Middle Grades Education/Language Arts, M.Ed.

About the Program

The Middle Grades Education graduate program prepares students for middle-level teaching in grades 4 to 8. Middle grades teachers are increasingly sought out and in high demand in Pennsylvania and across the country.

The College of Education program in Middle Grades Education is designed to ensure that our students graduate highly knowledgeable about learning and teaching as well as committed to pre-adolescent learners from diverse ethnic, economic, and geographic backgrounds. The goal is to produce certified teachers to fill the growing vacancies. Toward that end, our program focuses on building deep content-specific pedagogical knowledge aligned to the breadth of academic standards and the wide-ranging developmental needs of middle grades students.

Our newly designed program stands out as cutting edge because we prepare graduate students to teach in both upper elementary and middle grades classrooms. In addition to becoming certified to teach all elementary subjects in grades 4 to 6, Middle Grades Education students can pursue single or dual certification for seventh and eighth grades in one of the following concentrations:

Language Arts/English
Mathematics
Mathematics and Language Arts/English
Mathematics and Science
Science
Science and Language Arts/English
Social Studies

The Middle Grades Education graduate program may be completed for certification only or certification plus a master's degree. All applicants are initially admitted to the master's program. After successfully completing the minimum requirements for certification, students may choose to leave the program with certification-only or may elect to continue in the program and complete the additional credit hours and requirements to receive certification and a master’s degree. The program requires a minimum of 25 credits for certification-only and 31 credits for certification plus a master's degree.

Time Limit for Degree Completion: 4 years

Campus Location: Main

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: The degree program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Classes are offered to accommodate working adults.

Accreditation: The program is approved as a teacher certification program by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

Job Prospects: Graduates typically pursue teaching positions in elementary or middle schools for grades 4 to 8.

Licensure: Upon successful completion of the degree requirements and passing all Praxis™ examinations, candidates may apply for a Pennsylvania Instructional I Teaching Certificate.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy: Students may take up to, but not more than, 9 credits of graduate study in the program before being admitted to the program. The credits transfer into the program, if the student is admitted. Students completing non-matriculated courses before being admitted to the program are NOT guaranteed admission.

Financing Opportunities: Financial support opportunities may include scholarships, tuition remission, and other financial aid such as grants, loans, and federal work study.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Fall: March 1
Spring: November 1
Summer II: March 1

Applicants should submit all required admissions documents by the application deadline to receive priority consideration for admission and financial support.

APPLY ONLINE to this graduate program.

Letters of Reference:
Number Required: 2

From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained to provide insight regarding the applicant's academic competence. References from college/university faculty are recommended.

Coursework Required for Admission Consideration: Prerequisites for admission to the Middle Grades Education M.Ed. program include courses taken at the undergraduate or graduate level with a grade of "C" or better earned in the following areas:

At least five courses (or 15 credits) in language arts/English.
At least two courses (or 6 credits) in the other three content areas (i.e., mathematics, science, or social studies).

Students pursuing a language arts concentration should have at least one composition course and at least one American or British literature course with other credits being at a similar level or beyond. Basic or remedial courses do not count toward the language arts prerequisites.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: A bachelor's degree is required. A minimum UGPA of 3.0 is expected.

International applicants should also submit an official document that validates completion and conferral of a degree, diploma, and/or certificate. While not required, international applicants are encouraged to submit transcript(s) to the World Education Services (WES) for evaluation.

Statement of Goals: In 500 to 1,000 words, outline your interest in seeking a master’s degree with a specific focus on the career to which you aspire, your interests, and your academic and job-related experiences that are relevant to the program.

Standardized Test Scores:
Praxis II®: Official score report must demonstrate a passing score in the content-area test to gain admission to the program:

PA Grades 4–8 Subject Concentration: English Language Arts (5156) – 156 minimum score (effective 4/2/12)

Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English, with the exception of those who subsequently earned a master’s degree at a U.S. institution, must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet these minimums:

TOEFL iBT: 79
IELTS Academic: 6.5
PTE Academic: 53

Resume: Current resume required.

