Master of Education with Certification (M.Ed.)

SMU's Master of Education with Certification program is tailor-made for the individual who would like to teach and already has a bachelor's degree but who does not have the appropriate certification credentials. This program allows students to pursue a graduate degree and a teaching credential simultaneously. The program can be an excellent choice for someone who is interested in making a career change to teaching or for someone who is ready to resume a career after being at home with children and would like that career to involve young people.

The Master of Education with Certification program allows the individual with a baccalaureate degree to earn a Master's degree while completing teacher certification requirements in Early Childhood - Grade 6 (EC-6), Middle School, or High School. Students who seek middle school or high school certification must have an undergraduate major (or at least 24 credit hours - half of which must be upper division courses) in a discipline that is taught in public school.

Program Structure

In the M.Ed. with Certification, participants enter the program during the summer as a member of a cohort and progress through the program in a structured manner. Learning and working in a cohort builds on shared knowledge and experiences and develops a supportive peer group. The basic program consists of 36 hours of coursework. The program is selective and intense, offering well-qualified and motivated individuals the opportunity to telescope Master's level courses and basic educator preparation. Individuals who seek employment as teachers will have strong credentials with both a master's degree and a teaching certificate. In many cases, these qualifications will give applicants an advantage as they seek employment. Successful student teachers will graduate in December. Interns, on the other hand, are required by the state to be supervised for a full academic year, so interns typically graduate in May. Advisers will provide an orientation and information about certification testing required by the state.

Requirements for Admission

All candidates for the Early Childhood through 6th grade (EC-6) certification must have completed at least 6 hours each in English, math, social studies (economics, history, government), and science with a final grade no lower than a C (2.0).

All candidates for middle school (grades 4-8) or high school (grades 8-12) certification must have completed at least 24 credit hours in the subject they want to teach with at least half of those hours in upper division courses and no final grade lower than a C (2.0) . Please check with a Simmons adviser to verify that the subject area is recognized by the Texas Education Agency. Please call 214-768-2346 to schedule an appointment to meet with an adviser.

Programs of Study

Click on any course below to link to its course description.

EC - 6 Certification  (Early Childhood - Grade 6)
SEMESTER COURSE
First Summer in Program  
  Summer I EDU 6302 Design & Assessment of Learning
    EDU 6322 Educational & Behavioral Psychology
     
  Summer II EDU 6329 EC-6 Math
 
First Fall in Program EDU 5121 Field Experience I *
    EDU 5122 Field Experience II *
    EDU 6304 Interpreting Educational Research
    EDU 6327 Learning to Read and Write
 
First Spring in Program EDU 5123 Field Experience III *
    EDU 6326 Content Area Studies
    EDU 6336 Reading and Writing to Learn
 
Second Summer in Program  
  Summer I EDU 6303 Learning Environment and Professionalism
    EDU 6315 Diverse Learners
 
Second Fall in Program EDU 5363/5364 Student Teaching or EDU 5385/5386 Internship I & II
* If you are currently employed as a non-certified teacher in an accredited school, your field experience program might be different.  Please call 214-768-2346 to schedule an appointment to meet with an adviser.
TOTAL HOURS:  36
 
Middle School / High School Certification
SEMESTER COURSE
First Summer in Program  
  Summer I EDU 6302 Design & Assessment of Learning
    EDU 6322 Educational Psychology
     
  Summer II EDU 6305 Differentiated Instruction
 
First Fall in Program EDU 5124 Field Experience I *
    EDU 5125 Field Experience II*
    EDU 6315 Diverse Learners
    EDU 6328 Strategic Teaching
 
First Spring in Program EDU 5126 Field Experience III*
    EDU 6324 Content Methods
    EDU 6366 Reading and Writing in the Content Areas
 
Second Summer in Program  
  Summer I EDU 6303 Learning Environment and Professionalism
    EDU 6304 Interpreting Educational Research
 
Second Fall in Program EDU 5373/5374 Student Teaching or EDU 5375/5376 Internship I & II
* If you are currently employed as a non-certified teacher in an accredited school, your field experience program might be different.  Please call 214-768-2346 to schedule an appointment to meet with an adviser.
TOTAL HOURS:  36

Expectations during program participation

In addition to satisfactory performance in the coursework of the program, including satisfactory attendance, each participant will be required to attend Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES) review sessions prior to taking any TExES examination.

Many participants will choose to student teach in the second fall; others will prefer to seek a teaching position (internship) in Dallas County or in another approved teaching site. Individual school districts pay interns’ salaries.  SMU’s clinical faculty provides supervision during the two-semester internship. 

Participation in the program does not guarantee a teaching position. Students who do not obtain teaching positions (internships) may register for and complete a one-semester, unpaid student-teaching assignment in an area school in place of the internship. The University does not recommend anyone for regular initial certification who has not completed six hours of internship (one full year as teacher of record) or six hours of student teaching (15 weeks of supervised student teaching) and passed both the content area TExES and the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) TExES examinations.