Graduate Students FAQs
Applying to UW-Superior
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No. The application fee is a one-time charge. The official transcripts are kept on file until a degree is completed. A program change does require a Program Change Request Form to be filled out and turned in to Graduate Studies.
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A student who is admitted may transfer up to 9 credits from other institutions accredited to offer graduate programs provided the transfer credit is appropriate to the degree being undertaken. No credit below a grade of B will transfer and no credit will be allowed for undergraduate work, work completed more than ten years before the expected degree, or work used to complete another degree.
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Yes. Go to our Apply Online page and follow steps for graduate students.
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View the Graduate Studies Admissions webpage for recommended dates for submission of application materials.
The Graduate Education Online program has six starts per year.
The other online graduate programs, which are the collaboratives; sustainable management, data science, health & wellness management, each have their application deadlines indicated on their respective pages.
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What undergraduate programs does UW-Superior offer?
UW-Superior offers more than thirty undergraduate degree programs. Visit our Academic Departments page for more information. -
All credits used in meeting the requirements of a graduate degree or certification in professional education must be earned within a period of not more than 10 consecutive years, commencing with the enrollment date in courses applicable to the degree (or certification program) rather than the completion date of applicable courses. This limit applies to resident credit courses, Extension courses, and courses taken at other universities.
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Yes, an enrollment deposit toward your tuition of $100 for your first term of attendance is required to be paid to the Admissions office. You will not be able to register for classes until this deposit has been paid.
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Once all of the materials required by Graduate Studies have been received and reviewed, they are forwarded to the program coordinator for the department's admission decision.
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No. Graduate Studies has access to your UW-Superior transcripts.
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No. Graduate Studies policy dictates that only transcripts with a university seal, delivered in a sealed envelope from the university, can be considered an "official" transcript.
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Yes. Go to http://www.uwsuper.edu/admissions/apply/ and follow steps for graduate students.
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For more information about graduate programs, please go to http://www.uwsuper.edu/graduate/index.cfm
Comprehensive Examinations
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There are six (6) questions and a case study to the comprehensive examination. Each question should be responded to based upon one's field of specialization (e.g. Principal, Superintendent, School Business Administrator, Director of Instruction, Director of Special Education).
Students are required to take and pass a Comprehensive Exam (COMP exam) for each area of licensure. Each COMP exam will consist of 2-3 essay questions AND a case study review with follow-up questions.
The COMP Exam is different for each license and based on demonstrating competency for the specific area of licensure. As an example, the COMP Exam for the Director of Special Education/Pupil Services is specific to the role and responsibilities of the Director of Special Education/Pupil Services and not that of a Principal or Director of Instruction.
If a student is pursuing license as a Principal, Director of SPED, and Director of Instruction, the student will need to take three (3) different COMP Exams.
The COMP exam will be set up in the Canvas course shell at the beginning of the student’s last practicum course. i.e. EDAD 737 (Director of Special Education/Pupil Service), EDAD 707 (Director of Instruction), EDAD 727 (Principalship).
The COMP exam is a four (4) hour timed exam. Once the student opens the exam, the student must finish the exam in the four (4) hour time period. i.e. if the student opens the COMP exam at 1:00PM on February 12, 2021, the student must finish the exam no later than 5:00PM on February 12, 2021. The COMP exam is open book. Students are expected to apply research, knowledge obtained in the MSE Educational Administration program and use APA formatting when completing the exam.
University practicum supervisors are responsible for designing and grading the COMP Exam. Each COMP exam is scored using a COMP exam scoring rubric. Student must receive a Satisfactory or above (Exemplary) score in all areas of the scoring rubric to receive a passing score on the COMP exam.
The University practicum supervisor must provide the student with a pass/fail letter informing the student of the results of their COMP exam. If a student does not pass the COMP exam, the student may have an opportunity to re-take the exam. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements to re-take the exam with their University practicum supervisor.
The University practicum supervisor must turn in each student’s pass/fail letter AND scoring rubric to the Graduate AND Field Office to keep on file.
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The Educational Administration Program written comprehensive examinations are a degree requirement for all graduate and post graduate programs in educational administration. It constitutes a comprehensive scholarly amalgamation of one's personal and professional knowledge base in educational administration as evidenced by effective written communication skills. Successful completion of a comprehensive examination is required for any individual desiring a graduate degree or initial certification in educational administration from the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
The examinations are offered once during the fall and spring semesters as well as summer session during each academic year on-line through Canvas.
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Yes, one must pre-register for the examination by contacting the Educational Leadership office.
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Generally 3/4 of candidates pass the examination on the first attempt. The key to passing the examination on the first attempt is to study for the examination and practice writing. Those who take the examination lightly and do not prepare almost always end up retaking it.
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The theoretical aspects of a teacher's annual performance determination are based upon both a theoretical and summative evaluation process (Sergiovanni, 1999). Yet, realistically, teaching and curriculum are inseparable issues as suggested by Eisner in 1991. Thus, an amalgamation technique of clinical supervision of teachers (Acheson & Gall, 1992) appears to be the most efficacious model for the newly employed principal charged with improving teacher performance in the lowest achieving building in the district by the superintendent.
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- Use of only complete sentences and paragraphs, no outline
- No contractions or trendy language
- No discriminatory language
- APA style of referencing and acronym usage
- Proper tense and personage usage
- Give supporting evidence of knowledge
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Study all degree program materials and textbooks. Become familiar with referenced and supportive knowledge base resources.
