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Graduate Program in Secondary Education

The graduate program in Secondary Education prepares students as middle school and high school teachers in English, Mathematics or Social Studies. This specialty offers the professional education course work needed for state licensure in Secondary Education. In addition to the required coursework, students must also fulfill specific content requirements for licensure in their subject area specialization. The Secondary Education program areas are state approved and nationally recognized.

Catholic University offers two graduate programs in Secondary Education: the Master of Arts (M.A.) and the Graduate Teacher Certification Program (GTCP). Both programs prepare students to qualify for a teaching license.

  • The M.A. program consists of 10 courses, plus a semester of supervised student teaching (12 credits), the successful completion of two research papers, and the production of an Action Research Paper, which serves as the comprehensive examination for the M.A. degree.
  • The GTCP program consists of five courses, plus a semester of supervised student teaching (12 credits) and the production of an Action Research Paper during student teaching.
  • Students who are teaching full-time in the content area in which licensure is sought may be eligible to enroll in a teaching seminar (EDUC 600, 4 credits) in lieu of the 12 credits of supervised student teaching requirement.

All students in Secondary Education are required to maintain a current account with College LiveText(TM), the Web-based system that allows the systematic documentation of performance based assessment required for licensure. Students will submit assignments on Livetext as required by their programs.

Graduate Handbook and other Documents

For additional information on the Graduate Secondary Education programs, please contact:

Dr. Lilliana Maggioni: maggioni@cua.edu 

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Program Requirements

  • GTCP: The GTCP in Secondary Education consists of five required Education courses and a semester of supervised teaching.
  • M.A.: The M.A. program in Secondary Education consists of ten graduate courses including eight required Education courses, two approved electives in Education or in the content area, and a semester of supervised teaching.
     Number
 Course Description GTCP M.A.
Core Courses
 
 
 
 
 
 
 		 EDUC 525 Psychology of Learning for Diverse Learners  X  X
EDUC 582 Reading in the Content Area  X  X
EDUC 586  Curriculum and Methods in Adolescent Education  X  X
EDUC 702 Advanced Foundations of Education  X  X
EDUC 581 Educating Diverse Learners    X
EDUC 699 Introduction to Educational Research    X
EDUC 765 Principles of Curriculum    X
Appropriate Methods Course (take one methods course that fits your program)
  EDUC 579 Teaching Mathematics in Secondary Schools  X  X

  or  
  EDUC 580 Teaching English in Secondary Schools  X  X

  or  
  EDUC 585 Teaching Social Studies in Secondary Schools  X  X
Required Electives (M.A. only)
    Graduate course in Education or in the appropriate content area.    X
    Graduate course in Education or in the appropriate content area.    X
Supervised Teaching
  EDUC 561
EDUC 562
EUDC 563		 Student Teaching and Seminar: Secondary Education  X  X

  or  
  EDUC 600 Supervised Teaching for Classroom Teachers
(for those currently teaching in their content area)		  X  X


Transfer of Credits (M.A. only)

University policy permits the transfer of up to 6 credit hours of previous graduate work into the M.A. program with the approval of the student's academic advisor and the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. In addition, the Department of Education normally will consider for transfer only credits earned in the five-year period immediately preceding the student's admission to the University and for which the student earned a grade of 'B" or better. Older graduate work will be reviewed for its continued currency in the field of education.  Transfer credits to replace EDUC 525, EDUC 699, and EDUC 702 are not usually allowed.

Research Papers for the M.A. in Secondary Education

Two Research Papers are required for the M.A. program in Secondary Education. One research paper is written in EDUC 699: Introduction to Educational Research and the second research paper in EDUC 702: Advanced Foundations of Education.

The Research Papers are scholarly, comprehensive literature review papers on an approved topic.  Each paper must be at least 20 pages in length and include at least 20 scholarly references. The professor of record for the course will grade the papers. Students must receive a grade of B or better in order for the paper to satisfy the requirement. Students who receive a grade lower than B on the paper will have the option of working with the professor of the course to improve the paper to meet the requirement of a B grade.

