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Study Plan
Orientation
Colloquia
Study Packets
Social and Ecological Literacies
Length of Program
Transfer Credits
MAP Faculty
Within the Master of Arts Program, students design highly individualized programs with the help of their program's core or associate faculty and their individually designated graduate advisor. Each term, students update their study plan that details what they will learn and accomplish during their studies then send their graduate advisors a packet of written materials every three weeks to document their work. During the program, students attend two colloquia per semester in Prescott, which include presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities. Students' graduate study culminates with a thesis that builds on existing knowledge in their field and demonstrates the real-world applications of their education.
Students complete the three components of the program -- theory (coursework), practicum, and thesis -- through independent study with the guidance of a graduate advisor. The MAP core and associate faculty work with newly accepted students to select individual graduate advisors. The faculty will recommend graduate advisors to new students and students are also welcome to suggest experts in their fields who might be potential advisors. Once a recommendation has been made, the student and advisor will interview each other, make a decision about the match, and confirm the decision with their MAP faculty. If a match is not made prior to orientation, the core or associate faculty will serve as the interim advisor until a match is made. In rare cases the student may need to defer enrollment until an appropriate graduate advisor can be found. Applying in a timely manner will prevent this happening. Graduate advisors assist students in planning and executing their graduate program and serve as evaluator for the graduate study program. They guide the student through every phase of the program after acceptance.
Study Plan
The student with the help of the graduate advisor will revise the proposed study plan that he or she submitted during the application process. This plan outlines the individual degree program and details how the student will fulfill the required components of the program. The student will update the study plan at the beginning of each semester.
The three primary components of the program are theory (coursework), practicum, and thesis.
- Theory
Students generally focus on their theory courses in the first and second semesters of their program. The selection of courses is based upon the student's interests and/or need for professional advancement. In theory courses, students become critically aware of the most important established concepts, theoretical bases, controversies, and emergent directions in their area of study -- the best that is being thought, written, and practiced. Graduate research may proceed through reading appropriate texts and journals in the field, through attendance at workshops, conferences, or field courses, and through interviews and networking with professionals or scholars in the field. The student demonstrates learning through written products, such as research papers, essays, and critical analyses of resources.
Students are required to read appropriate scholarly work in their field, as approved by their advisor and MAP faculty, and over the course of each semester produce regular research-based documents that focus on the theoretical aspects of their studies.
- Practicum
The student generally undertakes a practicum once a thorough understanding of theoretical knowledge has occurred. During the practicum the student demonstrates the ability to assimilate, synthesize, and apply the theoretical learning in a real world setting. Students complete a supervised practicum or internship in order to demonstrate the learning from the theoretical coursework; the practicum can also include research, fieldwork, data collection, methods of evaluation, and additional reading.
Examples of practica include interning at a mental health facility, being involved in a biological field research study, teaching a course at the college level, student teaching, developing and conducting a corporate leadership course, conducting an outreach campaign for a non-government organization, or leading a wilderness expedition.
The minimum number of credit hours for the practicum is six semester credits, which is the equivalent of approximately 300 hours of the student's time. There is no set requirement for the number of hours per week for practica and internships. Students and graduate advisors need to take into account individual needs and, when appropriate, outside requirements (e.g. Counseling and Psychology and Education students seeking state certification).
- Thesis
The thesis, generally completed during the student's final semester, receives 12 semester credits. The thesis may be theoretical, qualitative, or empirical in form. In every case the thesis is expected to combine theory and practice, to reflect the student's unique combination of interests and studies, and to make a relevant contribution to the field. The thesis may also include a creative or functional project or product such as a film, novel, business plan, or curriculum. In these cases, the thesis will include written documentation of the literature review and all research completed, including methodologies and the conclusion that led to the generation of the creative thesis project. The MAP thesis is the demonstration and documentation of the student's graduate-level research.
Study Packets: How Students Are Evaluated
Each student's ability to articulate in writing his or her understanding of theory and practice is a cornerstone of the MAP. Students are evaluated on their work through a variety of formats. They send their graduate advisor a study packet of written materials approximately every three to four weeks during the semester. The packet contains written documentation (approximately 15 pages) of all relevant work completed over the period. For example, it may include a critical analysis of works read, a paper on a specific subject, an annotated bibliography, a practicum evaluation, or a thesis chapter. The packet also contains a cover letter in which the student tells the advisor how the graduate study is advancing, what problems and questions are arising, what successes have been achieved, and what new ideas and directions are taking form. The third component of the study packet is a creative piece, which encourages the student to use the right side of the brain. It is called the "something else." Examples of this include a photo essay, a journal entry about a field trip, a poem about a related topic, an informal review of a conference, or a piece of artwork.
In responding to the student's study packet, the graduate advisor offers both support and challenge in a written format for the student's learning, ideas, understandings, and beliefs.
At the end of each semester, students and graduate advisors document and evaluate the work in the end of term summary, which becomes a part of the student's transcript. It includes course descriptions for the work completed and detailed narrative evaluations of the semester's work by the graduate advisor and the student. The transcript also includes a cover sheet with course titles, credits received, and other identifying information. MAP does not, under any circumstance, give letter grades.
MAP
Orientation
Newly admitted students attend the required orientation on the Thursday and Friday prior to their first colloquium in Prescott. The orientation is designed to familiarize the student with the self-directed experiential model of learning that is the cornerstone of Prescott College. Students attend faculty presentations and workshops that prepare them for creating study plans, study packets, and success in the program. An important aspect of orientation is to learn how to incorporate social and environmental concerns into the study plan. Students also learn about research and accessing the library resources available from off campus.
