School of Education Ethics Modules

The Virginia Tech School of Education

The Virginia Tech School of Education offers a variety of Graduate Certificate, Master's degree, Educational Specialist degree, and Doctoral degree programs across Counselor Education, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Curriculum and Instruction, Career and Technical Education, and Higher Education. All graduate students must complete requirements in inclusion and diversity and scholarly ethics and integrity, as outlined by the graduate school. 

On this page, you will find information about why we address inclusion and diversity in our graduate programs in addition to learning about our guiding principles. Please review the linked material in the section, “The Requirements and How We Meet Them” before moving on to the ethics modules, linked at the bottom of this webpage.

Why We Address Inclusion and Diversity in Graduate Programs

The Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies Resolution 2017-18A, i.e., Resolution to Incorporate an Inclusion and Diversity Education Component into Graduate Education, requires that all graduate students participate in inclusion and diversity educational programs as part of their graduate studies.

As champions of lifelong learning, diversity, equity, and social justice, we are committed to research and practice that challenge the status quo, include the voices and experiences of underrepresented populations, and expand opportunity and access to ongoing learning and the improved health and well-being of all.

Virginia Tech is a public land-grant university, committed to teaching and learning, research, and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world community. Learning from the experiences that shape Virginia Tech as an institution, we acknowledge those aspects of our legacy that reflected bias and exclusion. Therefore, we adopt and practice the following principles as fundamental to our on-going efforts to increase access and inclusion and to create a community that nurtures learning and growth for all of its members:

• We affirm the inherent dignity and value of every person and strive to maintain a climate for work and learning based on mutual respect and understanding.
• We affirm the right of each person to express thoughts and opinions freely. We encourage open expression within a climate of civility, sensitivity, and mutual respect.
• We affirm the value of human diversity because it enriches our lives and the University. We acknowledge and respect our differences while affirming our common humanity.
• We reject all forms of prejudice and discrimination, including those based on age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, and veteran status. We take individual and collective responsibility for helping to eliminate bias and discrimination and for increasing our own understanding of these issues through education, training, and interaction with others.
• We pledge our collective commitment to these principles in the spirit of the Virginia Tech motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).