Teacher Education (MEd, Graduate Certificate, Post-Master’s Certificate, Teacher Licensure) — Degree Requirements

Master of Education Track without Licensure

Students in the MEd Track without Licensure will complete a program composed of thirty-three credits of coursework and a final comprehensive examination. Requirements are as follows:

Four core courses (12 cr.):

EDC G 642 – The Organization of School Curriculum
One course in Critical and Creative Thinking
One course in Dispute Resolution
One course focused on urban education

Seven additional courses, focused on a specific area of interest (21 cr.)

A final written comprehensive examination addressing significant issues in contemporary education and reflecting the study and research each student has carried out in pursuit of the degree.

Master of Education Track with Initial Licensure: Elementary Education

Students in the Initial Licensure: Elementary Track will complete a 36-credit program divided into three cores of coursework and related requirements.

Core I introduces a developmental perspective to education while providing an inquiry into issues that face contemporary educators. Core II examines research and current understandings about the methods of teaching specific fields of knowledge. These courses, along with 75 hours of monitored fieldwork, constitute the pre-practicum. Core III, the capstone core, involves the student in a supervised practicum and teacher research.

Field of Knowledge Requirement: The Department of Education requires that candidates for licensure at the elementary level must demonstrate competence and expertise with the material to be taught. To meet this requirement, candidates must:

Achieve passing scores on the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) in communication and literacy, general curriculum, and foundations of reading. The Massachusetts Department of Education gives these tests several times a year.
Meet a specific field-of-knowledge requirement in the area of mathematics. Students may fulfill this requirement in any of the following ways:
- Provide documentation of having completed a college-level mathematics course for elementary school teachers, with a grade of B or better.
- Provide documentation of having completed a college-level mathematics course (algebra or higher) or an AP high school calculus course, with a grade of B or better.
- Provide documentation of having placed out of MATH 115 on the UMass Boston MATH Placement Test B. This test is administered at the Testing Center in McCormack Hall, Third Floor, Room 612.
- Complete EDC G 616: Applied Research in Mathematics (3 cr.). Students choosing this option may count this course as the elective required in Core II.

The mathematics field-of-knowledge requirement must be completed before or concurrently with enrollment in EDC G 625: Designing Instruction in Mathematics and Science (Core II).

Present certification of completion of a health education workshop. This full-day workshop is offered several Saturdays in the fall semester; students are required to attend one.

Core I (Courses may be taken in any order within each core)

EDC G 603 – Creating Effective Learning Environments (3 cr., up to 25 field hours)

EDC G 606 – Sociocultural Perspectives on Education (3 cr.)

EDC G 630 – Inclusion, K-12 (3 cr., up to 5 field hours)

EDC G 644 – Developmental Stages: Childhood to Adolescence (3 cr.)

Benchmark – In order to enroll in Core II courses, students must meet the following criteria:

Passing score on the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL): Communications and Literacy Skills portion. (Evidence must be submitted to the Advising Office, W-2-157.)
Minimum GPA of 3.0

Core II

EDC G 617 – Literacy Diagnosis and Instruction (3 cr.)

EDC G 625 – Designing Instruction in Mathematics and Science (3 cr., up to 15 field hours)

EDC G 626 – Integrating Social Studies, Language Arts, and the Arts (3 cr., up to 15 field hours)

EDC G 646 – Understanding Reading: Principles and Practices (3 cr., up to 15 field hours)

One elective (EDC G 616, if taken to meet the mathematical field-of-knowledge requirement, may count as this elective)

Benchmark – In order to enroll in Core III courses, students must meet the following criteria:

Passing score on the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL): subject portions (General Curriculum and Foundations of Reading). (Evidence must be submitted to the Advising Office, W-2-157.)
Minimum GPA of 3.0
Documentation of completion of 75 hours of pre-practicum fieldwork and all Core I and II courses. Pre-practicum report forms and reflection papers must be submitted with practicum applications to the Office of Field Experience and Licensure.

Core III

EDC G 686—Graduate Practicum: Student Teaching (6 cr.)

EDC G 689—Teacher Research (3 cr.)—may be taken during practicum semester or following it; students must have access to classroom to complete research.

Practicum Requirements

A full practicum is 14 weeks (one full semester) of supervised student teaching. All candidates for Initial Licensure are required to take the full 6-credit practicum.

Students wishing to enroll in the practicum course must apply for approval and placement in the semester prior to that in which the practicum is to take place. Applications are available in the Advising Office. For a spring semester practicum, applications are due the previous October 1; for a fall practicum, they are due the previous March 1.

Master of Education Track with Initial Licensure: Middle/Secondary Education

Students in the Initial Licensure: Middle/Secondary Track will complete a 36-credit program divided into five cores of coursework and related requirements. Middle school licensure is available in Middle School Humanities, General Science or Math/Science, or in the teaching of a specific subject (e.g., English, History, Political Science/Political Philosophy, Mathematics, Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, Spanish, French, and Italian) to students in grades 5 - 8. Secondary licensure is offered in the following disciplines: English, History, Political Science/Political Philosophy, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, French, Latin and Classical Humanities, and Italian.

Core I (6 cr.) (Courses may be taken in any order within each core)

EDC G 606 – Sociocultural Perspectives on Education (3 cr., up to 15 field hours)

EDC G 644 – Developmental Stages: Childhood to Adolescence (3 cr., up to 15 field hours)

Core II (9 cr.)

EDC G 628 – Community, School, and Classroom Structures (3 cr., up to 15 field hours) (Subject to final University approval)

EDC G 630 – Inclusion, K-12 (3 cr.)