Colloquia
MAP students attend two three-day weekend colloquia each semester in Prescott. Each colloquium begins on Friday morning and ends on Sunday afternoon. Colloquia attendance is a fundamental requirement of the program and travel plans must be made to accommodate full attendance. The first weekend colloquium signals the beginning of the semester (February or August) and the second is scheduled two-thirds of the way through the semester (May or November).
The colloquia are an excellent opportunity to have face-to-face conversations with the Prescott College community including the core and associate faculty, library staff, and student peers. In most cases graduate advisors attend a colloquium in order to meet with the student or attend the student's presentation of her or his work. The colloquia include discipline-specific workshops by faculty, networking sessions, panel discussions, and interdisciplinary seminars. Colloquium weekends also include workshops that address the fundamentals of MAP, such as the qualifying packet, professional presentation skills, research, thesis plan, thesis, and soical and ecological literacies. Library research staff and MAP core and associate faculty are available for consultation during the colloquia and at any time during the semester.
Social and Ecological Literacies
Students are required to incorporate an awareness of and sensitivity to issues of social justice and environmental sustainability. Consideration of these overlapping and complementary issues is a major commitment of Prescott College as an institution. It is the mission of Prescott College to educate students of diverse ages and backgrounds to understand, thrive in, and enhance our world community and environment. Students are encouraged to develop their sensitivity to and understanding of social and ecological issues as they relate to their lives and research. Study packets, presentations, and the master's thesis should contain some reference to personal responsibility toward and active participation in the natural environment and human community.
Length of Program
Adventure Education, Environmental Studies, Humanities, and Non-certification Education Students
In order to graduate from Prescott College with a Master of Arts degree in Environmental Studies, Humanities, Adventure Education, and some non-certification areas of Education, students need to complete a minimum of 40 semester credits. Students with limited academic or professional preparation or with extensive research demands in their areas of study may require more time to complete the program. Many students, however, find the program can be done in three full-time terms.
Counseling and Psychology and Education Students Seeking Licensure or Certification
Students desiring state certification or licensure in Counseling and Psychology or Education must complete a minimum of 60 semester credits. Concentrations such as adventure-based psychotherapy or expressive art therapy, which have additional course requirements, can take between five and six full-time semesters depending upon the licensure requirements of other agencies.
Full-time students (12-15 semester credits) spend a minimum of 20-25 hours each week on MAP related activities, including reading, writing, library and field research, field experience, and other related experiential activites. In many instances, students' workplaces are used as living laboratories so work and graudate education can overlap significantly.
Students may also elect to enroll part-time (between 6 and 11 semester credits) and complete less coursework for the semester while still attending both colloquia in Prescott and holding the requisite 6 hours of meetings with the advisor. The MAP semesters begin in February and August and are 20 weeks long.
Transfer Credits
Prescott College may accept and transfer graduate credits only under the following circumstances:
- Counseling and Psychology (CP) or Education (ED) Students
Students with prior graduate level credit in courses required for certification or licensure may qualify to have up to 15 semester credits transferred into the MAP. The transfer of credits from other institutions will be approved by the core faculty of the CP or ED program. Students transferring credits will be required to complete a minimum of 45 semester credits of new work to graduate from Prescott College.
- Partnering Institutions with Official Memoranda of Understanding (MOU)
The MAP currently has MOU partnerships with individual institutions of higher learning, including the Teton Science School and the Martin Buber Institute for Dialogical Ecology. These are non-degree-granting residential programs whose offerings and missions have been found to be in close alignment with the learning and delivery philosophies of Prescott College. Specific coursework offered by these institutions has been approved by Prescott College toward completion of the Master of Arts degree. When completed at the partnering institution, up to 15 semester credits may be awarded graduate credit by Prescott College; students must complete a minimum of 30 credits of new work at Prescott College to earn the master's degree. Full details are available from the partnering institution or the Prescott College admissions office.
Core Faculty
The MAP core faculty govern the five degree programs and are charged with providing academic oversight and developing and maintaining MAP's model of individualized graduate education. Some of the most vital functions of the core faculty are the hiring, training, and direct ongoing contact with graduate advisors. Core faculty maximize academic rigor and maintain the caliber of individualized learning that is essential to MAP by clearly informing graduate advisors about what is expected from students. In this way, students are empowered to concentrate on the theory and practice of the graduate programs they have designed to meet their precise needs as adult learners. Core faculty review students' study plans, major graduation requirements, and evaluations, and ensure that MAP's academic requirements and expectations for graduate scholarship are met.
Associate Faculty
MAP associate faculty have the same responsibility as the core faculty for a particular group of students and graduate advisors. Each student is assigned to the core or associate faculty who is the most appropriate academic match. In some cases associate faculty are also responsible for the oversight of a concentration or a bioregional area.
Graduate Advisor
Graduate advisors assist and guide students in planning, carrying out, and evaluation all stages of graduate study. Graduate advisors provide both support and understanding while challenging students to deepen the complexity of their thinking. The core and associate faculty are responsible for locating appropriate graduate advisors for students. They draw from a pool of professionals across the country. Graduate advisors begin working with students after the student has been accepted and indicates his or her intent to enroll by submitting the tuition deposit.
Practicum Supervisor and Thesis Second and Third Readers
While carrying out the practicum and thesis components, students are also assisted and supervised by adjunct advisors, who are experts in the students' particular areas of work and study. These individuals are selected by students and approved by graduate advisors and core/associate faculty. The practicum supervisor provides direct, on-site supervision of the student's practicum. The second and third readers serve on the thesis committee and bring specific expertise to the student's area of study. For example, a student planning to use theater to educate about the environment might have a graduate advisor who is an environmental educator and a practicum supervisor who is a theatrical director. The second reader might be playwright or a fiction writer, and the third reader would be an individual recommended by the College who would evaluate the thesis according to program standards.
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