MSU President's Newspaper Column
December 11, 2021
New M.Ed. degree accommodates need for teaching professionals with advanced education
In April of 2021, the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board gave approval for Mayville State University to offer the Master of Education (M.Ed.) program. Mayville State’s accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission, gave its approval in September of 2021. We are delighted to offer this new degree program that is helping to meet a need for North Dakota and beyond.
The Master of Education program is offered online for currently licensed teachers who are looking to pursue graduate degree-level instruction as they achieve a higher educational preparation level. It also provides a degree option for professionals outside of the P12 teaching arena who wish to prepare for teaching and learning within an organization.
Courses are arranged in eight-week blocks and students may enroll in one to three courses simultaneously. Degree completion is possible in as little as one year. The courses are set in a rotation model designed to allow the graduate student to choose either a part-time or full-time plan of study.
Students may choose from three tracks in the M.Ed. degree program, the Adult Teaching and Learning track, the Innovative Teaching Practices track, or the Special Education track.
The goal of the Adult Teaching and Learning track is to provide teachers the opportunity to continue to learn after they are licensed. Schools have continual need to provide professional development for their teachers, and graduates of this track will be ready to design and lead professional development that varies with many types and styles for adults of all ages and occupations. Graduates of this track will be prepared to work in leadership roles such as that of a professional development coordinator. They may also serve in leadership roles in institutions that support P12 public schools or higher education.
Mayville State’s M.Ed. Innovative Teaching Practices track meets the need to develop leadership who can design and shape curriculum, professional development, and instructional improvement. Graduates of this track will be prepared to obtain leadership roles such as curriculum coordinator, instructional specialist, or team lead for campus learning communities. Action research projects, such as STEM activities, coding, and blended and hybrid learning, will support development and implementation of innovative and highly needed skills directly impacting P12 classrooms.
The Special Education track plan of study will be available for currently licensed teachers in Elementary Education or at the secondary level. Secondary-level educators are required to add a reading and elementary math methods course to the plan of study.
The track will include courses that will prepare teachers to seek licensure in Special Education and provide them with the professional knowledge and skills to practice safely, ethically, and effectively with a multi-categorical population of students with special needs. The Special Education track includes 14 courses aligned to Council for Exceptional Children standards, all unique to the requirements for obtaining strategist licensure.
The Mayville State M.Ed. Special Education option meets the need to develop leadership who can design and shape services for students with special needs on campuses or districts with a limited number of teachers who are licensed in special education. A graduate from the M.Ed. Special Education track at Mayville State University will be ready to apply for special education licensure in addition to his or her current teaching licensures and will be able to assist with the leadership of current special education teachers and paraprofessionals. Graduates may obtain roles such as special education coordinator. Graduate students are responsible for understanding the licensure laws and requirements in the state where they are licensed for any additional courses required.
The first classes offered in the M.Ed. program Adult Teaching and Learning and Innovative Teaching Practices tracks will begin in the spring semester of 2022, which starts January 10. Courses that will be offered in the upcoming spring semester will be taught asynchronously online. They are Educational Law and Ethics, taught by Dr. Ann Willison, and Organizational Leadership, taught by Dr. Pam Johnson.
Admission deadline for Spring 2022 enrollment is January 2. Those wishing to enroll in the summer session of 2022 must apply on or before May 1, 2022. The anticipated start date for the Special Education track is the Fall Semester of 2022.
For more information about the Master of Education graduate degree program at Mayville State, go to www.mayvillestate.edu/MEd, call 701-788-4710, or email education@mayvillestate.edu.
We are excited and proud to have the opportunity to offer the Master of Education degree at Mayville State University. This program meets a critical need for teaching professionals in our state and beyond. It takes Mayville State’s reputation and tradition for preparing exceptional teachers to a new level. We are grateful for this opportunity.