http://www.uvm.edu/cess/
The College of Education and Social Services (CESS) offers undergraduate programs in Human Development and Family Sciences, Individually Designed, Social Work, and Teacher Education (Art, Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle Level, Music, Secondary and Special Education). First-year students may elect to be Undeclared/Undecided while exploring the above options within the college. All programs require coursework in the liberal arts and sciences along with professional preparation through courses and internships in school or community settings.
CESS offers minors in American Sign Language, Childhood Studies, Coaching, Computer Science Education, Education for Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (both endorsement and non-endorsement), Human Development and Family Sciences, Special Education (both endorsement and non-endorsement), and Sports Management. In addition, CESS offers certificates in Gerontology, Place-Based Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
UVM students who want to transfer into CESS must complete the online transfer form available on the UVM Registrar's Office website. Students will only be considered eligible for transfer into CESS or dual degrees within teacher education programs if they currently have an overall grade-point average of 2.50 or above; students in teacher education programs must also be able to earn an overall grade-point average of 3.00 or above by the time they reach student teaching and program completion. Human Development and Family Sciences and the Individually Designed major require an overall grade-point average of 2.00, and Social Work requires an overall grade-point average of 2.3 or above to be considered eligible for transfer.
Students must meet all requirements for each program set forth by the CESS Academic Affairs committee, the CESS Student Affairs committee, CESS faculty, the CESS dean, and the University Academic Affairs committee. Nine of the CESS undergraduate majors are nationally accredited and meet the standards of their professional group as follows:
- Social Work: The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Teacher Education: The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), and the Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators.
Criminal Record Check (CRC) Requirement
Students enrolled in the College of Education and Social Services majors should expect to complete a Criminal Record Check (CRC) as a prerequisite for working in schools and agencies. Evidence of a Criminal Record may prevent students from being eligible to fulfill the field placement/teaching internship requirement.
Students enrolled in the Teacher Education programs are required to complete the CRC to be eligible for the public school teaching internship that occurs during the Senior year. Depending on the program students may be asked to complete the CRC during the first-year, sophomore and junior years. The cost for fingerprints and FBI processing is covered by each individual student and is subject to change. More information about this process is available in the CESS Department of Education, Waterman 533.
Human Development and Family Science majors are encouraged to complete the CRC upon enrollment at the University, as it may be needed in the first semester of coursework. Also most individual agencies require a completed CRC to be eligible for a placement. It is important to note that membership in professional associations upon graduation, typically requires a criminal background check as does employment in an ever-increasing number of human service agencies.
Students enrolled in the Social Work major may be required to complete a CRC for the required service learning or field placement components of their coursework. While not all agencies / organizations require this, almost all do. Faculty will work closely with students who believe they have an active record that might be exposed by a CRC. As a result, it is important to note that there is no guarantee that a student will be accepted for required academic work in a community agency / organization and therefore may not be able to fulfill the requirements of this major.
Technology Requirement
The College of Education and Social Services prepares students for impactful careers in education, social work, and human services. In these fields, professionals regularly leverage technology to strengthen schools, families, and communities. All CESS undergraduate programs therefore require students to have a laptop computer. The laptop specifications, available on the CESS website, are intended to ensure students have laptops that provide ample power and meet students' needs throughout the duration of their studies in CESS.
Assessment Platform Requirement
The College of Education and Social Services is committed to regular assessment of student learning and growth to ensure student progress, enhance continuous improvement in program and course delivery, and meet accreditation requirements. To support these efforts, CESS has invested in an assessment platform that allows students and faculty to collaborate in robust assessment practices. Students will be charged a one-time-only fee when they matriculate into the college, which will allow access to the platform both during their enrollment at UVM and for seven years following payment of the fee.
Academic Performance Disciplinary Action
Any CESS student, regardless of class standing, is subject to academic disciplinary action, including separation/dismissal from the university, if (a) the semester or cumulative grade-point average falls below 2.00; or (b) the student has failed six or more credits of coursework in a given semester.
Students who do not meet program-specific requirements or who have not earned the required grade-point-average for their program of study are also subject to academic disciplinary action.
If a student remains on academic disciplinary action for two (2) successive semesters, a student will be reviewed for removal from their program of study, or separation/dismissal from the College of Education and Social Services.
Students on academic disciplinary action will not be allowed to participate in their senior internship/field placement and their degree conferment status may be jeopardized.
