Effective with the January 11, 2010 start date, tuition for all new students entering Master of Education degree programs is $6,950 plus a $50 non-refundable program application fee. At Large Students not seeking a degree but participating in coursework at American College of Education will pay a tuition rate of $580 per course. Tuition rates for endorsement programs are on academic program web pages.

You take one 5-week course at a time. There are 12 courses in the 18-month program.

Academic Coaches are assigned to assist students and course professors. Your academic coach will send you an email at the beginning of each course week. The email may include a message from your professor, as well as tips and information about the week's content and assignments.

Most students find that the convenience and flexibility of the program allows them to continue their courses and complete the program despite any scheduling challenges. Talk with your academic coach if you are struggling to keep up or anticipating an upcoming event that may interfere with your coursework. If necessary, you may take a leave of absence. However, this will delay your completion of the program.

The American College of Education reserves the right to cancel any course in which the number of students enrolled is deemed insufficient or for which an instructor cannot be secured. All tuition and fees paid for such a course will be refunded. The right to set maximum limits on the number of students allowed to enroll in any particular course or section is also reserved.

Yes, but you will need to complete a Status Change Request form.

If the JROTC instructor meets all admission requirements except for having a teaching certificate, an exception may be made to allow the person to take the Curriculum and Instruction (CI) program. The CI program will not provide certification, but will provide enhanced teaching skills and professional development. This exception does not apply to the Educational Leadership (EL) program. The requirements for General Administrative Endorsement provided through the EL program include the successful completion of required certification examinations; therefore, any student without a professional teaching or school services certificate is ineligible for the EL program.

Email your academic coach.

You must have at least a 2.75 GPA for your undergraduate degree or your highest postbaccalaureate degree. If you have a lower GPA and you meet all other entrance requirements, you may be admitted provisionally.

You must supply documentation of your professional teaching experience (or a school services certificate) and completion of all state certification requirements.

If English is not your first language, you must demonstrate competence in the English language in one of three ways:

• Submit a diploma from a U.S. secondary school, college or university
• Submit a diploma from a secondary school, college or university in a country that uses English as a primary means of instruction. Countries include Antigua, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Botswana, Canada, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Gambia, Ghana, Great Britain, Grenada, Guyana, Iberia, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Micronesia, New Zealand, Nigeria, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Solomon Islands, Philippines, Trinidad, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Submit an official minimum score on the written or computer-based TOEFL® test. The minimum required TOEFL score is 550 for the written version and 213 for the computer-based version.

You have many options for documentation:

• Bureau of Indian Affairs/Tribal identification card
• U.S. Passport (current or expired), unless stamped non-citizen national
• Unexpired Foreign passport with U.S. Visa, with I-551 stamp or attached Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561) issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) through a federal or state court or through administrative naturalization after December 1990
• Certification of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570) issued by USCIS
• Permanent Certificate of Naturalization
• Resident Card with photograph (Form I-151) issued since 1997
• Resident Alien Card (Form I-551) issued before 1997
• Alien Registration Receipt Card with photograph (Form I-551) issued before June 1978
• U.S. Military card or draft record
• U.S. Armed Forces Driver's License
• U.S. Social Security card issued by the Social Security Administration and valid photo ID
• U.S. Military DD-214 documentation ID Card for active duty, reserve or retired personnel, and valid photo ID
• Birth Certificate showing birth in the U.S., which includes Puerto Rico (on or after January 13, 1941), Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands (on or after January 17, 1917), American Samoa, Swains Island, or the Northern Mariana Islands (unless the person was born to foreign diplomats residing in the U.S.) and valid photo ID
• Affidavit of birth and valid photo ID
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) issued by the State Department and valid photo ID
• Certificate of Birth from Foreign Service Post (Form FS-545) issued by the State Department and valid photo ID
• Certification of Report of Birth (Form DS-1350) issued by the State Department and valid photo ID
• Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571) issued since 2003 and valid photo ID
• Form I-94 arrival/departure record with endorsement (expiration date must not have passed), stamp showing admission under section 207 (refugees) or section 208 (asylum) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and valid photo ID
• Voter's registration card and valid photo ID
• Military dependent's ID card and valid photo ID

When a naturalized U.S. citizen needs to have a Certificate of Naturalization authenticated by the U.S. Department of State for use by foreign governments or embassies, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) can copy the document and certify it as a true copy. "Authentication" is a term used by the U.S. Department of State and other governments to describe what USCIS refers to as certified true copies. When you require a Certificate of Naturalization to be authenticated, be sure to use the term "certified true copy."

