Master of Education/Master in Teaching

The College of Education at Saint Martin's University offers two graduate degrees in the field of education, the Master of Education (MED) degree and the Master in Teaching (MIT) degree. The College of Education also offers a post-baccalaureate certification-only program for those who already have a baccalaureate degree.

The Master of Education (MED) Program provides teachers and future school counselors the opportunity to gain advanced professional skills in the areas of classroom and pedagogical development, technology in education, guidance and counseling, reading literacy and special education.

The MED Program is a 36-45 semester-hour degree offered during summers, evenings and weekends. The program has three components: core, strands and electives. The number of semester hours varies with the strand a student chooses to follow. (Please see description below.)

The Master in Teaching (MIT) Program is a post-baccalaureate program for individuals seeking certification leading to a master's degree.

The MIT Program requires approximately 10 semester hours of credit in addition to the standard certification and endorsement coursework.

All MED and MIT degree candidates are required to take a series of general courses called a "core." The courses are: Professional research paradigms; Philosophical foundations of education, Psychological foundations of education or Sociological and historical foundations of education; Diversity and social context in the classroom; and Integrating seminar and final project. (16 semester hours)

Elective courses are selected to complete any required semester hours. These courses must be acceptable for graduate credit and typically are taken from courses offered in education. However, they may include graduate courses from other departments.

In addition, the Master of Education Program has "strand" courses that are areas of emphasis or certification. The seven strand areas are: classroom and pedagogical development (area of emphasis only); English as a second language (includes ESL endorsement); guidance and counseling (includes ESA certification); reading literacy (includes endorsement); school administration* (includes principal or program administration certification); special education (includes certification or endorsement); and technology in education (includes endorsement, "instructional technology"). A strand requires between six and nine courses (12 to 29 semester hours), including a project designed to demonstrate the advanced skills learned in the program. Some options are available within each strand. (* To begin summer 2006 pending final approval from the Professional Educator Standard Board.)

Post-baccalaureate certification-only program students may choose to register for graduate credit for several select courses, rather than the course's undergraduate equivalents. On satisfactory completion of the certification program and subsequent application and successful admission to the Master of Education Program, the graduate-level credits would apply toward the master's degree. Once these courses have begun, students will not be permitted to change registration.

For more information about admission and program requirements, please view the Graduate Handbook for the College of Education. It contains detailed information for current and prospective students.