Secondary Teacher Certification (M.Ed.)

Program Curriculum

Overview of the Program

The program is designed to be completed over seven consecutive quarters. Each fall a group of students will begin the program as a cohort and progress together to complete the Master of Education in the spring of their second year. Students in the cohort at this time may be pursuing endorsements in any of the three endorsement areas (Biology, English/Language Arts, and Mathematics).

Each full-time quarter students engage in reflective seminars in which they examine the professional role of the teacher and the complexities of work in schools. They experience a holistic program, not merely a sequence of loosely connected courses and classroom experiences.

This is the general schedule for the program. The schedule may be adjusted in future academic years as the program is typically in a state of continuous change and improvement.

Year 1

Autumn
B EDUC 556 Adolescent Development (3)
B EDUC 566 Technology in Education (3)
Classes meet evenings, twice a week
Winter
B EDUC 502 Teacher Self Knowledge (5)
B EDUC 557 Curriculum Studies & Classroom Practice (3)
Classes meet evenings, twice a week
Spring
B EDUC 504 Organizational Challenge (5)
Elective (3)
Classes meet evenings, twice a week
Summer
B EDUC 563/559 Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment (3)
B EDUC 564 Field Experience (3)
Classes and fieldwork during the day, three or four days a week

Year 2

Autumn
B EDUC 501 Inquiry in Education (5)
B EDUC 560/563 Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment (3)
B EDUC 564 Field Experience (3)
Classes and fieldwork during the day, five days and one evening a week
Winter
  • B EDUC 565 Student Teaching (10)
  • B EDUC XXX (number not assigned yet) Professional Practice Seminar (2)
  • B EDUC 595 Culminating Project (3)
  • Classes and fieldwork during the day, five days a week
    Spring
    B EDUC 595 Culminating Project (3)
    Class in evening, once a week

    Courses

    The Secondary Teacher Certification M.Ed. students take courses that are designed to foster their professional expertise and state-of-the art knowledge in pedagogy, curriculum, teacher leadership, multiculturalism, and cross-curricular literacy. They will have numerous opportunities to learn along with experienced teachers in M.Ed. classes, including core courses of the M.Ed. Program. They also have opportunities for taking elective courses of their choice.

    All of the participants in the UW Bothell Master of Education program take three core courses. These courses focus on:

    M.Ed. students in class

    Endorsement Area

    A significant portion of the program is spent examining instruction and assessment of a chosen endorsement area. Endorsement areas currently supported by the program are:

    Students also choose elective courses under the guidance of a faculty advisor. These may be selected from M.Ed. courses, or from appropriate courses in other academic programs such as the UW Bothell Master of Arts in Policy Studies. Up to twelve credits of graduate-level coursework may be taken at the University of Washington, Seattle.

    Fieldwork

    Secondary Teacher Certification M.Ed. students spend three consecutive quarters in field placements in which they have increasing curricular and instructional responsibility. Guided and supported by faculty, field instructors and master teachers, students will have multiple opportunities to learn, observe, and apply a variety of instructional methods and tools in different educational settings.

    Culminating Project

    Students select a Capstone Project from a number of options:

    1. Inquiry Project: The focus of an inquiry project is the improvement of professional practices and educational programs through the implementation of change or innovation in an educational setting; it extends over three quarters under the advisement of a faculty advisor.
    2. Professional Paper: A professional paper is done under the advisement of a faculty member following submission and approval of a description of the proposed paper; it extends over two quarters and includes a public presentation of the completed work.
    3. Professional Portfolio: This portfolio provides an opportunity to reflect on learning and professional growth through the construction of a culminating portfolio. It serves to document and deepen understanding of the competencies gained as a result of participation in the program and extends over two quarters.

    Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have earned both a Master of Education degree and a Washington State Residency Certificate with an endorsement in Biology, English/Language Arts, or Mathematics.