Secondary Education - Family and Consumer Sciences 6-12 (Master of Science in Education)

Application Deadlines

Applications for this program are accepted throughout the year in fall, spring, and summer. 

Application Materials Required for the MSE in Secondary Education: Family and Consumer Sciences 6-12

Applicants for a master’s degree education program must submit all of the following documentation to Graduate Admissions to be considered for admission:

Graduate Admissions
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, Alabama, 36265-1602

  1. Completed JSU Graduate Application for Admission.
  2. Non-refundable $35.00 application processing fee.
  3. Official transcripts from all colleges/universities with degrees posted. To be considered for admission, applicants must hold a degree from an institutionally accredited institution or its foreign equivalent. (Students who have previously attended JSU do not need to request a transcript from the university.) 
  4. Valid Bachelor’s-level professional educator certificate in Family and Consumer Sciences. All certificate(s) must be valid throughout the program and at graduation.
  5. Background check1. Any candidate applying for admission to a state approved teacher education program shall be required to be fingerprinted for a criminal history background check through the Alabama State Department of Education to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Instructions for completing the background process can be found here.
  6. International student applicants must see the International Student Applicants section of this catalog for other application and enrollment requirements.

Admission Requirements for the MSE in Secondary Education: Family and Consumer Sciences 6-12

Applicants are admitted on a selective basis upon review of the completed application package.

With departmental approval, applicants may be permitted to enroll for one semester of graduate coursework while completing general application procedure requirements. Applicants must achieve unconditional admission within one semester. 

Minimum Requirements for the MSE in Secondary Education: Family and Consumer Sciences 6-12

An overall 3.25 GPA is required on all coursework attempted for the master’s degree. Transfer credit cannot be used to raise the GPA to the required 3.25.

Students pursuing the Master of Science in Education degree may not count 400-level graduate courses toward the degree. All coursework for the Master of Science in Education must be taken at the 500-level. 

Course Title Credits
Core Requirements
ED 500Introduction to Graduate Education and Technology (Discipline specific section required first semester of enrollment)1
EFD 560Psychological Principles of Learning3
ESE 500Research and Statistics in Secondary Education3
ESE 502Curriculum Development in Secondary Schools3
ESE 567Literacy Theory and Practice3
EAD 564Law and Politics of Education3
Teaching Field Requirements
Select twelve graduate semester hours 1 12
Diversity Requirement
SPE 500Survey Course in Special Education 23
or EFD 552 Diversity Issues in Education
Total Hours31

 31 Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree

Graduation and Comprehensive Exam

No comprehensive exam is required for this degree. All students must apply for graduation by the given deadline of the semester in which they plan to graduate. Please see the Graduation and Comprehensive Exam section of this catalog for more information.

Completion of this program leads to eligibility for Master’s-level professional educator certification Family and Consumer Science 6-12.

Please Note: Teacher education programs are approved by the Alabama State Board of Education and are, therefore, subject to periodic revision resulting from changes in State certification requirements. Subsequently, modifications in students’ programs may become necessary. Students in all graduate level teacher education programs must schedule their coursework each semester with approval of their faculty advisors.

Alabama Class A Professional Educator Certification Requirements

Issuance of Alabama professional educator certificates is the legal responsibility of the Alabama State Department of Education. Universities cannot issue a professional certificate. To be eligible to apply for certification, a student must complete an appropriate program of study at a college or university which has been approved by the State Board of Education to offer a program leading to the desired certificate. When a student completes the program of study, the institution recommends to the State Department of Education that the appropriate certificate be issued.

  1. Alabama State Department of Education regulations are subject to change; therefore, it is recommended that students apply for certification upon graduation. During their last semester of coursework, students should contact Teacher Education Services, 207 Ramona Wood Hall, for information about this process. The university cannot recommend any student for certification who has not satisfied all state and university requirements for admission to and completion of an approved program. Please see the Alabama Certification Instructions on the Teacher Education Services website.
  2. Students certified in states other than Alabama who wish to apply for master’s level certification in Alabama upon completion of the master’s degree must apply for Alabama certification on the undergraduate level prior to applying for the master’s level certification. Students must be eligible for undergraduate certification in the teaching field(s) in which master’s level certification is sought. Earning a master’s degree at JSU does not automatically entitle a student to an Alabama certificate without first holding the appropriate undergraduate certificate.
  3. Recommendation for certification must be made within 60 months of program completion. Recommendation after 60 months requires completion of a current program.