EDC G 648 – Literacy (3 cr., up to 15 field hours) (Subject to final University approval)

Benchmark – In order to enroll in Core III courses, students must meet the following criteria:

Passing score on the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL): Communication and Literacy Skills portion. (Evidence must be submitted to the Advising Office, W-2-157.)
Minimum GPA of 3.0

Core III: Methods (6-9 cr.) (Courses may be taken in any order within each core)

Required for all middle/secondary licenses (3 cr., up to 15 field hours):

EDC G 660 – Designing Secondary Curriculum and Learning Strategies

For secondary licenses, middle school subject licenses, and the middle school General Science license, choose the one of the following relevant to the subject to be taught (3 cr., up to 15 field hours):

EDC G 616 – Applied Research in Mathematics
EDC G 665 – Methods in Science Instruction
Either: EDC G 666 – Methods in History and Political Science Instruction (Subject to final University approval), Or: A graduate methods course given by the History Department
Either: EDC G 667 – Methods in English Instruction (Subject to final University approval), Or: A graduate methods course offered by the English Department
Either: EDC G 668 – Methods in Foreign Language Instruction (Subject to final University approval), Or: APLING 611 – Methods and Materials in Foreign Language Education

For Middle School Humanities license (6 cr., up to 30 field hours):

EDC G 666 – Methods in History and Political Science Instruction (Subject to final University approval), Or: A graduate methods course offered by the History Department; and
EDC G 667 – Methods in English Instruction (Subject to final University approval), Or: A graduate methods course offered by the English Department

For Middle School Math/Science license (6 cr., up to 30 field hours)

EDC G 616 – Applied Research in Mathematics; and
EDC G 665 – Methods in Science Instruction

Benchmark – In order to enroll in Core IV courses, students must meet the following criteria:

Passing score on the appropriate Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) subject area test. (Evidence must be submitted to the Advising Office, W-2-157.)
Minimum GPA of 3.0
Documentation of completion of 75 hours of pre-practicum fieldwork and all Core I-III courses. Pre-practicum report forms and reflection papers must be submitted with practicum applications to the Office of Field Experience and Licensure.

Core IV: Capstone Core (9 cr.)

EDC G 687 or G 688 – Graduate Practicum: Student Teaching (Middle School or Secondary School, respectively) – 6 cr.

EDC G 689 – Teacher Research (3 cr.) – may be taken during practicum semester or following it; students must have access to classroom to complete research.

Disciplinary Core (3-6 cr.) (May be taken at any time during completion of the program):

Required for all licenses:

One to two content course(s) (3-6 cr.) in the subject area in which licensure is sought, as follows:
One required for students whose requirements in Core III have generated 9 credits (i.e., candidates for licensure in Middle School Humanities or Math/Science);
Two required for students whose requirements in Core III have generated 6 credits (i.e., candidates for licensure in Secondary Education or in a Middle School subject). In this case, the student may choose to take either two content courses or one content course and a second discipline-specific methods course.
EDC G 620 – Computers in Education may substitute for a Disciplinary Core course.

Graduate Certificate with Initial Licensure: Middle/Secondary Education

Students in the Initial Licensure Certificate: Middle/Secondary will complete a 24–27-credit program divided into four cores of coursework and related requirements. For all licenses except Middle School Humanities and Middle School Math/Science, the certificate will consist of 24 credits; for those two licenses, which require two discipline-specific methods courses each, the certificate will consist of 27 credits. Licensure is available in the same areas as listed under the MEd Track with Initial Licensure: Middle/Secondary Education.

Core I (6 cr.) (Courses may be taken in any order within each core)

EDC G 606 – Sociocultural Perspectives on Education (3 cr., up to 15 field hours)

EDC G 644 – Developmental Stages: Childhood to Adolescence (3 cr., up to 15 field hours)

Core II (6 cr.)

EDC G 628 – Community, School, and Classroom Structures (3 cr., up to 15 field hours) (Subject to final University approval)

EDC G 648 – Literacy (3 cr., up to 15 field hours) (Subject to final University approval)

Core III: Methods (6-9 cr.)

Required for all middle/secondary licenses (3 cr., up to 15 field hours):

EDC G 660 – Designing Secondary Curriculum and Learning Strategies

For secondary licenses, middle school subject licenses, and the middle school General Science license, choose the one of the following relevant to the subject to be taught (3 cr., up to 15 field hours):

EDC G 616 – Applied Research in Mathematics
EDC G 665 – Methods in Science Instruction
Either: EDC G 666 – Methods in History and Political Science Instruction (Subject to final University approval), or A graduate methods course offered by the History Department
Either: EDC G 667 – Methods in English Instruction (Subject to final University approval), or A graduate methods course offered by the English Department
Either: EDC G 668 – Methods in Foreign Language Instruction (Subject to final University approval), or APLING 611: Methods and Materials in Foreign Language Education

For Middle School Humanities license (6 cr., up to 30 field hours):

EDC G 666 – Methods in History and Political Science Instruction (Subject to final University approval), or A graduate methods course offered by the History Department; and
EDC G 667 – Methods in English Instruction (Subject to final University approval), or A graduate methods course offered by the English Department

For Middle School Math/Science license (6 cr., up to 30 field hours):

EDC G 665 – Methods in Science Instruction; and
EDC G 616 – Applied Research in Mathematics

Core IV: Capstone (6 cr.)

EDC G 687 or EDC G 688: Graduate Practicum: Student Teaching (Middle or Secondary School, respectively)

Field of Knowledge (Middle /Secondary):

Competency I of the Department of Education’s regulations for licensure specifies the knowledge base that teachers must bring to the classroom. For teachers of subject areas, this is one of the disciplines taught in middle school or high school. Most commonly, specific subject teachers are certified in the fields in which they hold their BA or BS.