If you have the original document to be certified, make an appointment with your local USCIS office by using the InfoPass Appointment Scheduler on their website. Be sure to take your original naturalization certificate and a copy of it to your appointment. Also take another form of photo identification, such as a driver's license or passport. A USCIS officer will review the documents and may certify the copy if it is possible to confirm your identity and status as a naturalized citizen.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), will provide certified true copies and return these with the supplied documentation to the requester. USCIS cannot act as an agent of the U.S. Department of State by accepting fees on behalf of other government agencies or forwarding documentation to any other government agency. All documentation coming from a requester, along with any documentation supplied by the Department of Homeland Security, will be returned to the requester.

You can view your American College of Education course schedule on the Academic Calendar page for your specific degree:
Educational Leadership
Curriculum & Instruction

Yes. Each week's content is organized to flow sequentially: readings, video/lecture, discussion, review, assignments and/or assessments.

Yes. You will be able to interact with your colleagues in weekly discussions. Although assessments must be completed independently, student interaction usually benefits learning. Many students enjoy meeting together at a regular time and place each week to explore, debate and review course content.

No. Your courses are copyrighted. Sharing your course materials with others is illegal.

Courses maintain a familiar look and feel within the degree program. Differences reflect faculty style, course goals, and responses to student feedback and performance.

Scholarly writing consists of peer-reviewed sources and edited publications including journals and books. Peer-reviewed articles have been judged by a panel of experts, including scientific or scholarly peers, before submission for publication. Scholarly writing draws from the works of others, but your words should be your own, synthesizing others' works. Please see the Scholarly Writing attachment in Week 1 for more information.

Yes. Please use American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines for documenting sources.

Please use 12-point Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana or Trebuchet type fonts.

The College must have a record of your completed assignments within the course site to document that you have fulfilled your course requirements.

Build a study schedule at the beginning of each week, and balance your studies with your other responsibilities. You can work ahead in your course on everything except your exams. These will only open at specified times. Distance learning programs provide you more autonomy, but they also require you to assume more responsibility for your learning.

It provides documented experience for Educational Leadership licensure and includes 120 hours of professional practice. Under the guidance of an administrative mentor and the Internship Director of the American College of Education, you assume increasing responsibility for the learning of P-12 students.

American College of Education professors assign all final grades.

You are expected to actively engage in the discussions each week. Here are some tips for effective discussion postings:

• Stay on topic.
• Consider the useful information that is being shared. Share how it is similar to, and different from, your knowledge and experience.
• Be respectful of others' ideas and comments.
• Choose words carefully and consider how the reader might interpret them. Text may seem harsher than spoken words.

Not at this time.

Tuition is paid in advance, and there are two payment options:

• You may pay in full with a check, money order or credit card
• You may pay course by course

Please contact our business office for assistance:
1-800-280-0307
studentaccounts@ace.edu
Student Records

For any student enrolled in a master’s degree program prior to January 11, 2010, tuition will remain according to the tuition rate in effect at the time of their enrollment.

Mail tuition payments to:
American College of Education
P.O. Box 678564
Dallas, TX 75267-8564

Overnight address:
Northbrook Services
Attn: American College of Education (678564)
8711 Freeport Parkway N
Irving, TX 75063

To find the current refund and withdraw policy, refer to the Student Catalog.

1. You will need regular access to a computer with an Internet connection. The minimum computer requirements for the virtual classroom are:
   
   
   • Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7 / Mac OS 9 or better / Linux
   • Any current Flash-compliant browser (eg. Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox 3.0)
   • 512 MB of RAM, 1 GB or more preferred
   • Broadband connection required – courses are heavily video intensive
   • Video display capable of high-color 16-bit display – 1024 x 768 or higher resolution
   • A sound card and speakers or headphones
   • Current anti-virus software must be installed and kept up to date
   
   Some classes may have specific class requirements for additional software. These requirements will be listed on the course offerings page.
   
   Most home computers purchased within the last 3-4 years meet or surpass these requirements.
   
   
2. You will need some additional free software for enhanced web browsing. Ensure that you download the free versions of the software.
   
   
   • Adobe Reader
   • Adobe Flash Player
   
   
3. At a minimum, you must have Microsoft Office 2003, XP, 2007 or OpenOffice. Microsoft Office is the standard office productivity software utilized by faculty, students, and staff. Microsoft Word is the standard word processing software, Microsoft Excel is the standard spreadsheet software, and Microsoft PowerPoint is the standard presentation software. Copying and pasting, along with attaching/uploading documents for assignment submission, will also be required.
   
   If you do not have Microsoft Office, you can check with the bookstore to see if they have any student copies.

Your American College of Education username and password for starting your course will be sent to your American College of Education email account from Student Services. If you need further assistance, email support or call the helpdesk at 1-800-280-0307.

Contact Student Services.

Your username is your full email address and your password is the same password you use to access your course. For example:
Name - John Smith
Email - john.smith@student.ace.edu
Password - the student number provided in John's Getting Started kit

No. You need a location that has access to the Internet and a standard browser.