The Master of Education in Education is designed for candidates with a bachelor’s degree who want to become a teacher but have not yet earned an initial teaching license. This licensure track is for earning initial licensure in teaching various content areas, such as:
Grades K-12: art, music, foreign language, health sciences, and physical education
Grades 4-12: business education
Grades 7-12: biology, chemistry, earth science, English, history, mathematics, physics, social studies, speech, and speech/drama
Candidates may pursue licensure in any first-time 7-12, K-12, or 4-12 licensure area excluding Special Education K-12 and School Guidance and Counseling K-12. Candidates choosing the English content area must complete a course in Adolescent Literature. Candidates pursuing the social studies content area must complete a course in Arkansas History.
Our program at UA Little Rock will prepare students with the foundations and dispositions in research, problem-solving, reflective thinking, and technology for lifelong learning. Students in the M.Ed. program are required to maintain professional connections with schools. After graduating, they will continue to work collaboratively with school colleagues, parents/guardians, and the community.
Admission Requirements
- Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75 (4.0 scale), OR
- GPA of at least 3.0 for the last 60 hours of undergraduate courses, OR
- Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0
- Submit required entrance exam scores in reading, writing, and math
- Admitted to the UA Little Rock Graduate School
The UA Little Rock graduate level, first-time licensure programs (M.Ed. in Education for all content areas, middle childhood, and special education licensure tracks, and the Graduate Certificate in Education) will accept as an admission exam these ACT scores at or above a minimum:
- Math 19
- Reading 19
- Writing 6 or English/Writing combined 19
If an individual has taken the ACT multiple times, we will consider the highest score in each category from those multiple exams. Please read the admission requirements for more information about ACT and SAT scores.
Licensure and Field Placement Requirements
To be eligible for a provisional teaching license in Arkansas, students enrolled in the program must meet the following criteria:
- Be fully admitted to the UA Little Rock Graduate School and in good standing in an educational program of study
- Continually take classes in their program of study
- Submit required entrance exam scores in reading, writing, and math.*
- Pass the Praxis Subject Assessments required for their licensure area
- Complete the online ProEthica requirement
- Complete and clear background checks (State Police, FBI, and Child Maltreatment Central Registry)
- Complete the application for the provisional license.
- Receive a viable job offer to teach in their licensure area and grade level at a site approved by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE)
- Meet any other licensure requirements for their chosen licensure area as required by the ADE
Students who do not meet the above criteria must complete traditional field placements and an internship in a cooperating teacher’s classroom during normal school hours.
Graduation Requirements
- A minimum of 30 graduate credit hours with a GPA of at least 3.0 in all education courses
- A portfolio accepted by the committee
- Passing scores on all Praxis II examinations required by the Arkansas Department of Education
Successful completion of the licensure program is not based solely on the number of course credits but requires demonstration of specified professional knowledge, skills, behaviors, and dispositions. Failure to progress satisfactorily might result in a student being removed from the program. While a student may require additional time to meet some performance expectations, the faculty may limit that time and reserves the right to drop a student from the licensure program should appropriate progress not be demonstrated.
Please contact Dr. Andrew Hunt or submit a request if you have questions.
Teacher Education Course Descriptions
TCED 5321 Teaching Diverse Learners
Teacher candidates use basic concepts of learner development and cultural diversity to design lessons and to select and use teaching materials and techniques to meet the needs of students at different developmental stages and of different cultures. Three credit hours.
TCED 5330 – Classroom Management
Emphasizes creation of and fostering of classroom management techniques and strategies for the design of environments that are conducive to a safe place for teaching and learning. Includes connecting the school-home-community connections. Incorporates technology for learning and teaching. Candidates will have taken or passed Praxis CORE prior to course. Students with credit for TCED 4330 cannot take this course for credit. Three credit hours.
TCED 5383 – Instructional Skills
This course provides knowledge of instructional skills, assessment, and disciplinary literacy. Lesson planning and design, evaluation, equity, legal issues, technology implementation, and content area literacy strategies will be addressed. Includes a field component of 15 hours individualized or small group instruction/support in a K-12 classroom setting under the supervision of a cooperating teacher. Students with credit for TCED 4383 may take TCED 5383 for credit. Three credit hours.
TCED 7103 Supervised Clinical Teaching
Co-requisite: TCED 7202. Application of teaching skills and methods in area schools with special attention to adapting state curricula, teaching plans, and methods to multicultural and inclusive classes. Requires at least 30 clock hours in schools. One credit hour.
TCED 7202 Specialized Instructional Methods
Co-requisite: TCED 7103. Objectives, philosophy of the subject field as applied to secondary education; consideration of issues, research in the content areas; application of adaptive and unique instructional strategies, methods to specific areas. Two credit hours.
TCED 7301 – Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Practice
The course focuses on understanding curriculum concepts. It examines the philosophical basis, pedagogical practices, and theories of curriculum. It explores the relationships between curriculum, teachers, learners, instruction, and policy. Candidates analyze their own positions and practices and consider reasons for modifying them based on the learned knowledge and understanding of curriculum. Three credit hours.
TCED 7601 Internship
Prerequisite: 21 hours completed in the program, including TCED 7201, and passing scores on Praxis Subject Assessments. Co-requisite: TCED 7302. Students spend a full semester in a school, under supervision of a cooperating teacher or mentor and a University supervisor, observing, teaching, participating in activities involving the school, community. Six credit hours.
Educational Foundation & Special Education Courses
EDFN 7370 Educational Assessment
Assessment, evaluation; role of measurement in education and human service agencies; psychometric properties of norm- referenced and criterion-referenced tests; construction of test items with specialized considerations for atypical populations such as young children, culturally different, and those with exceptionalities; use and interpretation of standardized tests in educational settings. Three credit hours.
SPED 7301 Foundations of Special Education
This course surveys the foundations of educational programs for students with disabilities, emphasizing the historical, philosophical, and legal aspects of special education. Course work includes surveys of the characteristics and needs of students with various disabilities. Three credit hours.
