Character and Citizenship Education Graduate Certificate
The three program goals of the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) graduate certificate program are: (a) the understanding of theory and research in citizenship education as it relates to civic participation, concepts of democracy, the democratic purposes of education, and the development of civic identity and political thinking, attitudes, and engagement as well as the competence to apply this knowledge to analysis and design of practical programs in citizenship education; (b) the understanding of character development and character education in childhood and adolescence, including the empirical and conceptual study of the nature of how moral character develops, as well as how it can be fostered in schools by school reform, curriculum development, professional development, and practical pedagogical methods; and (c) the understanding of the connections between character and citizenship development and education.
The Sanford N. McDonnell Professor of Character Education and the Teresa M. Fischer Professor of Citizenship Education serve as program directors.
Admission Requirements
Requirements for admission to the CCE certificate program are current good standing in an UMSL graduate program or all three of the following:
- Undergraduate degree with a GPA of 3.0 or better
- Two letters of recommendation with at least one from a current or former college-level instructor
- Two-page personal statement explaining the applicant's personal and professional goal
The CCE certificate may be pursued as a stand-alone credential or in conjunction with the Master’s Degree in Education and/or the Ph.D. in Education. With advance planning, all 18 credit hours from the CCE certificate can be applied to these degrees. Completion of the CCE certificate, however, does not guarantee acceptance into any of those degree programs, which requires a separate application.
Credit Requirements
A minimum of 18 credit hours of graduate course work is required for the graduate certificate. Twelve of these hours must consist of the four core courses in character and citizenship education. A minimum of six additional hours are to be chosen from the list of electives. At least twelve hours must be completed in residence at UMSL.
| Core | ||
| ED PSY 6217 | 3 | |
| ED PSY 6417 | Current Perspectives On Citizenship Education 1 | 3 |
| ED PSY 6445 | Character Education And Development | 3 |
| ED PSY 6450 | Advanced Methods in Character Education 1 | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Choose 6 hours from the following list of courses offered at the College of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences (with departmental permission) | 6 | |
| Educational Psychology | ||
| Personality And Social Development | ||
| Advanced Studies in Child and Adolescent Development | ||
| Psychology Of Learning Processes | ||
| Educational Program Development and Evaluation | ||
| Seminar in City Administration | ||
| Seminar in Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| Seminar in Ethical Theory | ||
| Proseminar in American Politics | ||
POL SCI 6450 | ||
| Proseminar in Urban Politics | ||
| Seminar: Cognitive and Affective Processes 2 | ||
| Building Character and Competence with Diverse Learners | ||
| Total Hours | 18 | |
- 1
Course-embedded capstone assessments occur in ED PSY 6417 and ED PSY 6450.
- 2
Course instructor approval required.