M.A. in Education

Program Requirements

Teacher Licensure Areas

Students seeking the MA in Education with emphasis in Teacher Leadership, Reading Leadership, or K-12 Online Teacher Leadership must complete 27 credits of coursework in their first year of the MA Program. Students may choose to seek a Colorado Initial License or an added Colorado Endorsement, or to pursue further investigations in their current licensure area. Licensure areas include Elementary, K-12 (Art, Foreign Language, Music, and Physical Education), Secondary (Business, English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies), and Special Education. 

Elementary Education Licensure

Secondary or K-12 Licensure

Special Education Generalist (Ages 5-21) Licensure

Education with emphasis in K-12 Online Teacher Leadership, Master of Arts

K-12 Online Teacher Leadership is defined as the work of an individual (an online-teacher leader) teaching online in a virtual school and/or in a blended K-12 learning environment who knows federal and state policies related to online and blended teaching and learning; has advanced knowledge of the development, implementation, and evaluation of quality online teaching and instructional design; and can work effectively with other online or blended instructional staff to meet the targeted learning needs of all students. The K-12 online teacher leader provides professional guidance and expertise to virtual or brick and mortar schools on effective curriculum, instruction, and assessment programs in relation to online and blended learning.

In order to earn the MA in Education with emphasis in K-12 Online Teacher Leadership, the candidate must successfully complete 43 graduate credits of education course work in conjunction with in-classroom/school practical experience. Already licensed teachers have the option of adding an endorsement in one of the licensure areas above during their first year of study. Successful completion of the K-12 Online Teacher Leadership emphasis will result in earning the MA degree. 

Completion of the Emphasis in K-12 Online Teacher Leadership

Education with emphasis in Reading Leadership, Master of Arts

Reading Leadership is defined as the work of an individual (a reading-leader) situated in the classroom or in a school or district-level position who has advanced knowledge of federal and state policies related to literacy; has deep understanding of the development, implementation, and evaluation of scientifically-based reading programs; and can work effectively with other instructional staff to meet the literacy needs of all students. The reading leader provides professional guidance and expertise to classroom teachers, school and/or district literacy curriculum, instruction, and assessment programs; and develops and conducts in-service programs related to literacy.

In order to earn the MA in Education with emphasis in Reading Leadership, the candidate must successfully complete 43 graduate credits of education course work in conjunction with in-classroom/school practical experience. Already licensed teachers have the option of adding an endorsement in the licensure areas listed above during their first year of study, and will have the opportunity to add Reading-specific endorsements as they complete their MA as outlined below. Successful completion of the Reading Leadership emphasis will result in earning the MA degree. 

Completion of the emphasis in Reading Leadership

Education with emphasis in Teacher Leadership, Master of Arts

Teacher Leadership is defined as the work of an individual (a teacher-leader) within a school who is regarded as an excellent educator; is well respected by peers; is recognized for his or her leadership capacity; holds a lifelong learning orientation; and has been identified to facilitate, advocate, and advance school reform and improvement of student learning. The work of a Teacher Leader is typically carried out through informal and formal venues and processes; for example, with teachers in their classrooms, and district level task forces, committee, and/or membership in district level professional development projects. In order to earn the MA in Education with emphasis in Teacher Leadership, the candidate must successfully complete 43 graduate credits of education course work in conjunction with in-classroom/school practical experience. Already licensed teachers have the option of adding an endorsement in the licensure areas listed above during their first year of study. Successful completion of the Teacher Leadership emphasis will result in earning the MA degree.

Completion of the emphasis in Teacher Leadership

Education with Endorsement in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education, Master of Arts

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) teaching is defined as the work of an individual (a CLD Interventionist or CLD Teacher Leader) who serves as a liaison between various constituents accountable for meeting the needs of CLD learners in the school and community settings. This individual is aware of state, national and local cultural norms, legalities, and policies that impact student learning and the acquisition of English language proficiency. The CLD teacher has the ability to guide and support stakeholders associated with serving CLD learners to sustained high levels of productivity, collaboration, and achievement.

To earn the MA in Education with an endorsement in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education, the candidate must successfully complete 46 credits of education course work in conjunction with in-classroom/school practical experience. The candidate must be a licensed teacher and will be eligible to add a CLD endorsement at the conclusion of the following sequence of MA course work.  

Education with emphasis in Educational Administration, Master of Arts

Educational administrator leadership is defined as the work of an individual serving in an administrative capacity at the school/district level. This individual is aware of local, state, and federal laws and policies that affect student learning and school/district management, understands the needs of students and staff, and has the ability to lead a school/district to sustained high levels of productivity, collaboration, and achievement. 

In order to earn the M.A. degree, the candidate must successfully complete one year of principal licensure course work and at least one concurrent year-long contractual or internship experience in school administration. First-year course work requires 25 credits. The candidate must also successfully complete 12 credits of administrator licensure course work during the second year. The Master of Arts in Education with emphasis in Educational Administration requires 44 credits. At the conclusion of the first year the candidate is eligible to become licensed as a principal. Successful completion of the second year will result in earning the M.A. degree, as well as eligibility to become licensed as a district administrator. 

Education with emphasis in Educator Effectiveness, Master of Arts

The MA in Education emphasis in Educator Effectiveness delivers a curriculum that provides a customized and relevant program of study based upon the candidate’s specific needs as measured by Colorado’s Teacher Quality Standards for performance. Candidates may complete the MA in one academic year by completing fifteen credits per semester. Programs of study may be made up from five, 3-credit courses or the equivalent by inserting 1-6 credit offerings during fall and spring semesters only, so that the candidate may choose to spread out their program to complete the 30 credits over more than one year, within the five year maximum. Courses are limited to the fall and spring semesters due to the fact that coursework is designed to be completed and applied within a K-12 teaching setting for maximum internalization and improvement. Candidates may end the program in either fall or spring semesters. Upon acceptance into the program, candidates will work with a profile identifier and academic advisor to register for the most applicable sequence of courses which will help meet specific goals established from the candidate’s professional growth plan.

In order to earn the MA in Education with emphasis in Educator Effectiveness, the candidate must successfully complete 30 graduate credits of 600-level education course work. Degree completion will also require an extensive Capstone: Professional Portfolio that contains evidence from multiple measures to establish the rate and degree of improvement in performance. These may include the candidate’s annual effectiveness ratings (pre-program and post-program) as reported by an evaluating administrator, evidence of academic achievement and growth of the candidate’s K-12 students taught during the course of the program, artifacts, assessments, and further evidence of performance and growth. The portfolios will be due and evaluated to coincide with the end of the candidate’s final semester. If a candidate requires additional time to complete the Capstone, registration in EDUC 697 Special Topics for at least one credit per semester will be required to remain eligible to complete this degree completion requirement.

Candidate will complete 30 credits from the following.

K-12 Online Teacher Series

The following three courses may be taken in series to provide the student with a sequential learning experience of nine credits, in which the student will become prepared to teach K-12 Online and Blended classes in the virtual classroom. These courses are offered as professional development only and may not be transferred into the MA in Education. Upon successful completion of the nine credit series, participants will earn a Certificate of Completion from the Office of Graduate Studies.