Elementary Education, Master of Education

This program leads to the T-5 certification in Elementary Education and is designed to prepare master teachers to work with children in grades PreK-5. This program also provides knowledge and skills for teachers to serve in leadership roles in curriculum development, supervision and research in the field of Elementary Education.

The purpose of the M.Ed. in Elementary Education is to promote leadership for PreK-5 populations. Candidates complete 36 hours of courses designed to augment resourceful and imaginative problem-solving skills for PreK-5 populations.  All classes implement the College of Education's conceptual framework: Reflective transformative practitioner, culturally-responsive practitioner, technologically-competent practitioner. Candidates have to be admitted by the Graduate Admissions Office before being admitted into the program. 

Objectives

The objectives of the Master's of Education program in Elementary Education is to provide teachers with the opportunities to:

I.  Use teaching practices that align with current research

2. Expand their knowledge and skills in a chosen area of educational interest;

3.  Present academically-challenging instructions to PreK-5 to students;

4. Integrate new materials and methods of teaching practices for diverse PreK-5 populations;

5. Encourage interest in conducting research;

6. Increase competencies in research techniques; and

7. Encourage relevant action research, which they can use to become more effective in their classrooms.

Graduation Requirements

Capstone Research Project

The purpose of the capstone research project is to assess the student's knowledge of educational theory and applied research in a real-world classroom setting.  The research project is a culminating assessment of a student’s competency and skills as an advanced-level candidate in teacher education.

In partial fulfillment of the Masters in Education, students are required to successfully complete a research project. This research project is completed in the research course, EDUC 5592 Applied Research in Teacher Education.  A student must earn a grade of "B" or higher in the course to signify their successful completion of the research project.

Area C Grades

Candidates must earn a B or better in all Area C courses (teaching field) to earn course credit for graduation. 

Admissions Requirements

Admission to the Elementary Education Program requires an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education, or the equivalent, from an accredited college.  In addition, the following is required

• a clear renewable state of GA teaching certificate in elementary education
• letters of recommendations as required by the School of Graduate Studies
• writing sample
• College of Education Disposition Statement

If students lack a sufficient background in Elementary Education, they may be required to take additional undergraduate courses before beginning the M.Ed. program in Elementary Education. Students are also governed by the general admission procedures and requirements for the graduate school and the M.Ed. degree program, and they may matriculate in the Elementary Education program under the same categories of admission.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

¹

If a student is working toward initial certification, SPED 5501 requires a grade of B or better in compliance with House Bill 671 and PSC rules. 

²

Candidates must earn a B or better in all Area C courses (teaching field) to earn course credit for graduation. 

³

Required course

⁴

Students may also take any course approved by their advisor from the teacher education endorsement lists.