About
Are you the type of teacher who is always wondering whether your practices are the most effective for meeting the needs of your learners? Are you ready to bring your teaching to the next level?
In the master of arts in education in elementary education you will learn advanced methods for delivering curriculum and assessing students to better allow you to meet the individual needs of your students. In addition to advanced pedagogy, coursework will also include grant writing and development of teacher leadership. You will also have the opportunity to select an area of focus for your degree including content expertise, working with English or other language learners, or licensure in teaching academically and/or intellectually gifted learners.
As part of the degree, you will have the opportunity to conduct research that will inform and enhance your teaching. These projects are conducting in a sequence of coursework that usually occurs toward the end of the program. As a culmination of your study, you will present findings and discuss implications for your future practice. These projects are a source of pride for students and faculty alike as all involved witness the evolution of students as they become researchers and teacher-leaders.
ECU Advantage
In the East Carolina elementary education master of arts in education program, in-service educators work with faculty who are recognized as experts in their field. ECU elementary education MAEd faculty members serve as board members in national organizations, publish in top-level journals, and earn national awards for their work in their respective areas. Faculty members at ECU also understand the busy lives of students and work to make material accessible to students through expertly created online environments.
ECU graduates are highly sought after and can be found working throughout the region and around the United States. Many graduates become Nationally Board Certified and go on to earn doctorate degrees in their area of expertise.
What You Will Study
- EDUC 6001 - Introduction to Differences in Human Learning in Schools
- ELEM 6550 - Leadership and Communication Skills in Education
Students in the thesis option take 3 s.h. of ELEM 7000 instead of ELEM 6001.
- ELEM 6001 - Educational Research in the Classroom II OR
- ELEM 7000 - Thesis
- ELEM 6005 - Educational Research in the Classroom I
- ELEM 6200 - Leading Curriculum Revision and Implementation
- ELEM 6350 - Advanced Content Pedagogy in Elementary Education OR
- ELEM 6488 - Advanced Language Arts in the Elementary School
- ELEM 6400 - Advanced Assessment and Teaching in the Elementary Grades
- ELEM 6500 - Management and Problem-Solving in the Elementary School
Students in the thesis option take 9 s.h. of concentration courses in total. Six s.h. will be taken from the list of concentration courses and 3 s.h. of thesis credits will fulfill the final 3 hours of concentration credit requirements.
Choose one of the following concentrations:
- GIFT 6000 - The Diverse Gifted Child
- GIFT 6100 - Foundations of Gifted Education
- GIFT 6200 - Instructional Practices in Gifted Education
- GIFT 6300 - Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving in Gifted Education
- GIFT 6400 - Special Topics in Gifted Education
- ELEM 6350 - Advanced Content Pedagogy in Elementary Education
- ELEM 6410 - Concepts and Principles of Early Childhood Education OR
- ELEM 6412 - Emerging Literacy
- ELEM 6406 - The Teaching of Social Studies in the Elementary Grades OR
- ELEM 6488 - Advanced Language Arts in the Elementary School OR
- MIDG 6500 - Teaching Middle Grades English OR
- MIDG 6600 - Teaching Middle Grades Social Studies
- ELEM 6625 - Responsive Curriculum for Children in Poverty
- ELEM 6412 - Emerging Literacy
- ELEM 6408 - Collaborating, Teaming, and Leading in the Elementary School
- ELEM 6410 - Concepts and Principles of Early Childhood Education
- ELEM 6408 - Collaborating, Teaming, and Leading in the Elementary School
- ELEM 6700 - Teachers as Leaders in Elementary Education
- LEED 6907 - Leadership Skill Development
- ELEM 6600 - Implications of Poverty for Learning and Development
- ELEM 6625 - Responsive Curriculum for Children in Poverty
- ELEM 6650 - Families and Communities in Poverty
- ELEM 6675 - Evaluative and Educative Implications for Teaching Children in Poverty
See note for add-on licensure requirements.
Choose 9 s.h. from the following:
The following courses are required for AIG add-on licensure: GIFT 6000, 6100, 6200, 6300; with AIG coordinator permission, 6400 can be substituted for one of the previous courses.
Choose 9 s.h. from the following:
Choose 9 s.h. from the following:
Thesis students are not required to take ELEM 6001. Students in the thesis option take 9 s.h. of concentration courses in total. Six s.h. will be taken from the list of concentration courses and 3 s.h. of thesis credits will fulfill the final 3 hours of concentration credit requirements. The thesis must be written on a topic related to the concentration area. An oral defense is required. If the thesis is not successfully completed, the student will need to take the third 3 s.h. concentration course from the concentration course requirements and ELEM 6001.
- ELEM 7000 - Thesis
All graduate programs at ECU require a comprehensive assessment. The nonthesis option requires a research project with a presentation and written documentation (ELEM 6001 and ELEM 6005). The thesis option requires successful completion of the thesis (ELEM 7000) and an oral defense.
The Elementary Education, MAEd leads to a NC Advanced, M Level license in Elementary Education Grades K-6. Candidates must hold a valid NC initial, A level license in Elementary Education Grades K-6 in order to be eligible to upgrade the license to the advanced, M level upon program completion. Candidates may be admitted to the Elementary Education, MAEd if they do not hold the valid NC initial, A level license in Elementary Education Grades K-6, including anyone with a license in another area, with an out-of-state license, or with no license at all. These candidates will be required to sign the LNNC Waiver and by doing so are duly informed that they will not receive the NC recommendation for Elementary Education Grades K-6 advanced, M level licensure until the NC initial, A level licensure requirements are met, which will include additional NC licensure tests. The LNNC Waiver can be located at https://education.ecu.edu/graduate/. The waiver should accompany the application for admission to the MAEd. ECU degree programs satisfy the professional licensure and/or certification requirements in North Carolina and prepare students to sit for these exams. Requirements in other states may be different. Upon successful completion of ECU educator preparation program degree requirements and licensure requirements for the State of North Carolina candidates will be eligible for an ECU recommendation for a NC license. However, final licensure granting decisions are the sole responsibility of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction not ECU. Candidates who seek out of state employment or out of state licensure will have to meet the receiving state's requirements. There is no automatic licensure reciprocity between states. ECU will verify the completion of an approved, accredited program for candidates who seek this verification, but those candidates will be responsible for working with the receiving state to complete any additional requirements to obtain the license and/or employment in the receiving state.