Master of Arts in Education
Master of Arts in Education Program Core: 13 semester hours
A five-course core provides a vibrant shared experience for all Master of Arts in Education students. These courses focus on developing the broader perspectives needed for leadership in the profession. Understanding legal and policy issues, building leadership skills, examining cultural and ethical implications, and applying the tools of research are but a few of the outcomes targeted by the program’s core experiences. All Master’s students will complete an independent Action Research Project and will present the project to the Mount Mercy community in a poster session.
This graduate degree prepares students to: effectively use researched instructional strategies; conduct, interpret and evaluate assessments; acquire and apply the skills needed to become reflective practitioners and teacher leaders; formulate and evaluate action research; and analyze research results and communicate the results in written and oral presentations.
Required Core Courses:
| ED 500 | Educational Policy | 3 |
| ED 505 | Educational Leadership | 3 |
| ED 600 | Educational Research | 3 |
| ED 601 | Action Research Project | 3 |
| ED 602 | Education Thesis | 1 |
Emphasis in Special Education: 34-39 semester hours
The Master of Arts in Education with emphasis in Special Education program is designed to prepare teachers to provide appropriate levels of instruction to students with disabilities at the elementary and secondary levels. Four options are available under this program:
- Instructional Strategist I K-8 endorsement
- Instructional Strategist I 5-12 endorsement
- Instructional Strategist II K-12 endorsement
- Special Education – no endorsement
The goal of this degree is to provide teachers with updated research, legal procedures, knowledge, and best practices to be successful with students who struggle to learn and/or behave appropriately in general and special classroom settings.
Required courses (all options):
| Program Core | ||
| ED 500 | Educational Policy | 3 |
| ED 505 | Educational Leadership | 3 |
| ED 600 | Educational Research | 3 |
| ED 601 | Action Research Project | 3 |
| ED 602 | Education Thesis | 1 |
| Required Emphasis Courses | ||
| ED 550 | Special Education: Law, Collaboration and Consultation | 3 |
| ED 555 | Assesment in Special Education | 3 |
| ED 560 | Behavior Interventions | 3 |
| ED 595 | Seminar in Special Education | 3 |
| Total Hours | 25 | |
Instructional Strategist I K-8: 34 semester hours
Requirements:
| Progam Core | 13 | |
| Required Courses | 12 | |
| ED 570 | Methods and Strategies for Instructional Strategist I K-8 | 3 |
| ED 530 | Diagnostic Assessment of Reading & Writing | 3 |
| ED 650 | Student Teaching Instructional Strategis | 3 |
| Total Hours | 34 | |
Instructional Strategist I 5-12: 37 semester hours
Requirements:
| Program Core | 13 | |
| Required Courses | 12 | |
| ED 575 | Methods & Strategies for Instructional Strategist I 5-12 | 3 |
| ED 525 | Content Area Reading and Writing | 3 |
| ED 580 | Transitions and Career Planning | 3 |
| ED 651 | Student Teaching Strat 1 5-12 | 3 |
| Total Hours | 37 | |
Instructional Strategist II K-12: 39 semester hours
Requirements:
| Program Core | 13 | |
| Required Courses | 12 | |
| ED 580 | Transitions and Career Planning | 3 |
| ED 585 | Curriculum & Methods for Strat II | 3 |
| ED 530 | Diagnostic Assessment of Reading & Writing | 3 |
| ED 652 | Student Teaching Strat II K-8 | 3 |
| or ED 653 | Student Teach: Strat II 5-12 | |
| ED 654 | Student Teaching Inst Strategist II K-8 | 3 |
| or ED 655 | Student Teach-Alt: Strat II 5-12 | |
| Total Hours | 40 | |
No Endorsement: 34 semester hours
Requirements:
| Program Core | 13 | |
| Required Courses | 12 | |
| Endorsement Areas | 9 | |
| Electives | ||
| Curriculum Adaptations in Special Education | ||
| Teaching Social Competency | ||
| Trends and Strategies in Teaching Children with Autism | ||
| Universal Design | ||
Graduate courses from the emphasis in reading | ||
| Total Hours | 34 | |
Emphasis in Reading: 34-35 semester hours
The Master of Arts in Education with emphasis in Reading program is designed to prepare teachers for K-8 or 5-12 reading instruction. Students pursuing this degree will also be eligible for the K-8 or 5-12 reading endorsement from the State of Iowa upon completion of the program. Students may take this emphasis with or without an endorsement option.