Completed papers must be approved by the course instructor and by the Department Chair. They indicate their approval by signing the Research Paper Form, which includes an abstract of the paper. Approval signatures are due at the completion of the term in which the course is taken.

Secondary English Content Requirements for License

To obtain a license to teach English in secondary schools, in addition to the Education courses required for the M.A. or the GTCP in Mathematics Secondary Education, a minimum of 36 credits in courses in English or related fields are required. The English-related courses can be at the undergraduate or graduate level. The Standards from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and relevant courses are listed in the following table. The material in EDUC 582 and EDUC 580 satisfies two of the NCTE Standards.

NCTE Standard Applicable Coursework English Course Credits
Knowledge of, and skills in the use of the English language (3.1)
Knowledge of the practices or oral, visual, and written literacy (3.2)		 Grammar/Linguistics
Composition/Writing
Speech/Communication		 Linguistics (3)
Public Speaking (3)
Drama (3)
Knowledge of reading processes (3.3) EDUC 582/Reading in the Content Areas  
Knowledge of different composing processes (3.4) Composition/Writing
Journalism		 Writing Process (3)
Journalism (3)
Knowledge of, and uses for, an extensive range of literature, to include varied genres, periods, and cultures (3.5) American/British Lit
Non-Western Literature
Works by women and authors of color
Literary theory/criticism		 American Literature (3)
British Literature (3)
Multicultural Literature (3)
Adolescent Literature (3)
Comparative Literature (3)
Mythology (3)
Knowledge of range and influence of print & non-print media & technology in contemporary culture (3.6) Media Studies Media Studies (3)
Candidates demonstrate knowledge of research theory and findings in English language arts (3.7) EDUC 582/Reading in the Content Areas
EDUC 580/Teaching English in Secondary Schools		  

Secondary Mathematics Content Requirements for License

To obtain a license to teach mathematics in secondary schools, in addition to the required Education courses for the M.A. or the GTCP, a minimum of 27 credits in courses in mathematics and science are required, with at least 18 credits being in mathematics. The math/science courses can be at the undergraduate or graduate level. Math courses taken at the graduate level can satisfy the two elective courses for the M.A. Program. The courses are listed in the following table.

Courses Credits
Calculus 6
Algebra/Trigonometry 3
Geometry 3
Computer Science 3
Statistics 3
Math/Science Electives 9
Total 27

Secondary Social Studies Content Requirements for License

To obtain a license to teach Social Studies in secondary schools, in addition to the Education courses required for the M.A. or the GTCP in Social Studies Secondary Education, students must have coursework in content areas that satisfy the Standards from the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). Generally, a minimum of 33 credits in courses in History and related fields are required. The History and related courses can be at the undergraduate or graduate level.

National Council for the Social Studies Content Standards
1.1 Culture and Cultural Diversity
1.2 Time, Continuity, and Change
1.3 People, Places, and Environments
1.4 Individual Development and Identity
1.5 Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
1.6 Power, Authority, and Governance
1.7 Production, Distribution, and Consumption
1.8 Science, Technology, and Society
1.9 Global Connections
1.10 Civic Ideals and Practices

Field Experiences

Graduate students in Secondary Education will have three field experiences. Other practicum experience can be arranged, as needed.

  • Students spend 20 hours observing in a secondary classroom and assisting the classroom teacher in conjunction with EDUC 586, Curriculum and Methods in Adolescent Education.
  • Students spend 30 hours observing in a secondary classroom and assisting the classroom teacher with specific instructional tasks in conjunction with the Methods course in their respective program areas: EDUC 579 Mathematics, EDUC 580 English, or EDUC 585 Social Studies
  • Students spend the entire school day in a secondary classroom during their full semester of supervised student teaching. Students assist the classroom teacher with specific instructional tasks and teach a full schedule of classes as the principal teacher for at least four weeks during the semester. During this semester, students also once a week attend a seminar associated with student teaching, produce their Action Research Paper, and complete their Electronic Portfolio.