Master of Education

For educators planning to take the next step in their careers, the Master of Education program is an excellent choice.

Grand View's Master of Education program offers you the flexibility to design your graduate studies to fit your interests and goals. You can select one endorsement area and pair it with the core for your masters degree - it's that easy! To earn a master's degree, you need a minimum of 33 credits.

Why Grand View?

Convenient online or blended core courses structured for working professionals.
Small class sizes - you'll get personal attention and get to know your classmates
Develop meaningful relationships with your professors
Innovative curriculum and teaching methods - you'll learn skills you can put to work immediately in your classroom or school environment
Personalize your education to match your goals

Admission and Application Requirements

Admission Requirements

A baccalaureate degree earned from a regionally accredited institution, evidenced by an official transcript.
Validated minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. (Students below 3.0 will be considered for provisional acceptance.)
A current or pending license to teach in the state of Iowa.
Complete the application for admission.
Application fee of $40 (nonrefundable).

Submit the following:

Include a statement of purpose with application that addresses: 1) the student’s interest in the program, including the identification of short-term and long-term career goals; 2) the skills and experiences the student will contribute to the program; 3) expectations the student has of the program.
A professional resume.
Two letters of recommendation (professional and/or academic)

Course Requirements

Culturally Responsive Teacher Leadership Core (15 credits)
Culturally Responsive Educational Leadership	3 credits	Offered first 8 weeks of fall semester
The focus of this course is developing the attitudes, dispositions, and skills needed to lead in multicultural educational settings. Students will explore and examine their individual leadership styles and will understand processes of school improvement and second order change. Students will explore major state initiatives like: Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, the Iowa Core, and the Early Literacy Initiative. This course will also examine theoretical and historical issues that affect the culture and climate of schools and that require school leaders to be culturally competent and culturally responsive. Participants will examine issues such as, urban education, rural education, immigration, overpopulation, low funding, segregation, linguistic diversity, race and discrimination, and low achievement. This course will deeply examine how school leaders can apply various theoretical lenses to address issues related to urban schooling. Students will also begin to analyze and use data to better understand student achievement and school environment.
Improving Collaborative Culture Through Instructional Coaching, Modeling, and Mentoring	3 credits	Offered first 8 weeks of spring semester
In this course, students will explore a variety of strategies and models for creating a collaborative culture and will develop the effective communication skills required of teacher leaders, such as an instructional coaches and mentors. Students will learn how to use data, gap analysis, and action planning to prioritize professional development needs. Then, students will apply adult learning theory and Universal Design for Learning to plan professional development for classroom teachers. Students will then practice delivering professional development, anticipating and responding to the potential pitfalls that may arise as a result of the change and reform process. This course also focuses on establishing the theoretical foundations for using non-evaluative techniques for peer feedback, coaching, modeling, and mentoring. Students will gain experience conducting walk-through observations, designing questions focused on promoting instructional growth, providing specific, constructive feedback to peers, modeling effective teaching strategies for peers, goal-setting, and problem solving.
Empowering the Community Through Education	3 credits	Offered second 8 weeks of fall semester
In order to meet the demands of the 21st century, schools need to create organized and planned partnership programs that fosters an environment which encourages families to become actively involved and contribute to their student’s academic success. These partnership programs must recognize that student learning is not confined to the school, but takes place in both in the home and the greater community. This course, therefore, features an introduction to the theory and principles of community education, an approach to education that builds upon the strengths and actively addresses needs within a community. Some of the examples studied will be full-service community schools, after school programs, adult and cooperative learning programs, and community based efforts to bring about social change. Students will analyze current and historical examples of community education and design strategic plans for fostering community-school collaboration in their own practice.
Educational Policy and Law	3 credits	Offered 8 weeks in May / June
In this course, students will understand the major legal and policy issues that are affecting schools in the 21st century. Students will examine and explore educational legal precedent with a focus on how schools leadership teams collaborate when problem-solving. Students will also understand the legal, economic, and social implications of major policy initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels and how to advocate for students’ and other stakeholders’ needs within policy frameworks.
Research in Education	3 credits	Offered second 8 weeks of spring semester
This course will focus on exploring the strengths and limitations of various research designs and the use of research in education. Students will have the opportunity to read a variety of research and explore differing purposes of various kinds. They will design a small research project focused on improving instructional practice in their classroom, building, or district. Students will reflect on their own practice and develop strategies for incorporating new research findings and resources into their practice to increase Pre-K/12 students’ achievement.

