Project PREP
Preparing Rural Educators and Professionals for Students with High-Intensity Needs
Preparing Rural Educators and Professionals for Students with High-Intensity Needs
Project PREP (“Preparing Rural Educators and Professionals”) is the interdisciplinary initiative designed to address the shortage of personnel certified to serve school-aged children with high-intensity needs. Facilitated by WKU College of Education and Behavioral Sciences in conjunction with the College of Health and Human Services, Project PREP will combine course and field work between graduate programs to prepare teachers and speech language pathologists to serve students with high-intensity needs in rural communities.
Within the five-semester program, Project PREP will prepare 30 total scholars to become licensed Moderate Severe Disability (MSD) Teachers or credentialed Speech Language Pathologists (SLP). With aid from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education, students admitted into Project PREP will receive partial to full funding as well as connections to professional networks, a robust conference experience, and hands-on learning opportunities. The first Project PREP cohort is set to begin fall semester 2020.
Students interested in applying may do so by first submitting an application to the graduate school. Once completed, students may then submit the Project PREP application. Please note, this deadline has been extended to March 8.
More Information
For additional inquiries, please refer to the included FAQs or contact ProjectPREP@WKU.edu if you find your answer is not present.
Frequently Asked Questions
To apply for Project Prep, you must (a) have a bachelor’s degree, (b) receive admission to SLP or MSD graduate program at WKU (must meet requirements of either program), and (c) have a STRONG preference to work with individuals with high-intensity needs in rural settings.
The classes are online. There will be an intense 4 week summer seminar in Bowling Green, KY between years 1 and 2. Regarding the summer attendance, there will be funding included in this program for transportation and housing.
Yes, after you have filled out your application to the Graduate School, you must fill out an application to be accepted into Project PREP. Applications should be returned to the ProjectPREP email.
A Rank I requires that you participate in 30 hours of nonoverlapping coursework. Project PREP is a total of 41 credit hours, so it should count toward your Rank 1.
Yes, applicants for Project PREP will be picked from both the online distance program and the on-campus program.
Scholars in the SPED program will be expected to complete 41 hours and scholars in the SLP program will be expected to complete 62 hours.
Media
- WKU announces $1 million grant to boost number of special education professionals - Bowling Green Daily News
- WKU awarded $1.1 million federal grant for special education - WDRB
- WKU awarded grant to support the growth of special education professionals in rural areas - WKU College Heights Herald
The contents of Project PREP were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education #H325K190088. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
- Project Officer, Anita Vermeer
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