Middle Grades 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. Middle grades education core courses - 12 s.h.

Students in the thesis option take 3 s.h. of MIDG 7000 instead of MIDG 6402.

• MIDG 6200 - Middle Grades Curriculum Development in Public Schools
• MIDG 6300 - Advanced Strategies and Assessment for Middle Grades Learners
• MIDG 6400 - Educational Research in the Classroom I

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• MIDG 6402 - Educational Research in the Classroom II or
• MIDG 7000 - Thesis

3. Concentrations - 12 s.h.

Students in the thesis option take 12 s.h. of concentration courses in total. Nine s.h. can be taken from the list of concentration courses and 3 additional hours of thesis can fulfill the final 3 hours of concentration credit requirements.

Students in the nonthesis option take 12 s.h. from one of the following concentrations or a minimum of 9 s.h. from one concentration and 3 s.h. from another.        

Thesis option:

Thesis students are not required to take MIDG 6402. Students in the thesis option take 12 s.h. of concentration courses in total. Nine 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 fourth 3 s.h. concentration course and MIDG 6402.

• MIDG 7000 - Thesis

Comprehensive assessment requirement:

All graduate programs at ECU require a comprehensive assessment. The nonthesis option for this degree requires a research project with a presentation and written documentation (MIDG 6400 and MIDG 6402). The thesis option requires the successful completion of a thesis (MIDG 7000) and an oral defense.

Licensure for the Middle Grades Education, MAEd

The Middle Grades Education, MAEd leads to a NC Advanced, M Level license in one of four content areas. The licenses issued with this degree will be one of the following: Language Arts Grades 6-9, Mathematics Grades 6-9, Science Grades 6-9 or Social Studies Grades 6-9. Candidates must hold a valid NC initial, A level license in one of the four Middle Grades Education content areas noted above in order to be eligible to upgrade the license to the advanced, M level in the same area upon program completion.

Candidates may be admitted to the Middle Grades Education, MAEd if they do not hold the valid NC initial, A level license in one of the four middle grades education grades 6-9 content areas noted above, 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 the chosen area of the Middle Grades Education Grades 6-9 advanced, M level licensure until the NC initial, A level licensure requirements in the same area 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.