Endorsements

These endorsements can be paired with the core or taken for stand-alone graduate credit.

Reading (17 credits)

Language Acquisition and Learning (3)
Writing Across the Curriculum (3)
Content Area Reading (3)
Assessing and Instructing Struggling Readers (3)
Teaching Individualized Reading (3)
Education Practicum: Reading K-8/5-12 (2)

The endorsement requirements vary slightly for elementary and secondary levels. Transcripts must be analyzed to identify the specific requirements needed to complete any endorsement.

Instructional Strategist I (19 credits)

Grand View’s Instructional Strategist I endorsement program allows teachers who are currently teaching to complete an endorsement to teach special education. Current teachers interested in teaching and working with students with special needs can add Grand Views’ Instructional Strategist I endorsement. Our program addresses multiple learning disabilities and equips teachers to work in K-8 or 5-12 mild/moderate instruction settings. This endorsement authorizes teachers for K-8 or 5-12 mild/moderate instruction, an in-demand teacher shortage area in Iowa.

Grand View’s Education program offers individualized, high-quality education that can lead to long-term career opportunities. Become equipped to work with individuals using evidence-based practices that meet the needs in our rapidly changing schools.

Courses You Will Take
Several of these courses are a part of teacher licensure. Licensed teachers enrolling in the program will have transcripts reviewed to determine how credits will transfer.

Human Development (PSYC 212)
Pedagogies of Exceptional Learners (EDUC 242)
Instructional Strategist I Methods (EDUC 343 / EDGR 533)
Career / Vocational Programming (EDUC 360 / EDGR 535)
Education Practicum: Instructional Strategist I (EDUC 362 / EDGR 532)
Working with Families, Teachers, and Community Agencies (EDUC 363 / EDGR 536)
Mental Health First Aid / Trauma-Informed Care: What to Know to Be Successful with Children (EDUC 415 / EDGR 515)
Assessing and Instructing Struggling Readers (EDUC 431 / EDGR 543)
Diagnosis and Evaluation of Special Education Students (EDUC 440 / EDGR 538)
Individual Behavior Management (EDUC 475 / EDGR 539)

Download Course Schedule

STEM (15 credits)

Inquiry, Problem Solving, and the Nature of STEM (2)
Models and Methods of Teaching STEM (2)
Engineering, Programming, and Design for Educators (2)
Experiential STEM (1)
STEM electives -- selected with your advisor (7)

State endorsement also requires: 12 hrs. of Science, 12 hrs. of Math, elementary or secondary math methods course and an elementary or secondary science methods course.

ELL (20-21 credits)

ELL Methods (3)
ELL Assessment (3)
ELL Practicum (2)
Linguistics for Educators (3)
Language Acquisition (3)
Serving Immigrant and Multilingual Students (3)
Modern Languages for the 21st Century Educator (3) or Foreign Language (4)

Transcripts must be analyzed to identify the specific requirements needed to complete any endorsement.

Learn More About the ELL Program

Rasmussen Center

Dedicated in 2008, the 42,851 square-foot $8.5 million building houses the departments of art, education, history, criminal justice, political studies, psychology and sociology, as well as general-purpose classrooms, art studios, computer labs, the ALT Center, faculty offices, and various student amenities.

Jacobson Fellowship

Graduate students in Education may be eligible for the Jacobson Fellowship, a $3,000 scholarship. Recipients must be accepted into the program, have earned an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 and must be nominated/recommended by a school administrator. Renewal for a second year requires a 3.25 GPA in the master's program. The nomination deadline is May 1.

Admission Requirements