Master of Education Online - Elementary or Secondary Emphasis

• Overview
• Curriculum Summary
• Course Descriptions
• Admission Information
• Application Process

Overview

Elementary or Secondary Electives Emphasis

The Master of Education meets the needs of professional teachers who already are certified and desire a graduate specialty in elementary education or secondary education.

Master of Education

The online Master of Education program will enrich and advance teachers with a focus on the core foundations of teaching and learning. Earning a MED degree can also lead current teachers to leadership roles.

This program meets the needs of professional teachers who are already certified. Professional teachers who desire a specialized graduate degree can choose between an emphasis in elementary or secondary education. The Master of Education provides advanced pedagogical and research skills to enable one to become a leader in today’s schools.

Belhaven online graduate courses for teachers take an in-depth look into the classroom and give teachers the ability to not only evaluate their current methods, but examine the improvement of learning and the implementation of better teaching techniques from a critical thinking perspective.

Belhaven’s Master of Education online classes gives teachers, who wish to pursue a masters, distinct advantages by eliminating obstacles like distance and time. Potential students could also qualify for scholarships like the Teach Grant and the Belhaven Classroom Leadership Scholarship.

Through this graduate degree program, students have access to Belhaven’s education professors and the wealth of knowledge they are eager to share. Since Belhaven’s founding in 1883, we have excelled in preparing students to be teachers and are excited to bring our education expertise to the online area.

Objectives of the Master of Education Program

The goal of graduate teacher education is to prepare competent teachers who demonstrate both academic excellence and professional knowledge while providing distinctive Christian leadership and service to students, parents, and communities. The conceptual framework of the department reflects these goals and supports the following objectives:

• ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: The Master of Education program seeks to provide experiences that will enable the teacher candidates to:
  • Synthesize best instructional and curriculum practices through collaborative problem-solving.
  • Increase knowledge of subject matter content and critical thinking skills and apply this knowledge in the field.
  • Evaluate a school’s curriculum, goals, and instruction and use current research and innovations to solve site-based problems.
  • Acquire and use current research about how children learn and develop to improve instruction from infancy through adolescence.
  • Acquire skills and knowledge of educational technology and its uses in the classroom.
• PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE: The Master of Education program seeks to provide opportunities for the teacher candidates to acquire skills to:
  • Evaluate instructional strategies and build a variety of teaching modules that will improve learning within the classroom and school.
  • Use professional materials, organizations, and current research to expand knowledge about innovations and trends in education to improve instruction in the elementary and secondary school.
  • Design and implement research studies that observe, record, and evaluate children’s behavior in order to plan appropriate instructional programs and improve learning environments.
  • Acquire greater knowledge as to appropriate research methodology and analysis of current trends in education and the implication for today’s schools.
• LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: The Master of Education program seeks to provide opportunities for the teacher candidates with experiences for the development of skills to:
  • Evaluate curriculum, resources, and opportunities within the community to enhance instruction and improve relationships with parents and the school community.
  • Promote cooperative exchanges within the classroom, among faculty, and with parents to provide greater opportunities for improvement in the curriculum and instruction in the school.
• CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: The Master of Education program seeks to promote the personal and spiritual development of the teacher candidates to:
  • Integrate the Christian worldview in involvement with students, parents, coworkers, and the community.
  • Demonstrate integrity in research and implementation of programs to improve instruction.
  • Analyze and develop models of service to schools and communities.

Master of Education Core Classes

Course #	Course Name	Credits
EDU610	Research Methods and Procedures	3
EDU612	Curriculum Planning and Organization	3
EDU617   or EDU622	Teaching Reading in the Secondary School   or Teaching Reading Skills and Comprehension	3
EDU621	Assessing Student Learning	3
EDU623	Technology in Education	3
EDU625	Instructional Leadership Skills in the Classroom	3
EDU628	Advanced Instructional Strategies	3
EDU630	Diagnostic and Remedial Strategies in the Content Areas	3

Elementary or Secondary Elective Courses

Course #	Course Name	Credits
EDU624	Issues and Innovations in Education	3
EDU631	Individual Instruction for Children with Learning Problems	3
EDU636	Supervision of Instruction: Collaborating for Accountability	3

NOTE: Students seeking teaching certification must assume responsibility for fulfilling all state requirements. Completion of the Master of Education does not guarantee licensure.

Course Descriptions

Master of Education Course Descriptions.

Admission Information

As you apply for admission to Belhaven University, you can use this checklist to assist you in the process. Each item required is necessary to apply, be accepted and register at the college. If you have any questions about admission, please contact us at 601-968-5940 or onlineadmission@belhaven.edu.

Steps to apply:

1. COMPLETE the APPLICATION for Admission and SUBMIT $25 APPLICATION Fee.
   
   
2. SUBMIT PROOF OF LICENSURE AND TRANSCRIPTS
   
   
   • A bachelor’s degree in Education from a regionally-accredited college or university is required. Submit an official transcript from your undergraduate degree granting institution and official transcripts from institutions where you have completed graduate coursework. A 2.8 cumulative GPA from undergraduate work is required for admission or a minimum GPA of 3.0 on any graduate work previously completed. Download the Transcript Request Form. See Transferability of Credit Notice.
   • Provide evidence of holding a valid standard teaching license.
   • Proficiency in the English language as demonstrated by at least two years of successful academic work at the college or university level in the United States or by a minimum score of 550 paper-based or 79 internet-based on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
     
     
3. COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS
   
   
   • Students taking the online courses are responsible for having the required hardware and software prior to each hemester start date.
     
     
4. MILITARY CREDIT
   
   
   • A veteran who wishes to be assessed for military credit or who will use veteran benefits must submit a copy of Form DD214 and/or DD295 to Belhaven University.
     
     
5. CONDITIONAL ADMISSION
   
   Applicants who do not meet the regular admission requirements, but show the potential for success in the M.Ed. program, may be admitted on a conditional basis using the following criteria:
   
   
   • Students admitted on a conditional basis to the M.Ed. program must earn a 3.00 grade point average on the first nine semester hours of graduate work in order to continue in the program.
   • The student may be asked to submit an essay or recommendations for review by the program committee.
6. NON-DEGREE SEEKING, SPECIAL STUDENT APPLICATION PROCESS
   
   • Submit a completed application for admission with fee of $25.
   • Non-degree seeking students must submit an official transcript from their undergraduate/graduate degree-granting colleges/universities.
   • Non-degree seeking students, after attempting six semester hours, must either apply for admission as a degree-seeking student or make a request to be continued as a non-degree seeking student (maximum of 12 hours).