The goal of the program is to prepare teachers as reading strategists who have a dynamic understanding of the reading process and who take with them a variety of resources for enhancing literacy for K-12 learners that goes beyond the undergraduate experience. Candidates will add to their existing knowledge base by engaging in an in-depth analysis of current research as well as their own individual action research. Three options are available under this program:
Reading (K-8) Endorsement
Required Core Courses:
| Program Core | 13 | |
| ED 510 | Foundations of Reading | 3 |
| ED 515 | Children's Literature: Enhancing Instruction | 3 |
| ED 520 | Language, Literacy and Culture | 3 |
| ED 525 | Content Area Reading and Writing | 3 |
| ED 530 | Diagnostic Assessment of Reading & Writing | 3 |
| ED 535 | Prescriptive Reading | 4 |
| ED 540 | Reading Research Seminar | 3 |
| Total Hours | 35 | |
Reading (5-12) Endorsement
Required Core Courses:
| Program Core | 13 | |
| ED 510 | Foundations of Reading | 3 |
| ED 516 | Young Adult Literature | 3 |
| ED 520 | Language, Literacy and Culture | 3 |
| ED 525 | Content Area Reading and Writing | 3 |
| ED 530 | Diagnostic Assessment of Reading & Writing | 3 |
| ED 535 | Prescriptive Reading | 4 |
| ED 540 | Reading Research Seminar | 3 |
| Total Hours | 35 | |
Reading No Endorsement
Required Core Courses:
| Program Core | 13 | |
| ED 510 | Foundations of Reading | 3 |
| ED 515 | Children's Literature: Enhancing Instruction | 3 |
| or ED 516 | Young Adult Literature | |
| ED 520 | Language, Literacy and Culture | 3 |
| ED 525 | Content Area Reading and Writing | 3 |
| ED 535 | Prescriptive Reading | 4 |
| ED 540 | Reading Research Seminar | 3 |
| Electives chosen from the following: * | 3 | |
| Topics in Literacy Instruction | ||
| Response To Intervention | ||
Graduate courses from the emphasis in special education | ||
| Total Hours | 35 | |
| * | May be used to fulfill the semester hours required for the emphasis in reading when students have already taken a required course for endorsement work at the undergraduate level. |
Courses
ED 500 Educational Policy: 3 semester hours
This course will examine the different governing bodies that influence policy and how it is created, the ethic of critique, the ethic of care, the ethic of justice, and professional ethics; educational law; the theory of change and the process for implementing change; and review educational standards.
ED 505 Educational Leadership: 3 semester hours
This course will examine the various types of leadership. Students will observe and examine the school culture and the primary leadership style. Students will use leadership inventories to help them determine their main leadership style.
ED 510 Foundations of Reading: 3 semester hours
Practitioners will read, analyze, and evaluate current and historical research in reading and writing processes. Research on instructional strategies, motivation, and the major reading and writing components will be examined.
ED 515 Children's Literature: Enhancing Instruction: 3 semester hours
This course provides a broad up-dated survey of children's and adolescent literature with a focus on locating and using literature in the classroom to support reading, writing, and cross-curricular instruction.
ED 516 Young Adult Literature: 3 semester hours
This course provides a broad survey of adolescent/young adult literature with an emphasis on critically evaluating literature and investigating and utilizing research-based strategies for teaching secondary reading, writing, and response to text.
ED 520 Language, Literacy and Culture: 3 semester hours
This course will examine some ways in which growth in language reflects and enables cognitive development and how language empowers and constrains children as they attempt to make sense of their world. First and second language reading and writing process and the role socioeconomic status and cultural diversity have on children's literacy learning within various ethnic communities and school environments will be studied. Drawing on readings in psychology, anthropology, linguistics, and education, students will formulate ideas on the role language plays before children enter school and the role it plays once they begin their formal education.
