The Master of Arts in Education degree is a unique 12-month, 30-hour graduate education curriculum for licensed K-12 classroom teachers. This program has been designed with a strong focus on the effects of human physical, emotional and cognitive growth on planning and implementing developmentally sensitive educational pedagogy. Students completing this program will also have advanced analytical, critical thinking and ethical decision-making skills for improving curriculum and service delivery in learning environments. Tusculum University reserves the right to modify the curriculum as necessary. This degree offers a core of four fully online courses (12 credits) with an option of two concentrations:
- Curriculum and Instruction: Six fully online courses for classroom teachers with an emphasis on effectively teaching all students, including those with special needs within the classroom. 18 credits
- Special Education Interventionist K-8 and Comprehensive K-12: Six hybrid and fully online courses plus one practicum course. 19 credits
The mission of the Education/Interdisciplinary Studies major and professional education programs at Tusculum University is to prepare teachers who are committed to excellence in education and who are confident in their abilities to assume leadership as educators and citizens in the communities where they live and work. The program continues the University’s focus on civic and intellectual development of students, while fostering the skills, knowledge and habits of character vital to those involved in the education of the nation’s next generation of citizens.
Education programs at Tusculum University adhere to the requirements and guidelines established by the Tennessee State Board of Education (TSBE) and the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE). Modifications in initial and advanced education programs and curriculum may occur as the result of TSBE or TDOE actions and regulations. Tusculum University reserves the right to revise academic programs as deemed necessary to meet accrediting and approval criteria.
Additional Admission Requirements
In addition to the common requirements for admission to all graduate programs established by the University, applicants for this concentration must also meet these additional requirements:
- Possess a minimum 3.0 grade point average from a regionally accredited institution. Satisfaction of the G.P.A. requirement may be met by any of the following methods, as verified by the Tusculum University Registrar:
- G.P.A. for the last 12 credit hours of graduate coursework, or
- G.P.A. for the undergraduate degree, or
- G.P.A. for the last 60 credit hours of college/university coursework.
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Possess a valid professional academic teaching license with non-expired license date
Students with academic credit earned at nationally or specially accredited institutions may request that the Registrar’s Office review such credit with the pertinent academic department, provided the transcript and course syllabi are official and remitted directly from the applicant’s previous institution. Six graduate hours of course credit may be awarded for students who have current, documented certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. Education faculty will determine on a case by case basis which 6 credits of the MAED graduate program can be waived or receive credit for being a National Board Certified Teacher.
Provisional Acceptance
A senior at Tusculum University or other four-year institution who meets all other admission criteria may be provisionally accepted with an incomplete transcript. Upon conferral of the undergraduate degree, the student must submit a complete transcript.
Conditional Acceptance
Applicants for the Master of Arts in Education, Curriculum and Instruction Concentration (C&I) who do not meet the minimum G.P.A. requirements may request conditional acceptance. An applicant who meets the common graduate admission requirements, as well as the program requirements for the Master of Arts in Education (C&I), but who presents a G.P.A. between 2.75 and 2.99 may qualify for conditional acceptance. Applicants for this program who meet all common and graduate concentration admission requirements, but have a G.P.A. between 2.5 and 2.75 will provide a cold writing sample in a proctored environment that is evaluated with other application documents by the program faculty for recommendation to the College of Education Dean for conditional acceptance. The Faculty and Dean may grant or deny provisional acceptance; the decision is final. The writing sample shall be provided in sufficient advance time for the program faculty and the Dean to make a decision on acceptance.
A student who is granted conditional admission will not be permitted to continue in the program if a grade below “B-” is earned in any course in the first semester. A student who remains in good standing throughout the first semester will be permitted to continue in the program under the same conditions as students who are accepted under full admission standards.
Education programs at Tusculum University adhere to requirements and guidelines established by the Tennessee Board of Education (TBOE) and the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE). Modifications in initial and advanced education programs and curriculum may occur as the result of TBOE and TDOE actions and regulations. Tusculum University reserves the right to revise academic programs as deemed necessary to meet accrediting and approval criteria.
Assessment of Program Coursework (Applicable to Degree and Non-Degree students)
- All students in this program are required to have an account for LiveText, a web-based electronic portfolio service. The subscription access code card for LiveText will be emailed to your Tusculum account the third week of your first semester in the program. Your LiveText account is valid for 7 years and will be used throughout your program for submission of course-based Critical Tasks and Key Assignments in your education courses.
- Key Assignments: Key Assignments are used to evaluate your progress toward meeting program and applicable state and/ or national standards and to inform program improvement. Once your assignment is uploaded to your portfolio, it will be assessed by your instructor using a 4-point rubric (4=Exemplary, 3=Proficient, 2=Developing Proficiency, 1=Not Proficient). Key Assignments do not require a minimum score but must be uploaded to LiveText to receive a passing grade in the course.
Graduate Research Requirement
Each graduate program at Tusculum University contains a research requirement, which engages students in the study and application of methods of problem identification; the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; and recommendation of problem resolutions relative to their professional disciplines. Examples of these graduate studies include empirical research, study of and resolution of an organizational performance gap, or completion of an action research project. For the Master of Arts (MA) in Education graduate degree program, EDUC 534 - Applied Research For The Classroom Teacher , serves as its graduate research requirement. In this course, students will design and conduct an action research project on a relevant topic of interest in the field of education. the project report will include a literature review, research methodology, results, and conclusions/recommendations.
Programs
