How Does the Program Work?
To earn your Master of Education, you must complete a minimum of 33 semester credits in one of the concentrations available. If you are seeking teacher certification and have not completed an introduction to special education course, you may be required to complete an additional 3 hour course.
All students, regardless of the selected concentration area, will complete 4 "core" courses (12 semester credits). These courses provide all students with foundational concepts such as:
- basic framework of differentiated instruction in today's classrooms;
- cognitive psychology and its role on learning;
- the processes of using action research to improve instruction;
- applied instructional approaches to teaching students from diverse backgrounds; and,
- using differentiated instruction with students with disabilities.
These 4 courses are intentionally composed of both general and special education teachers in order to provide practical activities to foster better collaborative relationships between educators. Upon completion of the "core" courses, students will then select a specialized "concentration" area, consisting of 6 courses (18 semester credits). The capstone course for the M.Ed. requires completion of an action research project (3 semester credits).
For candidates who meet requirements for unconditional admission to a traditional Class A program on July 1, 2017, and thereafter, a minimum GPA of 3.25 on all courses used to meet the requirements on the approved program checklist for Alabama State Board of Education educator preparation program shall be required. Rule 290-3-3-.44(4)(b) provides information about the GPA requirement for completion of an Alternative Class A program.
Completion of a Class A program for a teaching field requires at least 30 semester hours of graduate credit not used for prior-level certification or degree in any teaching field or area of instructional support.