ED 525 Content Area Reading and Writing: 3 semester hours
This course examines best practices for the integration of reading and writing across the language arts and content area subjects. Specific attention will be given to embedding the teaching of reading and writing skills into content area instruction. Practitioners will investigate how reading, writing, listening and speaking supports the acquisition of new knowledge across all subject areas.
ED 530 Diagnostic Assessment of Reading & Writing: 3 semester hours
This course focuses on the diagnostics of reading and writing proficiencies and needs. Tests, testing procedures, and formal and informal diagnostic techniques will be examined, discussed, and evaluated. The practitioner will reflect on assessment results to inform instructional decisions in light of the nature and causes of reading/writing disabilities.
ED 535 Prescriptive Reading: 4 semester hours
Current research-based methods and strategies for instructing less proficient readers will be studied and implemented. Practitioners will complete a clinical field-based experience in a specialized reading setting where they will select appropriate materials and strategies for individualized and/or small group instruction. Reflective analysis of anecdotal and assessment data will be used by practitioners to evaluate the effectiveness of their instruction.
ED 540 Reading Research Seminar: 3 semester hours
Practitioners select and explore a topic of professional interest through a review of the research and professional publications. Practitioners may prepare a literature review of a selected topic and share their findings with peers. Discussion, questioning and collegial feedback will frame the professional development paradigm for this course.
ED 545 Topics in Literacy Instruction: 3 semester hours
This course will offer a specialized study of current topics, issues, and trends in the field of literacy. Topics may include: Literacy Coaching, Word-Study, Writing Process, English Language Learners, Gender Issues, Interest and motivation, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Word Identification, Fluency, Vocabulary, Comprehension, or Reading Research. Practitioners may complete more than one topics course in consultation with an academic advisor.
ED 550 Special Education: Law, Collaboration and Consultation: 3 semester hours
This course provides the most current legal information regarding students/schools in regard to special education. Additionally , collaboration with professionals and parents, as well as the consultant role, will be explored.
ED 555 Assesment in Special Education: 3 semester hours
This course provides knowledge and application of the collection and use of assessment data (academic and behavioral) for educational diagnosis and evaluation of individuals with disabilities.
ED 560 Behavior Interventions: 3 semester hours
This course is designed to provide strategies for identifying, anticipating, and managing individual and group behavior issues in regular and special education classes.
ED 565 Teaching Social Competency: 3 semester hours
This course will provide exploration into the social skills areas necessary for success both in school and in society in general. Included will be exposure to curricula in social skills.
ED 570 Methods and Strategies for Instructional Strategist I K-8: 3 semester hours
This course addresses the characteristics and trends in serving students with mild/moderate disabilities. It offers theoretical and practical approaches which are research-based interventions.
ED 571 Universal Design: 3 semester hours
This course will provide exploration and practice in multiple means of representation to give learners various way of acquiring information and knowledge, multiple means of expression to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know, and multiple means of engagement to tap into learners' interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation.
ED 575 Methods & Strategies for Instructional Strategist I 5-12: 3 semester hours
This course addresses the characteristics and trends in serving students with mild/moderate disabilities. It offers theoretical and practical approaches which are research-based interventions.
ED 576 Trends and Strategies in Teaching Children with Autism: 3 semester hours
This course will provide information on autism as it relates to methods and materials to use in the special education setting.
ED 580 Transitions and Career Planning: 3 semester hours
This course provides an understanding of the process for transition from high school to post-secondary options for students with disabilities. It includes creating a transition plan.
ED 585 Curriculum & Methods for Strat II: 3 semester hours
This course provides an in-depth look at the strategies and approaches used with students diagnosed with moderate to severe learning disabilities, behavior disorders, autism, and Asperger's, as well as other disabilities.
ED 590 Curriculum Adaptations in Special Education: 3 semester hours
This course will provide an opportunity to explore curricula designed to teach students with mild, moderate, or severe disabilities. It will also address best practices for adapting content, strategies, instructional environments, and behavior expectations for students' individual needs.