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There is no limit. There are, however, time lines that one must wait to retake the examination until successful completion:
- First Attempt: Before taking the comps, one must have completed a minimum of 2/3 of the coursework in one's "certification only" program.
- Second Attempt: Next offering
- Third Attempt: Minimum wait of one semester and then the next offering
- Subsequent Attempt(s): Minimum wait of one year for each unsuccessful attempt and then the next offering
Enrollment
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Graduate Students (M.S.E in Educational Administration, M.S.E in Instruction, M.S.E in Special Education, M.S.E. in School Counseling, and Ed.S. in Educational Administration – Superintendent/District Administrator ONLY)
- Full time = 6+ credits per semester
- Three quarter time = 4.5-5.5 credits per semester
- Half time = 3-4 credits per semester
Graduate Students (for all other programs):
- Full time = 9+ credits per semester
- Three quarter time = 7-8.5 credits per semester
- Half time = 4.5-6.5 credits per semester
Undergraduate students:
- Full time = 12+ credits per semester
- Three quarter time = 9-11.5 credits per semester
- Half time = 6-8.5 credits per semester
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This depends on your academic program. Here are the enrollment status definitions for various academic programs.
Graduation
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Complete graduation and commencement information is available on the Graduation/Commencement page or email gradstudy@uwsuper.edu.
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Diplomas are ordered after the degrees have been posted, and it takes 6-8 weeks for the diplomas to get to campus before being mailed to the students. All indebtedness to the university must be cleared before a diploma and official transcripts will be released. The transcript, not the diploma, is proof of an earned degree.
Online Learning
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View the Graduate Studies Admissions webpage for recommended dates for submission of application materials.
The Graduate Education Online program has six starts per year.
The other online graduate programs, which are the collaboratives; sustainable management, data science, health & wellness management, each have their application deadlines indicated on their respective pages.
ResNet
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If you can afford your own computer, you will probably find that it will be a great convenience for you. If you cannot afford your own computer, there are lab machines available in every resident hall
Technology Helpdesk
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If you can afford your own computer, you will probably find that it will be a great convenience for you. If you cannot afford your own computer, there are lab machines available in every resident hall
Transcripts
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Only if the transcript is official (i.e., it has an official college/university seal) and is in a sealed envelope from the university.
Writing Center
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Any UW-Superior undergraduate or graduate student (campus or online learning) can use the services of the Writing Center for any piece of writing they are doing for any class or for their internships and on-campus jobs. We also see students about writing that is not assigned in classes—for instance, resumes. Faculty and staff can also schedule individual writing consultations with the Writing Center director or associate director. For more information, contact Yvonne Rutford, Director of the Writing Center.
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Because our mission is to support students as they become better writers, our consultants do not proofread and correct student papers but, rather, help your students learn strategies to better proofread their own papers. Our consultants do not take over authorship of the students’ work; instead, they hold conversations with students about the written work and offer suggestions, while leaving authorship in the students’ hands. Further, our consultants do not discuss with students any personal comments about the writing assignments or grading of student work; that is strictly between instructor and student.
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The Writing Center consultants are UW-Superior undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of disciplines. Each consultant must demonstrate excellent writing skill and “people skills” prior to being hired and then must complete a comprehensive training process.
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Make appointments at http://www.uwsuper.edu/writingcenter, by phone at (715) 394-8095 , or in person at our Swenson 1030 location. Walk-in appointments for in-person consultations are welcome if a consultant is available.
In fall and spring, you can meet with our consultants in person or online during our operating hours:
In our Swenson 1030 location
Mon. 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tues. 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Wed. 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thurs. 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Fri. 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Additional online-only hours:
Sun. 6:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
In the summer, online-only consultations are offered M-Th evenings.
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Simply ask the consultant for “instructor notification” of the consultation and provide us with your instructor’s campus e-mail address. Your instructor will then receive an e-mail letting her or him know you completed a Writing Center consultation.
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If you are coming in regard to a specific writing assignment, bring the assignment sheet/instructions and a draft, if you have one. You can use Writing Center services at any stage in your writing process, but regardless of the stage, it is helpful for our consultants to know the overall assignment requirements. If you aren’t coming because of a specific assignment, a writing sample will help you and the consultant start exploring how to enhance your writing skills. Please print your piece before you arrive and bring it with you (for an in-person consultation), or have it on hand and ready to paste onto the online whiteboard (for an online consultation).
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At the start of your consultation, the consultant will work with you to establish an agenda. This helps keep the consultation focused on your needs, whether that be topic ideas, thesis statements, organization, research and citation, or other needs.
The consultant then chats with you about your writing to help you engage with the assignment (if you have come because of a particular assignment) and meet its requirements by using critical thinking and collaborative learning strategies.
Face-to-face consultations typically last 30 minutes (though 60-minute sessions are also available); online sessions typically require 45-60 minutes.
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The UW-Superior Writing Center, located in Swenson 1030, exists to support all UW-Superior students (both on-campus and distance-learning) in their work to become better writers.
Our mission is to engage students in conversations at any stage of their writing process to support them in becoming more thoughtful and engaged learners and writers. To that end, we offer in-person and online one-to-one peer writing consultations with students.