Elementary Education, MAEd

1. Professional core courses - 6 s.h.

• EDUC 6001 - Introduction to Differences in Human Learning in Schools
• ELEM 6550 - Leadership and Communication Skills in Education

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

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

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:

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.