Purpose of the Program
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The Educational Media Certificate is a virtual (i.e., all classes are taught online) program that is intended for those who wish to pursue a career as a K-12 educational media specialist but do not need to earn a masters’ degree. The program of courses matches closely with those required for Educational Media endorsement by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) 6a-4.0251 Plan Two.
In Florida, there is no advanced degree requirement to become a certified media specialist. Accordingly, candidates may receive a temporary certificate if (1) They hold a bachelor's or higher degree with an undergraduate or graduate major in educational media or library science; or (2) They hold a bachelor's or higher degree with thirty (30) semester hours in educational media or library science that include credit in five specific areas:
- Library management: Our program offers one course, EME 6716 Media Services and Programs.
- Collection development: Our course that covers this area is EME 6705 Collection and Acquisition.
- Library media resources: EME 6609 Instructional Media Resources is our corresponding course.
- Reference sources and services: This is covered in EME 6609 Instructional Media Resources and EME 6675 Design for Informal Learning.
- Design and production of educational media: EME 6209 Still and Time based Media is our course that covers production.
The mission of the Educational Media Certificate Program is to prepare high performance educational media professionals that are effective, efficient, and ethical. The Educational Media Certificate is of significance to the M.A. in Educational Technology program, Curriculum and Instruction Department, College of Education, P-16 Integration, and Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) because it prepares students to work as an Educational Media Specialist in a P-16 environment and all credits transfer towards the M.A. in Instructional Technology.
The relationship of the Educational Media Certificate program with the existing M.A. in Instructional Technology program is expected to be positive and complementary. For those students unable to commit to a degree program initially, the certificate program functions as an introduction to graduate-level courses in educational media while providing students with experience and additional time needed to make a sound decision about seeking a graduate degree. All the earned credit hours may be applied to the M.A. in Instructional Technology program at FGCU in accordance with the Master's program admission requirements. Thus, the impact of the curriculum on M.A. in Instructional Technology is seen as positive.
The department that houses the Educational Media Certificate program is the Department of Leadership, Research, and Technology within the College of Education.