Transfer Credit: Courses may be transferred from an accredited institution provided they were completed less than five years ago and are relevant to the program. The academic advisor makes the decision about the relevancy of the courses that the student desires to transfer. The maximum number of credits a student may transfer is 6.

Coursework Waivers: Each student is assigned a faculty advisor at the time of admission. The advisor reviews the student's credentials and determines which, if any, of the required courses can be waived. In general, this waiver covers the beginning-level courses in the program. Waiving a specific requirement, however, does not reduce the total number of credits needed to graduate.

Clearances: A Pennsylvania criminal background check, a federal criminal history check, a child abuse clearance, and a TB test are required upon enrollment.

Other Requirement: Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts from all accredited institutions attended and/or from which credit was earned must be submitted.

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 31

Required Courses:

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Core Courses
EDUC 5255	Tech in Classrooms: TPCK ¹	3
EDUC 5402	Child and Adol Develop	3
MGRE 5101	Citizenship, Cultures, and Social Studies Education	3
MGRE 5102	Reading and Writing in the Middle Grades	2
MGRE 5404	Teaching Math in the Middle Grades	3
MGRE 5405	Teaching Science in the Middle Grades	3
SPED 5111	Educating Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Settings	2
SPED 5287	Integrated Literacy and Special Education Practicum	2
TESL 5631	Foundations of Language Teaching: Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners	3
Student Teaching and Seminar
EDUC 5409	Research Methods and Induction Capstone ¹	3
EDUC 5888	Supervised Teaching	4
Total Credit Hours		31

Not required for PDE certification without degree.

Culminating Events: Student teaching and its related seminar are the culminating events for this program.

Middle Grades students should take the following Praxis™ test during their student teaching term: Pennsylvania Grades 4-8 Core Assessment (5152).

Courses

MGRE 5101. Citizenship, Cultures, and Social Studies Education. 3 Credit Hours.

This course examines ways to teach about diversity and dialogue in the practice of democracy. Using the social studies content areas and research in social justice, special attention is paid to the areas of multicultural and citizenship education as well as other compelling topics that influence the public or common good in a diverse society such as race relations, gender socialization, language differences, immigration, religious freedom, equality of economic and social opportunities, and global interdependence.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

MGRE 5102. Reading and Writing in the Middle Grades. 2 to 3 Credit Hours.

The purpose of this course is to prepare pre-service teachers to teach reading and writing in the upper elementary and middle level settings. Students will be introduced to theories and current views of practice in the literacy field. The areas of language, listening, reading and writing are presented throughout this course as interrelated and integrated literacy processes. Emphasis will be on providing pre-service teachers with the competencies to implement strategic instructional practices and engage in ongoing assessment for a diverse middle grades population. We will also identify ways to build classroom communities through literacy practices.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites:
(EDUC 5402|Minimum Grade of C|May not be taken concurrently
AND MGRE 5101|Minimum Grade of C|May not be taken concurrently)

MGRE 5404. Teaching Math in the Middle Grades. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will focus on numbers, operations, and algebra, as appropriate for the middle grades. Special attention will be paid to understanding the conceptual difficulties students have in moving from whole numbers to rational numbers, additive thinking to multiplicative thinking, and arithmetic to algebra. Problem-solving, connections, and concrete models are emphasized. The particular content knowledge needed for teaching will be integrated in this course with general and content-specific pedagogies. Issues of planning, instruction, and assessment will be discussed. Field experiences in the form of small group instruction will support these discussions.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

MGRE 5405. Teaching Science in the Middle Grades. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will focus on the "big ideas" in the sciences as appropriate for the middle grades. Special attention will be paid to understanding the pre- and mis-conceptions that middle-level students hold. Scientific inquiry and its associated process skills will be emphasized. The particular content knowledge needed for teaching will be integrated in this course with general and content-specific pedagogies. Issues of planning, instruction, and assessment will be discussed. Filed experiences in the form of small-group instruction and isolated whole-group instruction will support these discussions.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.