Master of Arts in Elementary Education (K-6)

Course Requirements • Program Delivery • Admissions

The Master of Arts in Elementary Education leads to the graduate-level "M" Grades Kindergarten through Six licensure and has been approved by the appropriate bodies at the state level to meet the advanced competencies as mandated in the NC Excellent Schools Act for master-level teacher education programs. This degree program is open to qualified students who hold a valid "A" teaching license (though the "A" license does not have to be in elementary education).

Through the Office of Extension and Distance Education, the Reich College of Education provides this degree program at selected off-campus settings throughout western NC. (For a listing of locations of upcoming programs, see Proposed New Programs.)

Courses taught by Appalachian in the Off-Campus Elementary Education Program

CI/SPE 5045	Advanced Topics in Diversity
CI 5055	Connecting Learners & Subject Matter
CI 5130	Recent Trends & Issues in Education
CI 5525	Product of Learning
CI/LHE 5585	Teacher Leadership & School Improvements
CI 5591	Advanced Curriculum Design in Elementary Education
CI 5592	Elementary Education Teaching Strategies
CI 5980	Special Topics in Elementary Education
Research course	selected CI/FDN research course
Technology course	selected CI/FDN technology course
FDN/PSY course	Social & Philosophical Foundations of Education, or Advanced Educational Psychology
Teaching Field Courses: Courses from the areas of arts, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, natural sciences, and reading are selected with the advice and approval of the academic advisor (approximately 6 semester hours)
Hours required = 39 Individuals entering this program without previous teaching experience (or student teaching) in Grades K-6 must successfully complete CI 5900 Internship/Practicum (3 semester hours), which may result in the total number of hours exceeding 39.

Off-Campus Program Delivery:

The courses required for the MA degree in Elementary Education will be delivered to the designated off-campus site. Appalachian State University faculty will teach each course; and, a combination of instructional strategies and course delivery systems may be employed. The modes of delivery may include: the instructor's being present at the site; web-based instruction; and/or live interactive two-way, audio-video sessions via the North Carolina Information Highway (NCIH) network. Generally, two courses will be provided each term. Face-to-face courses will be conducted either during the evenings (e.g., 5:00-7:45 pm one evening a week for 15 weeks) or on weekends (e.g, Friday evenings and Saturday mornings). The program will be cohort-based, meaning the group of identified students who enter this program will begin together and continue together through the specified sequence of required courses leading to the degree. The courses in each cohort will be offered only once, so a student must be prepared to take the courses as they are made available.

Requirements for Admission:

In order to be considered for admission to this program, an individual must possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and hold a NC "A" teaching license or the equivalent from another state. (It is not required that the "A" license be in elementary education.) In addition to the application form applicants must present Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) scores and three letters of recommendation. A candidate will be selected based upon the strength of her/his undergraduate career, GRE or MAT test scores, and endorsements expressed in the letters of recommendation.

To make a request of the Office of Extension and Distance Education Click Here