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CURRENT 2024-2025 Graduate Catalog
Education - Comprehensive Education (M.A.Ed.)
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Program Description
The program leading to the M.A.Ed. degree in comprehensive education requires a minimum of 30-36 semester hours of graduate study consisting of a professional core of 12 semester hours and a concentration of 18-24 hours. Unless noted otherwise, each of the concentrations leads to a recommendation for Advanced Competencies licensure from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. For all concentrations leading to Advanced Competencies Licensure, all candidates must meet state licensure requirements before recommendation. Concentrations may have additional requirements for admission specific to the concentration. An oral and/or written exam may be required for some concentrations. During the program, students in all M.A.Ed. Comprehensive Education concentrations will engage in two field experiences and one clinical experience. For details regarding the application process and the requirements for the field experiences and the clinical experience see information in the link below. https://www.wcu.edu/learn/departments-schools-colleges/ceap/stl/graduate-teaching-maed.aspx#residential
Program Admission Requirements
In addition to the Graduate School Admission Requirements, applicants for some M.A.Ed. programs must submit a written essay. Instructions for the essay vary by concentration and will include topic(s) and length specified by the concentration and description of the evaluation process. Graduates from the WCU Honors college program do not need to submit an essay with their graduate school application.
All programs require three recommendations from former instructors or employers who are in a position to evaluate the applicant’s aptitude for graduate study. Applicants must meet the requirements for admission based on the written essay and an undergraduate grade point average for the last sixty hours of the baccalaureate program.
Applicants must hold or be eligible to hold a current North Carolina teaching license for admission to the program (see exception below)*. If the teaching license is in an area other than the concentration sought, passing licensure exams in the new area will be required. A current teaching license is necessary prior to recommendation for the advanced license.
Concentration specific requirements include:
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Comprehensive Education - English - must submit a senior level analytic essay that synthesizes multiple sources and articulates an argument.
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Comprehensive Education- Literacy - must submit a written essay. Requires a North Carolina teaching license in Elementary or Middle grades Language Arts.
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Comprehensive Education- Special Education - must submit a written essay.
- Comprehensive Education-STEM - must submit a written essay. Requires a North Carolina teaching license in Elementary, Middle Grades Mathematics or Science, or Secondary Mathematics or Science.
* Licensure Exception: Applicants applying for the Educational Studies Non-licensure Option do not need an initial teaching license but need a BSED in special education or other closely related degree, and a current employment context that allows for completion of course requirements .
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Professional Core (12 Hours)
The Professional Core is common to all M.A.Ed. Programs. English Concentration (24 hours)
(In addition to the Professional Core) Methods:
Six hours are required. British Literature:
Three hours of British Literature are required. Choose any British Literature Course (500 or higher) American Literature:
Three hours of American Literature are required. Choose any American Literature Course (500 or higher) Other Literature:
Three hours of other literature courses are required and must be chosen from the following list: Guided Electives:
Nine hours of guided electives in English are required. Elective courses are chosen in consultation with the program director. Additional Information:
English Comprehensive Examinations on both early and later literature and a Master Teacher Project are required. Neither a thesis nor foreign language proficiency is required. For reading lists, sample exams, and other information about the English concentration, see the current Guide to Graduate Studies in English, available online. Literacy Education Concentration K-9 (18 hours) Offered Online
In addition to the Comprehensive Education M.A.Ed. Professional Core (12 hours), students complete the Literacy Education Concentration (18 hours). This includes:
Special Education Concentration (18-21 hours)
These 18-21 hours are in addition to the Professional Core. Emphasis:
Must declare and complete eighteen to twenty-one (18-21) hours from one of the three emphasis options listed below. An add-on license in Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) is an additional option for licensed teachers. Required courses are listed below the three options. Option 1 - Gifted, Creative and Innovative Education
Students must take 15 hours in the Content Area list of courses and choose one of the electives listed below. Option 2 - General Curriculum: Mild to Moderate Disabilities
Students must take all 15 hours in the Content Area and choose 3 hours from the courses listed below. Option 3 - Adapted Curriculum: Severe/Profound Disabilities
Required eighteen (18) hours from Content Area list of courses and choose three (3) hours from the Guided Electives list. Option 4 - Educational Studies (Non-license)
The Educational Studies Non-license is a degree program designed with a focus in special education that leads to a non-license teaching degree. Candidates can choose from the following areas of study, a) Gifted, Creative and Innovative Education, b) Mild to Moderate Disabilities, or c) Adapted Curriculum: Severe/Profound Disabilities. While this degree does not provide an opportunity for teacher certification, it can be used for professionals to seek career advancement in educational settings that do not require teacher certification such as private or charter schools. Other career options include management positions in adult respite services or work with adults with disabilities in higher education, assistive technology specialist, supervisory or management positions with in employment and residential living services for adults with disabilities, positions in curriculum development, advocacy services for people with disabilities, as well as management positions in private or nonprofit organizations that serve individuals with disabilities and their families. In addition, overseas employment opportunities are available to international students who pursue this Educational Studies option as educators for career advancement in their own countries. This master’s degree does not lead to North Carolina state certification. Students will work with their advisor to select an option from the special education concentration. Students will take the required 15 hours from the selected special education content area listed above and choose three (3) credit hours from the Guided Electives list in that special education option. In the adapted curriculum: Severe/Profound disabilities option the students will work with their advisor to select the 15 hours. Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) Add-on Licensure (K-12)
Licensure in AIG may be obtained by teachers holding or eligible for a North Carolina license in any area. The licensure program is completely online with the exception of a one-week field experience associated with SPED 500 that takes place in the summer. Credits earned may be applied to the gifted concentration in the MAEd program in special education. The program requires 12 hours and includes the following: Special Education Concentration Research Cognate Option
Through our research cognates, students in the Special Education concentration have the option to select a specific area of research interest and collaborate with a faculty member to conduct research in that area. A cognate is a specialization or specific focus within special and gifted education. Once a graduate student has selected a research cognate of interest, they will be paired with a faculty mentor who will assist in choosing a guided elective, and consult with the student regarding ways to focus the research across courses. Students can select from any of the following research cognate areas; creativity, differentiation, response to intervention for social and emotional behavior, collaboration with families and professionals, autism, instructional technology, math, literacy, transition, or other proposed area of interest. STEM Education Concentration K-12 (18 hours) Offered Online
In addition to the Comprehensive Education M.A.Ed. Professional Core (12 hours), students complete the STEM Education Concentration (18 hours). This includes: |
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