Graduate Catalog 2019-2020 > School of Education > Teacher Education Department

Teacher Education Department

The Lindenwood University Educator Preparation Programs (EPP) is accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MoDESE 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 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.

The Department of Teacher Education offers the following degrees:

• Master of Arts in Education
• Master of Arts in Teaching

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.

Criteria for Admission to the Graduate Education Program

• Online application.
• Current résumé.
• An official transcripts showing a completed baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and any coursework completed since the completion of their bachelor's degree. Students with a GPA below a 3.0, but above 2.75 may have their completed admissions file reviewed for admission. If a student has completed an additional degree since their initial bachelor's degree they may be admitted on the GPA from their most recently completed degree.
• Master of Arts in Teaching students must submit official transcripts from all higher education institutions they have attended. A cumulative GPA calculation will be reviewed to determine admissibility.
• 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 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 will be required to take additional licensure exams and possibly coursework. Please see the Illinois State Board of Education website for more information. Students should first apply for their Missouri teaching certificate and then apply for an Illinois license.
• Graduate students in Master of Arts programs who register for the EDU 60000 Master's Project in one term must continue to register each subsequent term until the project is completed and accepted. The fee for the Master's Project extension is $50 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 and pay any required fees in order to be accepted for graduation. The application should be submitted according to the academic calendar deadlines.

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 better. 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 seven 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.

A student wishing to transfer semester hours of graduate level coursework from an international institution must bring to Lindenwood the following items and present them to his or her academic advisor to review:

• An official WES course-by-course evaluation of the international graduate level transcript showing the courses that the student wishes to transfer.
• A translated copy of the course description and syllabus for each course that the student wishes to apply to transfer.
• An official WES document evaluation of the international undergraduate transcript, confirming that a baccalaureate degree has been conferred.

Upon arrival to Lindenwood, the student should bring these items to his or her academic advisor. These items will be reviewed by the advisor and will be forwarded to the assistant dean of educational leadership.

All students seeking a Master of Arts in Education are required to complete the Core Curriculum within each program page.