ED 595 Seminar in Special Education: 3 semester hours
Practitioners will self-select and explore a topic of professional interest through a review of the research and professional publications in the area of special education. They will prepare a literature review of a selected topic and share their findings with peers. Discussion, questioning, and collegial feedback will frame the professional development paradigm for this course.
ED 596 Education: Travel Abroad: 0 semester hours
Students in the Education Graduate Program will research, explore, compare, and contrast the education system and teacher preparation programs in another country (e.g., United Kingdom) with those in the United States, particularly in Iowa. Students will be asked to attend classes at MMU prior to their departure and upon their return and will be asked to attend Education classes at a college in the country they visit (e.g., at Canterbury Christ Church University). Additionally, they will observe in Prek-12 schools in the country they visit to examine school curricula and routines as well as school policies concerning discipline, teaching methods, service delivery, etc. Students will visit and explore various sites in a city in the country they visit (e.g., London) to observe/experience the inhabitants and the culture (e.g., exhibits, buildings, art, food) and to determine the impact this diversity may have on their future teaching in their home schools.
ED 599 Response To Intervention: 1 semester hour
This course will be offered as an elective to address special topics in education that Mount Mercy does not currently offer in its Master of Arts in Education program (e.g., seminars related to special education and/or literacy; conference credits given by Mount Mercy as a result of attendance, participation, and work completed in accordance with conference guidelines).
ED 600 Educational Research: 3 semester hours
This course is an introduction to education research, designed to help students become critical evaluators and consumers of research. Students will evaluate research findings and analyze their application to classroom practice. This course provides a foundation for students to be able to conduct original action research.
ED 601 Action Research Project: 3 semester hours
Students will design an action research project that will be implemented in a k-12 classroom and/or school setting. Students will present a formal proposal of their research to a faculty committee.
ED 602 Education Thesis: 0 semester hours
Students will meet with the project advisor weekly until they complete their Action Research Project. Students will report on the data gathered in a presentation to a faculty committee and to the greater Mount Mercy community. Students will continuously enroll in this course until the project is complete.
ED 650 Student Teaching Instructional Strategis: 3 semester hours
A student will complete supervised teaching assignment in a level I or co-teaching setting. He/she will apply knowledge, skills, and dispositions of relevant education theory to actual classroom situations while teaching special education strategies to elementary students with mild to moderate disabilities. During this 8-week placement, the student will be asked to lead teach for the majority of the time.
ED 651 Student Teaching Strat 1 5-12: 3 semester hours
A student will complete supervised teaching assignment in a level I or co-teaching setting. He/she will apply knowledge, skills, and dispositions of relevant education theory to actual classroom situations while teaching special education strategies to elementary students with moderate to severe disabilities. During this 8-week placement, the student will be asked to lead teach for the majority of the time.
ED 652 Student Teaching Strat II K-8: 3 semester hours
A student will complete supervised teaching assignment in a level II classroom . He/she will apply knowledge, skills, and dispositions of relevant education theory to actual classroom situations while teaching special education strategies to elementary students with moderate to severe disabilities. During this 8-week placement, the student will be asked to lead teach for the majority of the time.
ED 653 Student Teach: Strat II 5-12: 3 semester hours
A student will complete a supervised teaching assignment in a Level II classroom. He/she will apply knowledge, skills, and dispositions of relevant educational theory to actual classroom situations while teaching special education strategies to secondary students with moderate to severe disabilities. During this 8-week placement, the student will be asked to lead teach for the majority of the time.
ED 654 Student Teaching Inst Strategist II K-8: 2 semester hours
A student will complete a supervised student teaching assignment in a Level II or Level III classroom. He/she will apply knowledge, skills, and dispositions of relevant educational theory to actual classroom situations while teaching special education strategies to elementary students with moderate to severe disabilities. During this 20-day placement, the student will be asked to lead teach for the majority of the time.
ED 655 Student Teach-Alt: Strat II 5-12: 2 semester hours
A student will complete a supervised student teaching assignment in a Level II or Level III classroom. He/she will apply knowledge, skills, and dispositions of relevant educational theory to actual classroom situations while teaching special education strategies to secondary students with moderate to severe disabilities. During this 20-day placement, the student will be asked to lead teach for the majority of the time.