Department of Graduate Teacher Education

Collins, Cunningham (department chair), Herndon, Winslett

(SYMBOL: ED)

John Brown University’s Department of Graduate Teacher Education offers master’s degrees for those who desire to become licensed teachers or counselors in public and private elementary and secondary schools. The department offers programs in Education Studies, Special Education (K-12), School Counseling, and Teaching including advanced course work in ESOL and Online Teaching.

Students in the Master of Education (M.Ed.), the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.), or the Master of Arts (M.A.) programs benefit from these distinctive features:

Christian values-based learning
Academically and professionally qualified faculty
Interactive learning environment
Online synchronous and asynchronous course designs that include F2F opportunities
Authentic action research opportunities with public school partners

Education Programs

The M.Ed. and M.A.T programs prepare candidates to improve student performance by analyzing classroom and standardized assessment data to select and implement a differentiated curriculum that meets the needs of today’s diverse learners. Students will also develop leadership skills to support and facilitate the development of curriculum and instruction in their schools.

The M.Ed. degree in Special Education K-12 prepares licensed teachers to differentiate curriculum to meet the needs of all students, but especially those with special learning needs. The program also prepares students for the paperwork, and legal/ethical issues involved in working with special needs students. Students must demonstrate science of reading proficiency for licensure.

The M.Ed. degree in School Counseling prepares students to become licensed school counselors through the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. Students must demonstrate science of reading awareness for licensure.

The M.Ed. degree in Education Studies allows licensed teachers to combine two endorsement areas into an advanced degree. Students can choose from Special Education, Teaching English as a Second Language and Online Teaching. All endorsement areas are approved by the Arkansas Department of Education.

The M.A. in Education Studies is designed for individuals whose goal is to work in educational settings outside of a K-12 public school system in positions that do not require state licensure.

The Master of Arts in Teaching degree is a 36-hour master’s program designed for individuals who have a bachelor’s degree, can demonstrate content knowledge, and who want to teach. Upon completion of the program, students will earn a Master of Arts in Teaching degree and may apply for licensure through the Arkansas Department of Education.

John Brown University also offers an M.A. in Higher Education through the Department of Graduate Higher Education.

As required by the Arkansas Department of Education for licensure, all programs include significant practicum, field experience, and internship hours in the schools. Before working in a school, students without a teaching license must complete a background check. The results of the background check will be reviewed during the student’s transition conference, and any issues pertaining to the results will be addressed by the department faculty. All non-licensed students must also pass a state and federal background check, and a child maltreatment check during the first semester in the program. The results of the background check will remain in the student’s academic file. Students will not be allowed to participate in field experience until their background checks have cleared.

Accreditation

The College of Education and Social and Behavioral Sciences at John Brown University is approved by the Arkansas State Department of Education (ADE), http://www.arkansased.org/. The John Brown University Educator Preparation Program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) http://caepnet.org, (202) 223-0077.

The education programs offered at John Brown University are approved by Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/. Successful completion of an education program at John Brown University prepares the student for certification in the state of Arkansas.