Master of Elementary Education at East Carolina University

Study Elementary Education at East Carolina University, a Master degree offered at its main campus in Greenville , United States of America. This Full Time program is delivered on campus in English and takes approximately 2 years to complete. Students benefit from a structured learning experience designed to build both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The next intake is scheduled for August 21, 2027.

About Master of Elementary Education

Are you the type of teacher who is always wondering whether your practices are the most effective for meeting the needs of your learners? Are you ready to bring your teaching to the next level?

In the master of arts in education in elementary education you will learn advanced methods for delivering curriculum and assessing students to better allow you to meet the individual needs of your students. In addition to advanced pedagogy, coursework will also include grant writing and development of teacher leadership. You will also have the opportunity to select an area of focus for your degree including content expertise, working with English or other language learners, or licensure in teaching academically and/or intellectually gifted learners.

As part of the degree, you will have the opportunity to conduct research that will inform and enhance your teaching. These projects are conducting in a sequence of coursework that usually occurs toward the end of the program. As a culmination of your study, you will present findings and discuss implications for your future practice. These projects are a source of pride for students and faculty alike as all involved witness the evolution of students as they become researchers and teacher-leaders.

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Program Coordinator: Kristen Gregory (221 Speight Building; 252-328-1134; [email protected])

The degree requires a minimum of 33 s.h. as follows:

1. Professional core courses - 6 s.h.

EDUC 6001 - Introduction to Differences in Human Learning in Schools
ELEM 6550 - Leadership and Communication Skills in Education

2. Elementary education core courses - 18 s.h.

Students in the thesis option take 3 s.h. of ELEM 7000 instead of ELEM 6001.

ELEM 6001 - Educational Research in the Classroom II OR
ELEM 7000 - Thesis

ELEM 6005 - Educational Research in the Classroom I
ELEM 6200 - Leading Curriculum Revision and Implementation

ELEM 6350 - Advanced Content Pedagogy in Elementary Education OR
ELEM 6488 - Advanced Language Arts in the Elementary School

ELEM 6400 - Advanced Assessment and Teaching in the Elementary Grades
ELEM 6500 - Management and Problem-Solving in the Elementary School

3. Concentrations - 9 s.h.

Students in the thesis option take 9 s.h. of concentration courses in total. Six s.h. will be taken from the list of concentration courses and 3 s.h. of thesis credits will fulfill the final 3 hours of concentration credit requirements.

Choose one of the following concentrations:

a. Academically gifted:

See note for add-on licensure requirements.

Choose 9 s.h. from the following:

GIFT 6000 - The Diverse Gifted Child
GIFT 6100 - Foundations of Gifted Education
GIFT 6200 - Instructional Practices in Gifted Education
GIFT 6300 - Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving in Gifted Education
GIFT 6400 - Special Topics in Gifted Education

AIG Add-On Licensure Note:

The following courses are required for AIG add-on licensure: GIFT 6000, 6100, 6200, 6300; with AIG coordinator permission, 6400 can be substituted for one of the previous courses.

b. Content pedagogy:

Choose 9 s.h. from the following:

ELEM 6350 - Advanced Content Pedagogy in Elementary Education

ELEM 6410 - Concepts and Principles of Early Childhood Education OR
ELEM 6412 - Emerging Literacy

ELEM 6406 - The Teaching of Social Studies in the Elementary Grades OR
ELEM 6488 - Advanced Language Arts in the Elementary School OR
MIDG 6500 - Teaching Middle Grades English OR
MIDG 6600 - Teaching Middle Grades Social Studies

ELEM 6625 - Responsive Curriculum for Children in Poverty

c. Early childhood K-3 instructional strategies:

ELEM 6412 - Emerging Literacy
ELEM 6408 - Collaborating, Teaming, and Leading in the Elementary School
ELEM 6410 - Concepts and Principles of Early Childhood Education

d. Teacher leadership in the elementary school:

ELEM 6408 - Collaborating, Teaming, and Leading in the Elementary School
ELEM 6700 - Teachers as Leaders in Elementary Education
LEED 6907 - Leadership Skill Development

e. Teaching children in poverty:

Choose 9 s.h. from the following:

ELEM 6600 - Implications of Poverty for Learning and Development
ELEM 6625 - Responsive Curriculum for Children in Poverty
ELEM 6650 - Families and Communities in Poverty
ELEM 6675 - Evaluative and Educative Implications for Teaching Children in Poverty

Thesis option:

Thesis students are not required to take ELEM 6001. Students in the thesis option take 9 s.h. of concentration courses in total. Six s.h. will be taken from the list of concentration courses and 3 s.h. of thesis credits will fulfill the final 3 hours of concentration credit requirements. The thesis must be written on a topic related to the concentration area. An oral defense is required. If the thesis is not successfully completed, the student will need to take the third 3 s.h. concentration course from the concentration course requirements and ELEM 6001.

ELEM 7000 - Thesis

Comprehensive assessment requirement:

All graduate programs at ECU require a comprehensive assessment. The nonthesis option requires a research project with a presentation and written documentation (ELEM 6001 and ELEM 6005). The thesis option requires successful completion of the thesis (ELEM 7000) and an oral defense.

