Education

Graduate Programs in Secondary Education

Admission Requirements for the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and Transition to Teaching Program (TtoT) :

Prospective students must have:

A) Earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a major (minimum of 30 semester hours).

B) Earned a cumulative GPA of 2.750 with a minimum of 3.00 in the major for admission to the MAT program. If seeking admission into the TtoT program, earned a cumulative GPA of 2.750 with a GPA in the major of at least 2.750. An applicant with a cumulative GPA lower than the required level may enroll in the college, and take courses in departments other than education, on a provisional basis. If the candidate earned grades below ”C-“ in courses required for an endorsement, s/he will be required to complete additional course work in the endorsement area as determined by the admissions committee.

C) Earned a bachelor’s degree within the past ten years. Students with degrees older than ten years may enter the program with the understanding that they will need to complete content area coursework in the endorsement area(s).

D) Met with the Evening, Weekend, and Graduate (EWG) advisor to complete an initial transcript analysis. The initial analysis may involve contact with the chairs of the education and the content area departments or their designees.

E) Approved by the Graduate Admissions Committee before enrollment in Educ 501 Graduate Groundings in Education which is the first education class taken by graduate students seeking secondary education licensure.

F) Approved for Level I Admission to the Graduate Teacher Education Program (approval determined by the Graduate Admissions Committee and the Education Department Chair).

G) Passed the Writing Skills Assessment, which is administered on site through Simpson’s EWG program, and assessed by the Education Department.

H) Taken the C-BASE basic skills test and earned a score of 250 or higher in each of the three subtests (English, Writing, Math). Candidates must pass the test by the end of Educ 501 in order to continue taking education classes.

I) Provided three letters of recommendation from approved sources. Recommending sources are employers, supervisors, college instructors, or clergy. Family and friends are not appropriate sources. These letters may address knowledge and work skills in the content area, suitability for the teaching profession, and/or character assessment and should include a contact phone number or e-mail address for the referral source.

Note: Candidates must take and pass the C-BASE test prior to, or during, the Educ 501 semester. If candidates do not take or pass the test, they will not be allowed to take additional education courses.

Program Completion Requirements for Graduate Students

A. Passed the C-BASE test (scores of 250 or higher in math, reading and writing/ English) prior to taking any education courses beyond Educ 501.

B. MAT candidates must receive a B- or higher, in each course taken at Simpson, to remain eligible for the master’s program.

C. Candidates must meet Simpson’s requirements for at least one endorsement program; candidates may meet minimum state standards for additional endorsements.

D. Pass the PRAXIS II examination, for each endorsement area, prior to being accepted into student teaching. Required cutoff scores are listed on the Education Department’s webpage.

E. All students develop and maintain an electronic portfolio (e-Portfolio) containing a set of artifacts indicating that they are competent in a variety of areas essential to successful teaching. All students must pass several e-Portfolio checkpoints.

F. All teacher candidates must pass a DCI/ FBI criminal background check.

G. All candidates must demonstrate professionalism, ethics, and dispositions that are characteristic of effective teachers.

Note: If a student allows more than two years to lapse in pursuing graduate coursework, the student must apply for re-admittance.

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Degree

Professional Education Core:
Required: (Hours)

  • Educ 501 Graduate Groundings in Education (6)
  • Educ 509 The Learning Process - Prerequisite: Educ 501 (3)
  • Educ 512 Education, Collaboration, and Differentiation for Students with Special Needs Prerequisites: Educ 501 and 509 Secondary Education and Practicum (3)
  • Educ 516 Secondary Education and Practicum - Prerequisite: Educ 501 and 509 (3)
  • Educ 521 Human Relations in Teaching - Prerequisites: Educ 501 and 509 (3)
  • Educ 540s Content Specific Methods - Prerequisite: Educ 501, 509, 516* (2)
  • Educ 588 Student Teaching (14-22)
  • Educ 589 Student Teaching Seminar (1)

* Taken concurrently with Educ 516.

Scholarly Capstone Experiences

  • Educ 573 Master’s Projects (Must be completed within three years after the student teaching semester) (3)

Application Capstone Experiences

  • Educ 588 Student Teaching (14)
  • Educ 589 Student Teaching Seminar (1)
  • Competency Portfolio (0)

State Mandated Liberal Arts Courses

  • English Composition (2-3)
  • One Science Course (3-4)
  • Math Proficiency: Math 105 or higher level course, Math 105 or higher level CLEP exam, or the math proficiency exam available through Hawley Learning Center (0-3)
  • Humanities and Social Sciences (History, English, Psychology, Sociology,Political Science, Religion, Philosophy, Economics): Minimum of three courses from three different departments (9)

Transition to Teaching (TtoT) Licensure Program

Candidates seeking graduate level initial licensure, but not a master’s degree, may complete the TtoT Program. Candidates complete all of the course work and requirements for the MAT Degree Program with the exception of Educ 573 Master’s Projects.

Graduate Endorsement Programs

Simpson offers three endorsement programs, for previously licensed teachers, at the graduate level: early childhood, reading, and special education (Instructional Strategist I at the elementary and secondary levels). Candidates enrolled in the MAT or TtoT programs may seek an additional graduate level endorsement in special education (Instructional Strategist I) only.

 

Last Updated: 11/18/11