and are members of such student honorary societies as Chi Sigma Iota, Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Delta Kappa, Outstanding Students in America, and the Raven Society.  Extensive information about the Curry School of Education and its graduate programs is available on the web (http: curry.edschool.virginia.edu).

Address

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

Accreditation

The Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) accredits the Curry School of Education and its programs to prepare school personnel. Individual program specializations are accredited by such organizations as the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, and the American Psychological Association.

Facilities and Services

Bavaro Hall and Ruffner Hall house the majority of the Curry School of Education’s academic facilities and offices. These facilities house 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.

The Athletic Training Clinic provides therapy for the University’s athletic teams. The clinic provides practica for both graduate and undergraduate students. It is located in the McCue Center, adjacent to University Hall. 

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. One goal of the center is to identify and develop educational technologies that can 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 Curry Library and Innovation Commons, located on the third floor of Ruffner Hall, houses a children’s literature section, education handbooks and reference materials, collaborative work stations, a study zone, and more.

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

The Instructional Resource Center provides students and faculty with excellent opportunities for both instruction and research. In addition to audio-visual equipment, the center houses the Audio-Visual Production Lab, both a video filming studio and a video production facility, the Special Technology Laboratory, the Apple Lab, and the interactive IBM Microcomputer Classroom. 
 
The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) produces and disseminates high-quality, practical research studies relating to the identification and development of talent. The research of the center has included investigating ways to encourage talent in young, at-risk students; studying the social and emotional development of gifted students; and investigating the feasibility of high-end learning in elementary, middle and high schools.

The Sheila Johnson Center for Human Services, housed in Bavaro Hall, is a multidisciplinary clinic providing faculty-supervised training for masters’ and doctoral students, clinical service delivery to the region, and clinical research opportunities. Disciplines included are clinical and school psychology, speech/language/hearing, reading, and counseling (including career/vocational assessment and guidance).

Comprehensive, evidence-based assessment services are provided for children, adolescents, adults, and families. The Center staff include faculty with particular expertise in learning disorders (especially reading/writing), attention disorders, autism spectrum disorders, speech and language disorders, auditory processing disorders, anxiety disorders, phobic disorders, and more general behavior disorders, including violence and other forensic issues. Interventions offered through the Center include individual and family therapy, speech and language therapy, reading/writing remediation, and school and other organizational consultation.

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Student Organizations

Education Council (EC) is the representative student organization for the Curry School of Education. 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. The EC is open to both graduate and undergraduate students.

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 (CESO) Counselor Education majors at all levels of preparation can be part of the CESO. The organization helps to coordinate student orientation to the program and the University of Virginia for fall semester, provides a peer orientation program, conducts a town hall meeting each year for students and faculty, and functions in other ways as integral members of the Counselor Education Program. Students and faculty members interact regularly throughout the year.

The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) is open to all students in the Communication Disorders Program. 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 and conventions and initial ASHA membership. NSSLHA membership is required for access to members-only materials that support certain courses.

The Clinical and School Psychology Student Association is open to all students in the Clinical and School Psychology program.  It holds an orientation for new students in the program each year, sends representatives to meetings, sponsors social gatherings, organizes and chairs an Annual Town Meeting for the entire Clinical and School Psychology community, and annually bestows the Lucile E. Michie Award in recognition of a professional in clinical psychology who has been supportive of student development.

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.
 

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Awards, Honors, and Scholarships

Curry Foundation Scholarships, Fellowships, and Awards  Through Curry Foundation student awards, scholarships, and fellowships, we commit to investing in students and their ability to discover new challenges, create evidence-based solutions, and make dramatic, positive changes in the broad fields of study at the Curry School.  See the Curry website for additional information.

Dean’s List To be placed on the Dean’s List of Distinguished Students in any given semester, an undergraduate must maintain a minimum 12-credit course load and achieve a current grade point average of 3.400 or higher without failure in any course. Courses taken on a CR/NC basis may not be counted toward the 12-credit minimum. Any student receiving an F, NC, or NG during the semester is not eligible to be on the dean’s list.

Graduation Honors Undergraduate students with a grade point average of 3.600 or higher will be recognized as graduating “with honors;” students with a grade point average of 3.750 or higher will be recognized as graduating “with high honors;” and students with a grade point average of 3.900 or higher will be recognized as graduating “with highest honors.” Computation of grade point averages for the determination of honors is based on all standard letter-grade courses carried since the student has matriculated at the University. 

Kappa Delta Pi, an honor society in education that was founded in 1911, chartered its Eta Kappa Chapter of 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 to recognize outstanding contributions to education. To this end it shall invite to membership such persons as 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 education.

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