The discussion of how you’ve chosen to fulfill ESU Knowledge Foundations for your degree is the most important part of your rationale essay, as it presents your evidence that your individually-designed degree is academically valid.
You may want to use the knowledge foundations for your degree to structure this part of your rationale essay.
Analyze the contents of your own degree/concentration by explaining the ESU courses, transfer courses, credit for prior learning, and/or knowledge that you have (but did not pursue for prior learning credit) that address the knowledge foundation expectations.
In addition to identifying which courses fulfill which foundations, offer insight into your degree/concentration design. Academic review committee members should understand why you designed your degree in a certain way, to include courses in certain patterns and sequences, and to include breadth and create coherence.
Answer the following questions to help address degree structure and design in your rationale essay:
- What focus did you intend in your degree, and how do some courses connect with one another to create that focus?
- How does the learning, especially in your concentration, show progression from introductory to advanced as well as multiple perspectives related to the same focus?
- What courses support and/or enhance one another (e.g., do some pieces of the general learning relate to and enhance studies in the concentration)?
Know that in writing about the validity of your degree contents and your degree design/structure, you do not need to differentiate between courses you already completed and courses you still need to complete. Refer to all of the courses in your proposed degree plan to provide a comprehensive analysis.
At the start of your discussion of how you have fulfilled academic expectations, make sure to name your degree/concentration so that there’s a clear relationship between the focus of your degree and your discussion of ESU knowledge foundations.
Professional Expectations
Discuss professional expectations in your rationale essay if one of your goals is to use your degree to enter into or advance in a profession.
Make sure to include the following information in your discussion of professional expectations:
- the sources you consulted for information about professional expectations
- the most important skills, perspectives, and knowledge areas for your profession, according to the sources you consulted
- the proposed future direction for your profession, based on the sources you consulted (e.g., the trends and practices professionals in this area need to think about and prepare for)
- the particular college courses, credit for prior learning areas, or other ways that you’ve chosen to address these current and future knowledge and skills expectations for your professional field
- ways in which you are addressing general workforce competencies and expectations, as appropriate
What NOT to include in your Rationale Essay
Course descriptions for SUNY Empire courses, unless there is a very specific reason to do so (e.g., only if you’re taking an independent study to address a guideline, and that intention may not be clear from the title of the study).
A narrative of your whole educational journey. A short narrative is fine as a means of introduction, as you move into a discussion of goals, but you do not need to go into depth with examples of your previous experiences with education. Remember that a rationale is a reasoned argument for the validity of your degree choices.
Personal information that you would be uncomfortable for others to read.
Write & Revise
Understand that writing your rationale essay does not happen all at once. Your mentor/advisor may have a process for you to follow as part of your educational planning course.
No matter how you approach writing your rationale essay, you will assuredly draft and revise in order to get to the final version to submit to the academic review process, along with your degree plan.
It’s useful to get feedback on your rationale essay draft from your mentor and/or from other students, if you are in an educational planning course with your peers. Reader response helps you determine if you have analyzed and explained your academic choices clearly. Revise according to the feedback you receive. Always deal with the “big” thing first – content:
- discussion of goals
- validation of academic content in terms of knowledge foundations and other academic requirements
When you’re ready to do final revisions, deal with the “small” things that will make your essay polished:
- make sure your rationale essay and degree plan correspond
- if you’ve quoted or used others’ information, make sure you have citations
- include your name, university ID, degree type (A.A., B.S. etc,), name of your degree, concentration title, and date
- do a final edit for spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Examples
Link to the Resources for Planning your Education Library Guide pages for sample rationale essay sections on Goals and Knowledge Foundations.
Key Takeaway – You don’t do this alone
Remember that if you are planning an individualized degree, then you will be working with your mentor in an educational planning course.
Your mentor will help direct you toward how to approach writing your rationale essay.
