Teacher Education
Program Description
The Lindenwood University system teacher education programs are accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (info@hlcommission.org) and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE, http://dese.mo.gov/). The initial teacher education program is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC, www.teac.org/) through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP www.caepnet.org). The Lindenwood University graduate degrees in education are designed to meet the needs of practicing educators as well as those interested in 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.
Graduate Teacher Education Goals
The goal of the program 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 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 to 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 Division of Education and Counseling at LU-Belleville offers the following Teacher Education degree programs:
- Master of Arts in Education (MA)
- Model I: Certification/Endorsement Areas
- Model II: Specialty Areas
- Model III: Initial Teacher Certification
- Master of Arts in School Administration (MA)
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 2.5 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.
Background Check
Conviction, guilty plea, or nolo contendere plea involving a crime involving drugs, moral turpitude, or other criminal charges may prohibit licensure or employment as a professional educator.
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 a course in Education of the Exceptional Child will be required to take the course.
- Graduate students in Master of Arts programs who register for the 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 $50per 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.
Transfer and 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.