Advanced Certification Programs FAQ's
Act 45/48 reporting
If you want to receive Act 45/48 credit, at the beginning of each course email Ms. Jocelyn Gibbs (gibbs015@gannon.edu ) the following information: your name, your current mailing address, your PPID, the course
number, name, and section, and the beginning and ending dates of the course. Use Act 45 or 48 as the subject line in the email. Without this information, your course will not be reported to PDE.
Registering for courses
Once you are admitted to an advanced certification program, the Office of Graduate Admissions will help with your first semester registration. In future semesters, you will schedule your courses in
Self-Service. You may check your schedule on GUXpress. If you have any questions or concerns about your schedule, please contact the School of Education at 814-871-7486. Semester bills
are sent electronically to your Gannon email.
Transferring Credits
Once you are admitted to an advanced certification program, the Office of Graduate Admissions will help with your first semester registration. In future semesters, you will schedule your courses in
Self-Service. You may check your schedule on GUXpress. If you have any questions or concerns about your schedule, please contact the School of Education at 814-871-7486. Semester bills
are sent electronically to your Gannon email.
Textbooks
Textbooks can be ordered online by accessing https://gannon.bkstr.com or by calling 814-871-7421. Have the following information available when ordering textbooks: department code which is GEDU, course Name, Course
Number, and Course Section. This information can be secured at the course specific Blackboard site.
Graduation
Candidates in the advanced certification programs do not graduate. The Principal, Superintendent, and Curriculum Supervisor programs are not degree programs offered by Gannon University.
Internship
Candidates are required by PDE to complete 360-hours of internship as part of the Principal Certification PreK-12 and Superintendent Certification programs. Candidates complete 35-hour internships as 1-credit developmental internships associated with
3 of the classes taken, and a 20-hour developmental internship associated with a 4th class. This equals 125 hours. The remaining 235 hours are taken in the Mastery Internship class (GEDU 728/GEDU 750). The Program Director will contact you to begin
the process of thinking about this internship, developing, and completing the internship Action Plan, and beginning to log hours in advance of the class start date. You will work with a district-level Site Supervisor, who must have either their Principal
Certification (for principal candidates) or their Superintendent Letter of Eligibility (for superintendent candidates) to complete these 235-hours.
The internship for the District-Wide Supervisory Certificate in Curriculum and Instruction requires 360 hours of site-based work under the supervision of a PA-certified principal or superintendent.
Portfolio
The Principal and Superintendent programs both have 2 “portfolio” activities associated with them. The first is the GEDU 728/GEDU 750 Mastery Internship Portfolio, and the second is the GEDU 732/751 Professional Portfolio submission. The Internship
Portfolio covers the entire 360-hour internship; the Professional Portfolio covers the five academic classes. Syllabi for both classes are posted in all five of the academic classes in Blackboard to provide adequate time for preparation, and both
will be discussed in detail by the Program Director and University Supervisor prior to beginning the internship.
Graduate Writing
As graduate level learners, the use of academic or scholarly writing is expected within all aspects of written coursework, including discussion forums. Academic or scholarly writing is clear, concise, and direct. Word choice is intentional and precise.
Thoughts are logically organized with accurate use of grammar and conventions (spelling, capitalization, and punctuation). Transitional words and phrases help to establish continuity and support overall flow of writing. Biased language, repetition
of words and ideas, jargon, and colloquial expressions should be avoided. Scholarly writers often follow the “less is more” approach. “The role of the scholarly writer is to clearly and effectively communicate essential ideas in an interesting and
engaging manner.” (American Psychological Association, 2020).
The American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines are, “… a conventional way of presenting information that is designed to ease communication” (American Psychological Association, 2020). It is the responsibility of authors within the social sciences to use APA guidelines to maintain ethical and legal principles, protecting the intellectual property of others.
Effective scholarly writers:
- Organize ideas ahead of time
- Set aside drafts for a short period of time, returning to review/revise
- Intentionally read documents aloud to assess fluency, style, and formatting
- Invite colleagues to read/review writing
Accurate APA formatting is expected within all Gannon Master's level coursework. While
this may be a new formatting style for some, the following resources should be
consulted to ensure correct usage of APA:
Important Contacts
- For billing questions: Student Accounts Office 814-871-7425
- For financial aid questions: Financial Aid Office 814-871-7337
- Please have your student ID# when you call.
Questions
Feel free to contact Mrs. Gibbs at gibbs015@gannon.edu if you have any questions or concerns not addressed here or in the handbook associated with your program
References
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).
General format. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/