Elementary Education, MAEd

Program Coordinator: Kristen Gregory (221 Speight Building; 252-328-1134; gregorykr18@ecu.edu)

The degree requires a minimum of 33 s.h. as follows:

1. Professional core courses - 6 s.h.

2. Elementary education core courses - 18 s.h.

Students in the thesis option take 3 s.h. of ELEM 7000 instead of ELEM 6001.

3. Concentrations - 9 s.h.

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:

a. Academically and intellectually gifted:

Choose 9 s.h. from the following:

Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) Add-On and Certificate Notes:

Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) is an add-on to a North Carolina (NC) professional educator’s license through the NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI). The AIG (K-12) add-on requires 12 s.h. of graduate study in the gifted education (GIFT) subject area: GIFT 6000 , GIFT 6100 , GIFT 6200 , and GIFT 6300 . With AIG coordinator permission, GIFT 6400 can be substituted for one of the previous courses.

After successful completion* of the four required AIG add-on courses, individuals holding a NC professional educator’s license can petition DPI for the AIG (K-12) add-on to their teaching license.

Students can earn an Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership in Gifted and Talented Education Certificate by successfully completing* a total of 15 s.h. (5 courses) of graduate study. A teaching license is not required to earn this ECU-granted certificate.

Four core AIG courses are required (GIFT 6000 , GIFT 6100 , GIFT 6200 , GIFT 6300 ); for the fifth course, students choose between EDUC 6400 and GIFT 6400 . See the certificate page for more details.

*Successful completion requires a grade of C or higher in all requisite courses.

b. Advanced content pedagogy:

Choose 9 s.h. from the following:

c. Teacher leadership in the elementary school:

Choose 9 s. h. from the following:

Teacher Leadership Certificate Note:

The certificate requires students to take one additional course beyond what is required in the Elementary Education, MAEd and provides an additional credential for career advancement.

d. Teaching children in poverty:

Choose 9 s.h. from the following:

Thesis option:

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

Comprehensive assessment requirement:

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.

Licensure for the Elementary Education, MAEd

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.