Elementary Education

Overview

This  Elementary Education degree program at Northern Arizona University  is not intended to provide grades K-8 teacher certification nor does it provide an institutional recommendation for teacher certification.

Purpose Statement

The MEd Elementary Education degree program provides students with the necessary framework for augmenting knowledge and skills related top teaching K through 8th grades.  This degree offers students, typically practicing teachers, the opportunity to enhance their content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge emphasizing current research. Students have the opportunity to pursue advanced courses in curriculum and instruction, educational psychology, educational foundations, and educational research. Additionally, students choose from three available emphasis areas: Continuing Professional, Elementary National Board Certification Preparation (NBCT), and Reading (K-8).  Students who pursue the Continuing Education track will complete a research project as part of a graduate seminar or a thesis focused on a selected topic. Students who choose the Reading K-8 emphasis will be qualified for a K-8 Reading Endorsement through the Arizona Department of Education. Students who choose the NBCT track prepare for the rigorous process of National Board Certification, an advanced teaching credential.

Throughout the program, students demonstrate outcomes aligned to the standards of the  National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Students who complete this program will have a deeper and broader understanding of teaching and learning opening up continued opportunities in teaching, as well as other venues where teaching skills, knowledge, and dispositions are valued such as agencies and non-profits.