Rationale: Within the Special Education Area of the ECPS Department in the Faculty of Education, there are two key considerations when establishing policy and procedures for M.Ed., students who have been accepted into the graduate program in Special Education but who later request, either through their own initiative or based on the advice of their Program Advisor, to transfer from the M.Ed. program of studies to the M.A. program of studies.
The first consideration is equity in relation to future applicants to the M.A. program of studies in Special Education in subsequent years. When an M.Ed. student is permitted to transfer from the M.Ed. to the M.A. program of studies in Special Education, doing so may decrease the likelihood that a future M.A. applicant in subsequent years would be accepted into the M.A. program. Another factor related to equity is that the M.Ed. student was adjudicated for acceptance into the Special Education graduate program based on the criteria for acceptance of M.Ed. students. Future M.A. applicants, however, will be adjudicated based on the criteria for acceptance of M.A. students. Since the criteria for adjudication of M.A. students includes additional requirements (e.g., questions about research interests, initial plans for thesis topic and research methods, evidence of writing skills), M.Ed. students transferring to the M.A. program would not have undergone the same criteria for acceptance.
The second consideration is faculty workload. Decisions about the acceptance of M.A students each academic year is made collectively by Special Education Area faculty. The decision is not made solely by an individual SPED faculty member. In addition to the M.A. applicant’s qualifications in light of criteria for acceptance into the M.A. program of study, other considerations include the prospective Program Advisor’s workload and the workload of potential M.A. thesis committee members. Depending on these factors, although an M.A. program applicant may meet criteria for acceptance, if the designated Program Advisor’s current workload is too high (i.e., many M.Ed., M.A., and/or Ph.D. advisees) or the current workload of other SPED faculty does not permit them to serve as thesis committee members, then the M.A. applicant may not be accepted into the M.A. program during the academic year for which they applied.
Policy and Procedure: Given this rationale, the following policy and procedure will be implemented when a student who has been accepted into the M.Ed. program of study in Special Education expresses an interest in transferring into the M.A. program of study in Special Education, and the student’s Program Advisor is supportive of the transfer.
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The student and their Program Advisor will review the SPED policy and procedure for transferring from the M.Ed. to the M.A. program.
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The student will apply to the M.A. program by completing, by the December 1st deadline for graduate program applicants for the following academic year, the application for admission to the M.A. program in Special Education.
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Rather than apply through the formal university system, the M.Ed. student will complete the MA application informally within the Special Education Area.
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To do so, the M.Ed. student will obtain a writable version of the M.A. application from the current graduate secretary and complete it.
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After doing so, they will submit the document to the graduate secretary who will then forward it to the M.Ed. student’s program advisor and other Special Education faculty in the disciplinary concentration in which the student is enrolled (e.g., Autism/DD; Learning Disabilities, Supporting Inclusive Education)
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The student’s application then will be adjudicated in February-March with other M.A. applicants for the next academic year (Summer or Fall start-date), depending on the Special Education concentration area to which they are applying.
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When applying, documents previously submitted during the adjudication of the student for acceptance as a M.Ed. student can resubmitted, including university and/or college transcripts, professional resume, and letters of recommendation.
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In addition to the previous recommendations submitted, the student will submit two academic letters of recommendation from their previous undergraduate or graduate university or college program that addresses the students’ background, skills, and potential as they relate to an M.A. program of study that includes the completion of thesis research. Alternatively, one of the two letters of recommendation can come from a faculty member in the ECPS Department who through course work or research assistantship, can speak to the applicant’s potential as an M.A. student.
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During the adjudication process, if SPED faculty agree that the student meets criteria for transfer to the M.A. program of study, faculty will then determine whether the Program Advisor’s workload permit the transfer of the M.Ed. student to the M.A program of study. SPED faculty also will determine if the workload of SPED faculty as a whole would permit a M.A. thesis committee to be formed to support the student in their M.A studies and thesis research. A final consideration is whether another M.Ed. student also wishes to transfer to the M.A. program of study and meets criteria to do so. In addition to the equity issue in relation to future M.A. program applicants, this circumstance may further strain the capacity of SPED faculty to form thesis committees for both students.
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If SPED faculty, by majority vote, determine that the M.Ed. student meets criteria for acceptance as a M.A. student, the Program Advisor’s workload allows acceptance of student into the M.A. program of study, and SPED faculties’ workload permits formation of a M.A. thesis committee, then the student will be accepted into the M.A. program. At this time, the Transfer from Related Graduate Programs form will be completed by the Program Advisor and the M.Ed. student and submitted to the UBC Faculty of Graduate and Post-Graduate Studies. This will include:
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Student original request to transfer from M.Ed. to M.A. program of studies.
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Recommendation and academic justification from the student’s graduate program.
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Student’s endorsement (i.e., signature)
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Approval of student’s supervisor
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Approval of current ECPS Graduate Advisor
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If approved by the Faculty of Graduate and Post-Graduate Studies (G+PS), the student and Program Advisor will submit a new PGS to the ECPS Graduate Assistant and begin to pursue the course requirements of the M.A. program.
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If SPED faculty, by majority vote, determine that the M.Ed. student does not meet criteria for acceptance as a M.A. student, or that the Program Advisor’s workload does not allow acceptance of student into the M.A. program of study, or that SPED faculties’ workload does not permit formation of a M.A. thesis committee, then the student will not be accepted into the M.A. program. The student will be informed and they will continue to complete the requirements of the M.Ed. program of study and concentration in which they are enrolled.
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If item 8 above applies, in lieu of completing the M.A. program of study, the M.Ed. student will be encouraged to discuss with their Program Advisor potential opportunities to involve themselves in research during their M.Ed. studies.
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If the student’s Program Advisor and/or student disagree with this result, a referral for final adjudication and decision will be made to the current Head of the ECPS Department. The Head will review the student’s M.A. application, students’ original request to transfer, and any rationale for non-acceptance based on Faculty Advisor or SPED Faculty workloads. The Faculty Advisor of the student may at this time also submit to the Department Head a recommendation and academic justification for transfer from the M.Ed. to M.A. program of study. Based on these documents, the Department Head will make a final determination as whether to accept or revise the SPED Area faculties decision.
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*To download the Special Education Area Policy and Procedure for Transferring from M.Ed. Program to M.A. Program document, please click here.
*A checklist of the procedural steps to follow for requesting a transfer from the M.Ed. to the M.A. program in Special Education is available. Click here to access a fillable pdf of the checklist.