Mercer to Hold Information Session for New Education Ph.D. Wednesday

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MACON — Mercer University’s Tift College of Education will hold a free drop-in information session on Wednesday, May 13, for those interested in applying to its new Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction program. The event will be held at the Lee Alumni House, 1270 Ash St., on the Macon campus from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

For more information about the program or the information session or to request an application packet, contact Joann Bass at (478) 301-5394 or bass_je@mercer.edu. For more information on the program visit its Web page: http://www2.mercer.edu/education/academic_programs/curriculum_instruction_phd.htm

About the Program:
The new Ph.D. program in curriculum and instruction will begin this fall and is aimed at experienced teachers to become influential instructors and researchers within their schools, school systems and communities. The program’s final application deadline for admission for the fall 2009 cohort is June 30.

The Tift College of Education devised the three-year program to meet the vital need for experienced and dynamic teachers by developing a program that will promote the exchange of new ideas and possibilities across a variety of settings. The first students in the hybrid evening/Online program will begin in cohorts this fall at Mercer’s Macon and Atlanta campuses. The program is designed for working professional teachers with at least three years of experience and a master’s level certification.

Graduates of this program will serve in schools, in higher education and in political arenas working toward the implementation of effective education policies today and in the future. In addition to upgrading a current teaching certificate to a T-7 level, completion of this program will prepare experienced teachers to develop, initiate and model best practices within their own classrooms and schools.

The Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction will be offered in two tracks, the early learner track and the adolescent learner track. The program will take a minimum of three years, or nine semesters, including summers, to complete. Classes will be delivered in a hybrid format – both Online and in evening or weekend courses – allowing candidates to continue as teachers. Candidates will take an average of two courses per semester during the school year, with a two-hour doctoral seminar each semester and three courses during the summer semester.

About the Tift College of Education:
Mercer’s Tift College of Education is the largest private preparer of teachers in Georgia and offers a variety of professional education programs at its six sites. The College, the University’s largest with more than 1,800 students, holds the highest accreditation in the nation from The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The College offers diverse programs and degrees, ranging from initial certification programs to doctorates. In addition to a Bachelor of Science in Education, which leads to initial certification, the school offers a Master of Education, Master of Arts in Teaching, Specialist of Education and Ph.D. in educational leadership, as well as a joint Master of Science in School Counseling with the College of Continuing and Professional Studies. The College will launch a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction in the fall of 2009.

About Mercer University:
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University has approximately 7,600 students; 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies; major campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah; three regional academic centers across the state; a university press; two teaching hospitals — Memorial University Medical Center and the Medical Center of Central Georgia; educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; an engineering research center in Warner Robins; a performing arts center in Macon; and a NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
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