Teacher Education Department
Program Description
The Lindenwood University Educator Preparation Programs (EPP) are accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (info@hlcommission.org), and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MoDESE http://dese.mo.gov). The School of Education is also a member in good standing of the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC www.teac.org).
The Lindenwood University graduate degrees in education are designed to meet the needs of practicing educators as well as those interested in entering the discipline of education. These degree programs offer new approaches for analyzing contemporary problems and acquiring new perspectives, techniques, and knowledge. These approaches include developing a one-to-one relationship with an experienced and highly trained educator; participating in courses which provide strong foundations for professional growth such as problem-solving opportunities and the opportunity to prescribe an individualized program of study
Lindenwood University is committed to offering excellent programs in teacher education both at the pre-service and graduate levels of instruction. In response to the needs of beginning and veteran educators, Lindenwood has developed several alternatives by which the practicing educator may complete a Master of Arts. Program options are designed to meet the needs of first and second year teachers as well as satisfy the advanced certification requirements of veteran educators. Courses labeled as EDH and EDE are offered through collaboration with the School of Education and other schools. These courses provide teachers the opportunity to enroll in graduate studies in their subject area teaching field.
Graduate Educator Goals
The goal of the EPP is to produce skilled and motivated educators who will (1) be more effective in their educational setting (2) show enriched lifetime commitment to the profession, and (3) view learning as a continuing process of self-assessment, planned improvement, and subsequent evaluation.
The graduate student in education at Lindenwood University will have experiences that will enable him/her to
- Read critically in the areas of contemporary education problems, curriculum, and educational research.
- Analyze and discuss educational issues and write about them in accepted academic formats.
- Analyze one’s own teaching/leading behavior and plan strategies for improvement using a variety of instructional models.
- Demonstrate knowledge of human growth and development as it relates to the teaching-learning-leading process.
- Study curriculum theory and design curricula pertinent to the needs of selected student populations.
- Understand, analyze, interpret, design, and apply research relevant to the setting of the elementary or secondary educational professional.
- Demonstrate the ability to conduct effective library research.
- Effectively prescribe educational experiences for learners with special needs.
- Gain increased understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to teach about global issues and cultural pluralism.
- Design research projects in education or specific areas that will enable the practicing educator to meet his/her professional goals.
- Explore one or more areas of professional concern in some depth.
- Become an informed decision maker, capable of self and educational program evaluation, who recognizes the value of continuing education and who has succeeded in developing within him or herself the art and the science of teaching and leading.
The Department of Teacher Education offers the following degrees:
- Master of Arts in Education (33 credit hours)
- Master of Arts in School Administration (36 credit hours)
- Master of Arts in Education with library media certification (40 credit hours)
- Master of Arts in Teaching (minimum 45 credit hours)
- Elementary school certification preparation
- Middle school certification preparation
- Secondary school certification preparation
Note: All of the MAT degrees include certification requirements. Content area coursework required by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must also be met for middle and secondary education.
Advanced Program Certification Areas
Library Media
Math Specialist
School Psychological Examiner*
Special Reading
Special Education Administrator
Special Education*
Gifted Education
For students who pursue a Missouri certification in the areas listed above, a professional initial teaching certificate issued from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and two years of teaching experience is required.
*Two years of teaching experience is not required for Special Education or School Psychological Examiner. For more information on all counseling programs, refer to the Department of Counseling.
The transcript of the completed advanced program degree acknowledges program completion in an “area of emphasis.” Application for certification in that emphasis (content) area must be made directly to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Criteria for Admission to the Graduate Education Program
- Completion of application.
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum grade point average of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Candidates with cumulative undergraduate GPAs from 2.75 to 2.99 will be considered on a case by case basis, and will be required to follow a prescriptive plan.
- Completion of a program overview with the assistance of a professor who teaches in the specific department in which the applicant is interested.
Requirements for the Program
- Graduate degrees are to be completed within five calendar years from the date of matriculation in the program. (Matriculation is the date of the first day of the first term in which the student begins the graduate program.) Students requiring longer than five years must file a Petition for Policy Exemption. Students will be expected to meet the degree requirements in effect at the time of the petition.
- Graduate students who have not had an undergraduate or graduate course in Education of the Exceptional Child will be required to take EDU 54100 Education of the Exceptional Child to fulfill MoDESE requirements.
- Students who plan to apply for a certificate in Illinois and have not taken courses in Exceptional Child, Literacy, and TESOL, will be required to take EDU 53000 Introduction and Methods of Teaching Children with Disabilities in Cross-Categorical Settings; EDU 50305, Methods of Teaching Reading, Writing, and Oral Communication; EDU 50705 Methods of Teaching Reading in the Content Area; and TESOL 54000 TESOL Methods.
- Graduate students in Master of Arts programs who register for the EDU 60000 Master of Arts Project in one term must continue to register each subsequent term until the project is completed and accepted. The fee for the Master of Arts project extension is $50.00 per semester. Summer semester sessions are excluded. Failure to register for continuous registration will result in termination from candidacy for the degree.
- Graduate students must complete an Application for Degree in the Registrar’s Office and pay any required fees in order to be accepted for graduation. The application should be submitted according to the academic calendar deadlines.
Transfer & Workshop Credit
Students in master’s programs may transfer no more than nine graduate hours of credit to Lindenwood from other accredited institutions.
- All graduate transfer credit must be from an accredited graduate institution and must meet the approval of the Dean of the School of Education and the Registrar.
- All transfer credits must carry a letter grade of B or higher. An official transcript must be provided for verification.
- “Pass-Fail” or “Credit” courses will be accepted in transfer.
- All transfer and workshop graduate credit must be relevant to the student’s proposed program and should have been completed within the last 7 years.
- Once admitted, the student must obtain prior permission from the Dean of the School of Education and the Registrar in order to apply credit from any other college or university toward the degree. Prior Approval forms are available in the Office of Academic Services for this purpose.
- Students may elect to take a maximum of six credit hours of approved workshops to be accepted as part of the credit for the degree. These hours would be included as part of approved transfer credit if taken at other accredited institutions.
All students seeking a Master of Arts in Education are required to complete the Core Curriculum within each program page.