Admission Requirements

Criteria vary, depending on the student’s undergraduate institution and GPA:

• No GRE qualifying score will be required for graduates of the WKU B. S. in Elementary Education program, as long as they hold or are eligible to hold a valid teaching certificate for elementary education. A copy of the certificate must be submitted with the application.
• Applicants with undergraduate degrees from all other accredited universities will be admitted without a qualifying GRE score if they have a minimum 2.75 GPA for all previous coursework (undergraduate and graduate) and a valid teaching certificate for elementary education. A copy of the certificate must be submitted with the application.
• Applicants with undergraduate degrees from all other accredited universities with a GPA lower than 2.75 (undergraduate and graduate) must achieve a GAP (GRE score multiplied by the undergraduate GPA) score of 2200 or higher and a GRE Analytical Writing score of 3.5 or higher and have a valid teaching certificate for elementary education. A copy of the certificate must be submitted with the application.
• Applicants to the MAE program in Elementary Education must hold or be eligible to hold a teaching certificate at the elementary level OR have a valid elementary program on file with the Office of Teacher Services.  (Note: Conversion program must be completed prior to or simultaneously with the MA in Education.)

Program Components

Professional Education Component—21-24 hours

Note: Students must complete this program by Dec. 31, 2012.

Required Core – 9-12 hrs *

	EDU 501	Seminar: Designing the Professional Development Plan (2 hours; Should be completed within the first 12 hours of program.)
	EDU 596	Portfolio Development and Professional Educator Growth Plan (1 hour)
	ELED 503	Organization of the Elementary School Curriculum
	EDFN 500	Research Methods (Should be completed within the first 12 hours of program.)
	EXED 516	The Exceptional Child * or an approved elective may be substituted if an Exceptional Education course is on the student’s graduate or undergraduate transcript.
Restricted General Electives – 9 hrs (Other courses may be selected with permission of advisor, teacher certification officer and Graduate Studies and Research.)
	EDU 522	Fundamentals of Differentiated Instruction
	EDU 524	Educational Assessment
	EDU 544	Classroom Teaching Strategies
	ELED 505	Advanced Materials and Methods in Modern Mathematics for Elementary Teachers
	ELED 506	Seminar in Elementary School Science
	ELED 507	Advanced Materials and Methods in Social Studies
	EDU 507	Geographic Concepts and Skills for Teachers **
	ENVE 580	Instructional Strategies in Enviromental Education
	GTE 536	Nature and Needs of Gifted, Creative and Talented Students
	LTCY 519	Reading Foundations of Reading Instruction
	LTCY 524 / LTCY 624	Reading in the Content Areas
Educational Psychology Component – 3 hrs (Choose one.)
	PSY 510	Advanced Educational Psychology
	PSY 511	Psychology of Learning
	PSY 519	Psychological Perspectives on Classroom Behavior
	PSY 540	Behavioral Problems of Childhood and Adolescence
General Content Electives—6-12 hours Advisor-approved elective courses from the following content areas:  Art, Biology, Chemistry, Communication, Economics, English, Leadership, Folk Studies, Geography, Geology, Government, History, Languages, Mathematics, Music, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, Theatre OR elective hours selected from the following courses:
	AMS 465G	Industrial Technology for Elementary Teachers
	BIOL 507	Biology for Elementary Teachers
	CNS 580	Family Life Studies
	CNS 586	Parenting Issues
	ECON 505	Economics for Teachers (Workshop)
	GEOG 507	Geographic Concepts and Skills for Teachers **
	JOUR 481G	Problems in Mass Communication
	LME 410G	Storytelling
	LME 411G	Creative Media Experiences for Elementary Children
	LME 518	Advanced Children’s Literature
	MATH 507	Mathematics for Elementary Teachers
	PH 465G	Health and Safety in the Elementary School
	PH 467G	Drug Abuse Education
	PH 468G	Sexuality Education
	PH 481G	Environmental Health
	PH 586	Violence Prevention: A Public Health Approach

In place of content electives, students may substitute course work for endorsements in English as a Second Language, Gifted and Talented Education, Environmental Education, Instructional Computer Technology or other approved endorsements.

Program Completion Requirements

• Candidates must have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
• Candidates must pass the comprehensive exit exam.
  • Masters Comprehensive Guidelines:
    Written comprehensive examinations are required of all Master’s degree candidates in teacher education programs. Students should be in their last semester or have completed the course requirements for their Master’s degree program before applying to participate in the comprehensive examination. Comprehensive Exams are given only in June, October, and March.
    You must have completed (1) EDFN 500, (2) ELED 503, (3) PSY 510, 511, or 540, (4) ELED 505, 506, 507, 509, or LTCY 519, EDU 501 and 6 hrs. in the specialization component. You will respond to test items in three categories: curriculum, methods, and general problem solving.
• Candidates must successfully complete a portfolio based on Kentucky Teacher Standards.

Notes

*:	Four courses in the Required Core (EDU 501, EDU 596, ELED 503 and EDFN 500) must be taken by all students. If a student did not take EXED 330 as an undergraduate, they must also take EXED 516 and in that case, the course will count as a General Content Elective.
**:	GEOG 507 and EDU 507 are are cross-listed. If a student takes EDU 507, then they cannot take GEOG 507 or vice versa.
:	Online course
:	Hybrid course (two-three class meetings on campus)

Related Links

• Online Elementary Masters (please note that the Online program has the same course requirements as listed above)