Elementary Education Unified, MS

The Master of Science in Elementary Education Unified (MSEEU) Program is an online program designed for the adult student with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. The student who comes to MNU with an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution will complete their elementary education/special education degree in 18 months. The first year of the program consists of courses in 7 week-long modules with individualized field-based experiences. During the final semester of this program, students will be enrolled in a capstone or student teaching experience.

Admissions and Expectations of MSEEU

Admission Requirements:

• Acceptable, formal application to the MSEEU Program.
• At least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• A cumulative GPA of 2.75 (Provided the Cohort average GPA is 3.0 or higher which will be calculated after module 9).
• No record of being convicted of a felony or crime involving dishonesty, a controlled substance, or a crime against a child.

Application Process:

• Complete online application.
• Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
• Complete resume.

Guidelines and Expectations:

Spending time in an actual elementary classroom is a vital part of becoming a teacher.

For the first three semesters candidates will be enrolled in an internship course.  During the semester candidates will complete internship expectations and develop artifacts for their professional portfolio.  Candidates will spend approximately 40 hours per semester in a classroom.  With the permission of the school principal, candidates working as elementary paraeducators can complete clinical expectations at their place of employment.  During the 4th semester of the program, candidates are enrolled in a capstone experience.  Candidates not employed by a district, will be given a student teaching placement and spend 12 weeks in an elementary classroom and 6 weeks in a special education classroom.

There are courses with required practicum experiences throughout the MSEEU program. All candidates should complete 10 hours of observation for each of practicum courses.

• Instructors will structure and evaluate what should be accomplished during these observation times.
• Larger projects will be completed as part of the practicum such as teaching a lesson.
• Candidates will have the flexibility of choosing observation places with guidance from instructors and PGSE.
• Candidates may repeat a core course (once) if their grade is below the B-.
• Student teaching will be a fulltime position (7AM-5PM on average), during which working is not recommended.
• Seminar sessions are required throughout the student teaching experience and are held on the MNU campus. Remote student teachers attend through Zoom.
• The program is a lock step program and no course changes are allowed unless transfer credit has been approved by the Licensure and Assessment Coordinator.
• The MSEEU program is an accelerated program and each program candidate must understand the intellectual strain and time commitment while in the program.

Conditional Acceptance:

A student may be conditionally accepted into MSEEU for modules 1 and 2 under the following stipulations:

• If a candidate’s GPA is below 2.75, the student must receive at least a B- or above in all core coursework through the first two modules; if academic excellence is not shown, the student will be dropped from the program.
• If official transcripts are not provided, a student may start the program. However, the student will be dropped from the program before the third module if transcripts are not received by then.

Graduation Requirements:

• A cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all college course work attempted
• A cumulative GPA of 2.75 in Professional Education coursework
• Grade of “B-” or better in all Professional Education courses. If a B- or better is not earned for a course, the candidate will need to retake the course in the traditional program or wait until the next MSEEU Cohort is scheduled to take the course. This low grade could delay completion of the program. The candidate may join the next MSEEU Cohort
• If a “D” or “F” is earned, the candidate may be removed from the program. A Teacher Candidate is not permitted to take courses while student teaching.
• MSEEU candidates are required to take Praxis Exams for Content, Pedagogy and SPED to be licensed in Kansas.

Options degree:

For candidates who are unable to successfully complete their student teaching or who decide that teaching may not be a good fit, but have completed all necessary course work, there is an Options in Education course (EDUC 6003) to earn a Master of Education degree (non-licensure). Candidates along with their faculty advisor can design a plan for completion of a Master of Education with Options in Education.