Licensure for the Elementary Education, MAEd

The Elementary Education, MAEd leads to a NC Advanced, M Level license in Elementary Education Grades K-6. Candidates must hold a valid NC initial, A level license in Elementary Education Grades K-6 in order to be eligible to upgrade the license to the advanced, M level upon program completion. Candidates may be admitted to the Elementary Education, MAEd if they do not hold the valid NC initial, A level license in Elementary Education Grades K-6, including anyone with a license in another area, with an out-of-state license, or with no license at all. These candidates will be required to sign the LNNC Waiver and by doing so are duly informed that they will not receive the NC recommendation for Elementary Education Grades K-6 advanced, M level licensure until the NC initial, A level licensure requirements are met, which will include additional NC licensure tests. The LNNC Waiver can be located at https://education.ecu.edu/graduate/. The waiver should accompany the application for admission to the MAEd. ECU degree programs satisfy the professional licensure and/or certification requirements in North Carolina and prepare students to sit for these exams. Requirements in other states may be different. Upon successful completion of ECU educator preparation program degree requirements and licensure requirements for the State of North Carolina candidates will be eligible for an ECU recommendation for a NC license. However, final licensure granting decisions are the sole responsibility of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction not ECU. Candidates who seek out of state employment or out of state licensure will have to meet the receiving state's requirements. There is no automatic licensure reciprocity between states. ECU will verify the completion of an approved, accredited program for candidates who seek this verification, but those candidates will be responsible for working with the receiving state to complete any additional requirements to obtain the license and/or employment in the receiving state.

For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Master of Elementary Education at East Carolina University

Entry Requirements

In order to be considered for admission, international graduate applicants follow the same steps as a U.S. applicant with a few exceptions as identified in Red font. Step by step instructions are identified below:

Complete the ECU Online Graduate School Application: One application fee and one set of supporting documents should be submitted for each program of study applying to.
Pay the Application Fee: Payment will be made through the self-service portal prior to submission of the application. The payment portal accepts debit or credit card only.
Provide Foreign Transcript Evaluation:

An official course by course credential evaluation of all foreign transcripts indicating that, at minimum, the US equivalent of a bachelor’s degree has been awarded by an accredited college or university is required.

Provide Official Transcript(s) & Diploma Copy: A copy of your transcript(s) and diplomas showing a full education history issued in your native language as well as a notarized or certified copy in English must be uploaded to your application.
Provide Evidence of English Proficiency: If English is not your native language and you have not completed at least one year of education (minimum of 18 credit hours) at a United States school, you are required to take a standardized English language exam or complete the ECU Language Academy (ECULA).
- Language Exam Options: The Graduate School accepts either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the Duolingo English Test or Pearson Test of English (PTE) and scores must be forwarded to the Graduate School by the testing service. The paper- or computer-based TOEFL exam is accepted by request only.
ECU Language Academy: You may choose to attend the ECU Language Academy instead of taking the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE. Also, if you do not obtain the required score on the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE, at least one session of the ECU Language Academy may be required prior to the start of your program. Successful completion of all levels of the ECU Language Academy is required for admission without TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores. More information on the ECU Language Academy, including the ECULA application, is available on the Intensive English Program website. Individual programs may have higher minimum requirements.
Provide Official Standardized Admissions Test Results: If required by the program you’re applying to, please arrange for an official score report to be sent directly to the Graduate School by the testing service (GRE or GMAT). ECU’s institutional code is 5180. ECU does not have departmental codes.
Upload Statement of Purpose: If required by the program you’re applying to, please upload a copy of your personal statement (why you believe you would be a good candidate for the program) to your application. You may want to use resources to help you write a personal statement in English such as this webinar.
Provide Letters of recommendation: If required by the program you’re applying to, please arrange to have LOR’s submitted electronically with the online application. Review your program’s application requirements to determine the number of letters, if any, that they require.
Upload Resume: If required by the program you’re applying to, please upload a copy of your most recent resume to your online application.
Provide Financial information: If/when you are admitted to a graduate program at ECU you will be required to provide certified evidence of financial resources adequate to cover educational costs and living expenses. Documents only need submitted if/when an offer of admission is extended.

English Requirements

PTEMin 65
IELTSMin 6.5
TOEFLMin 78

Career Opportunities after Completing Master of Elementary Education

Graduates with this degree are successful in many fields and careers, including the following:

Elementary Education and Teaching
Elementary School teachers, Except Special Education

Career Opportunities

ECU has developed resources to help you learn more about career opportunities and job market outlook. In addition, the websites below provide specific information on careers in the various majors from which students may choose:

NC Tower

This website provides graphs and tables of in-depth information on employment rates, wages and ongoing higher education enrollment of graduates from the North Carolina Community College System and from the University of North Carolina system schools. NC Tower includes data on former UNC students who are working in roughly 90% of all jobs in North Carolina. This database excludes information for graduates who are:

Self-employed;
Work for the federal government, including the military: or
Work outside of North Carolina.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook

This website also provides in-depth information regarding pay, projected new jobs, required education, growth rate and on-the-job training information on various occupations.

Degree-specific internships

For information on internship information for specific majors, go to the home page of the department in which the major is located and, as available, find the link to the information on internships in that major.

Tuition and Fee Information for Master of Elementary Education at East Carolina University

Application Fee 75

How to Apply for Master of Elementary Education at East Carolina University

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Master of Elementary Education at East Carolina University

East Carolina University

United States of America, Greenville