Completing the Master of Education in Learning, Design, and Technology degree is a cause for celebration—for students and for our program. Every graduate of our program goes on to make positive impacts in teaching and learning across a broad variety of educational and professional fields. Our students work hard, have their minds stretched, and apply their skills in authentic settings throughout their studies.

However, potential M.Ed. graduates—let’s call them M.Ed. candidates—should not put the cart before the horse. Graduation from Penn State University and its graduate school is not automatic—you must notify the university when you intend to graduate. The university’s requirements are relatively few and they are strictly upheld. The LDT program has a few more requirements, and they are strictly upheld. In essence, the warning is to avoid coasting to the graduation ceremony.

Don’t put the cart before the horse! Image by Adam Smith at marketing-mojo.com

We have an M.Ed. checklist to help with the basics. We have an M.Ed. handbook that provides better detail about our program. We have faculty advisors assigned to each student who are available to help with program and graduation questions. We have support staff who can answer questions about records. We aim to make the process easy for our students.

Here are the questions to ask about potential pitfalls that are obstacles to graduating, and the potential solutions that you can do:

Q: Have I taken enough courses?

A: Does learning ever stop in a living human being? Then that’s the answer to your question. Just kidding.

The M.Ed. in LDT requires 30 graduate credits, or 10 total courses. At least 18 of those credits (6 or more courses) must be from successfully completed courses at the 500 or 800 level. “Successfully completed” means that you didn’t receive a grade lower than a C, that you didn’t drop the course, and that you have no deferred grades. Attempting a course does not mean that you’ve successfully completed it. [Read more…]