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Master of Science - Occupational and Technical Studies

This degree is an advanced master degree and requires prior academic work associated with this area of study.The M.S. program has three concentrations:career and technical education teaching, business and industry training, and community college teaching.These programs are designed to help teachers and trainers upgrade their knowledge and skills and prepare for leadership roles in education and training. These programs are delivered at the Norfolk campus and through the university distance learning system.

Admission:

Students are admitted to the program on a continuance basis. Applications can be obtained from the Admissions Office, distance learning sites, the department, and on line. Students are admitted for fall, spring, and summer on a rolling basis. Graduate students can complete up to 12 graduate hours with a nondegree application.All applicants to the master of science degree in occupational and technical studies must meet university, college, and departmental requirements. In addition, they must:

  • hold an undergraduate degree in a related field or have work experience in an occupational/technical area
  • have an overall grade point average of 2.80 with a 3.00 in major courses
  • complete the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) with a score of 900 (verbal and qualitative sections combined) or the Miller Analogies Test with a 45 percentile in the intended major
  • submit two letters of recommendation.

Continuance:

Students must:

  • complete the Graduate Writing Proficiency Examination administered by the department prior to the completion of nine credit hours
  • maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00.

Exit:

Students in the career and technical education teaching and business and industry training concentrations must complete 33 semester hours and in the community college teaching concentration must complete 39 semester hours as distributed below. In addition, all students must:

  • achieve an overall grade point average of 3.00
  • complete all competencies as listed on course syllabi
  • pass the written comprehensive examination
  • successfully complete a problems paper or thesis
  • complete a university graduate student assessment.

Curriculum - 33 to 39 hours

Common Core - 9 credits

  • OTED 785 Curriculum Development in Occupational Education and Training
  • OTED 788 Instructional Strategies and Innovations in Training and Occupational Education
  • OTED 789 Instructional Technology in Education and Training
  • Concentration Specific Courses - 6 credits, select one specialization

Career and Technical Studies Teaching

  • OTED 760 Trends and Issues in Occupational Education
  • OTED 762 Administration and Management of Education and Training Programs

Business and Industry Training

  • OTED 761 Foundations of Adult Education and Training
  • OTED 762 Administration and Management of Education and Training Programs

Community College Teaching

  • OTED 760 Trends and Issues in Occupational Education
  • OTED 761 Foundations of Adult Education and Training

Research Component - 6-9 credits

  • OTED 635 Research Methods in Occupational and Technical Studies
  • OTED 636 Problems in Occupational and Technical Studies
  • OTED 689 Thesis in Occupational Education

Professional Specialization Electives - 12-18 credits

  • Career and Technical Education Teaching - 12 credits, approved by advisor
  • Business and Industry Training - 12 credits, approved by advisor
  • Community College Teaching - 18 credits in teaching specialty

For more information about this MS degree program contact:

Dr. John Ritz
Graduate Program Director
Education Building 228
757-683-4305
jritz@odu.edu

Master of Science in Engineering-Modeling and Simulation Concentration, Simulation-Based Instruction

The simulation-based instruction emphasis helps students understand the training process that should be followed in planning, designing, testing and implementing a training simulation so that it solves a predetermined performance problem. The courses in the emphasis include:

  • OTED 761, Foundations of Adult Education/Training
  • OTED 750, Training Issues and Problems in Modeling and Simulation
  • OTED 789, Instructional Technology in Education and Training
  • ENMA 762/862, Training Systems Engineering

Students must also select three hours from OTED 762 or 788 and complete OTED 785 as the capstone course. Should students choose to do their research in instruction, students must complete OTED 635 and 636.

For more information about the Master of Science in Engineering, Modeling and Simulation concentration, refer to the Catalog section for the College of Engineering and Technology.