Implementation Date: 2012
Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.
Summary
The English Department in consultation with the College of Education and as part of the re-visioning of teacher education and licensure required by the NC Department of Public Instruction proposes to revise the M.A. in English Education from its current 38 hours to a 33 hour degree. The revision includes changing two, four-credit courses (ENGL/EDUC 6274 Contexts and Issues in the Teaching of English) to two, three-credit courses; the reduction of the professional education course requirements by 3 hours and requiring EDUC 5100, Diverse Learners, which had been an elective; and the option of a six credit thesis , which is currently required of all students, or a three-credit project (with students taking the other 3 credits as coursework either in English or Education that relates to the project that is proposed).
Catalog Copy
Designed for experienced middle and secondary English teachers, the M.A. in English Education qualifies graduates for the new Master’s/Advanced Competencies “M” license in English Education. The program includes core courses taught by faculty in the English Department and the College of Education which focus on issues in the teaching of English and on research methods and advanced study in English and professional education, including a core course in teacher leadership. Aligned with the l997 North Carolina Excellent Schools Act and the proposition of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the program prepares graduates to become master teachers who are (1) self-directed in their personal and professional growth as educators, (2) responsive to children’s differences influenced by development, exceptionalities, and diversity, (3) well-grounded in the content and pedagogy of English/Language Arts curriculum, (4) self-reflective, self-evaluative, educational researchers, and (5) collaborative leaders.
Additional Admission Requirements
In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, applicants must:
- hold the “A” license in Secondary English or Middle Grades Language Arts from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (or its equivalent from another state),
- have at least two years experience of full-time teaching in the secondary or middle grades classroom,
- have an undergraduate GPA of 2.75 overall and 3.0 in the junior/senior years and thirty hours of undergraduate coursework in English beyond the freshman level, or evidence of equivalent academic preparation,
- submit a satisfactory essay that provides a statement of purpose for Master’s degree study.
Degree Requirements
The M.A. in English Education Program requires completion of at least 38 semester hours of graduate credit with grades of A or B in approved courses including:
Core Course Requirements (14 hours)
ENGL/EDUC 6274 Contexts and Issues in the Teaching of English (4)
ENGL/EDUC 6674 Applied Research Methods in the Teaching of English (4)
ENGL/EDUC 6974 Thesis/Project in the Teaching of English (6)
English Specialization Requirements (12 Hours)
12 hours of graduate-level English courses selected in consultation with the Program Coordinator. The program’s 12 hours of content specialization courses are not free electives, but a planned program of study identified upon the students’ enrollment in the program as part of the students’ overall professional and program plan.
At least 18 hours of course work in the program must be in English or Education courses at the 6000 level.
Professional Requirements (12 Hours)
ENGL/EDUC 6274 Contexts and Issues in the Teaching of English (43)
MDSK 6260 Principles of Teacher Leadership (3)
EDUC 5100 Diverse Learners (3)
Also, 39 additional hours of graduate-level Education courses selected in consultation with the Program Coordinator. The program’s 9 hours of professional courses are not free electives, but a planned program of study identified upon the students’ enrollment in the program as part of the students’ overall professional and program plan.
Content Specialization Requirements (12 Hours)
12 hours of graduate-level English courses selected in consultation with the Program Coordinator. The program’s 12 hours of content specialization courses are not free electives, but a planned program of study identified upon the students’ enrollment in the program as part of the students’ overall professional and program plan.
At least 18 hours of coursework in the program must be in English or Education courses at the 6000 level.
Research Requirements (9 Hours)
ENGL/EDUC 6674 Applied Research Methods in the Teaching of English (3)
Either ENGL/EDUC 6974 Thesis Project in the Teaching of English (6)
Or
ENGL/EDUC 6974 Project in the Teaching of English (3) and an additional course either in ENGL or in MDSK/EDUC (3)
The Master’s Thesis or Project is a formal piece of scholarship that investigates a particular
problem in English education and attempts to provide either data-based practical solutions to the problem or a philosophical/theoretical exploration of the problem and its implications for the classroom. Following the approval from the student’s thesis committee or project director, the candidate must present the findings in a professional manner at a level expected of a master teacher.
Assistantships
Assistants are awarded on a competitive basis through the Department of English and the Department of Middle Grades, Secondary, and K-12 Education.
Capstone Experience
Students are required to complete a Master’s Thesis/Project, a formal piece of scholarship that investigates a particular problem in English education and attempts to provide either data-based practical solutions to the problem or a philosophical/theoretical exploration of the problem and its implications for the classroom. Following the approval from the student’s thesis committee, the candidate must present the findings in a professional manner at a level expected of a master teacher.
Licensure
The M.A. in English Education qualifies graduates for the Master’s/Advanced Competencies “M” license in English Education.