Program Description
The Master of Education leading to the Alternative A Fifth Year Certificate is a 40-hour program with 24 hours in core education courses and 16 graduate hours in the appropriate content area. Coursework covering areas of educational psychology, curriculum, teaching strategies, classroom management, and technology are uniquely interwoven with an emphasis on professionalism and Christian principles to provide students the solid foundation necessary to become an exemplary classroom teacher.
Highly Qualified Teacher Status
In addition to graduate coursework, the subject matter content of the student's undergraduate program must also be evaluated to determine what, if any, undergraduate leveling courses may be necessary to meet the state's "highly qualified teacher" status. Those seeking elementary certification must have earned at least 12 semester hours in each of the following content areas: English language arts, mathematics, science, and social sciences. Those seeking certification in a content area for secondary certification must have an academic major in the appropriate teaching field OR 32 semester hours, including at least 19 upper-division semester hours, in the content area. Specific courses may also be required in these areas. An official review of the undergraduate transcript can be done at no charge by contacting the Education Office. Passage of the Praxis II Content Knowledge test in appropriate areas will be considered in lieu of the 4x12 and 32/19 requirements described above.
Class Meetings
During the fall and spring semesters, courses meet twice a week for eight weeks. One class meeting takes place on the Montgomery campus in the evening. The second weekly meeting is one of a study team, to which the student is assigned, at a time and location of the team's choosing. This arrangement allows students living away from Montgomery to form teams and have team meetings at a location in close proximity to their homes. The summer is divided into two terms of five weeks generally following the same pattern as described above.