M.Ed. in Teaching & Learning

Kathryn Picanco (Program Director)

The master of education in teaching & learning degree extends and deepens an educator’s understanding of the key concepts and skills that are foundational to an effective instructional environment. It also allows candidates to select an area in which they’d like to specialize, often learning an add-on endorsement. These areas of specialization are organized into thematic tracks. The available tracks are gifted education and equitable instruction, social and emotional learning, cultural and linguistic diversity, administrative leadership, environmental education, working with special needs populations, reading, TCP, TCP-O and Montessori.

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Scholar
  • Students use tools of inquiry to analyze, synthesize and apply research and data to address problems of practice.
  • Students deepen their knowledge and skills in Core Courses and a chosen area of study through successful completion of challenging coursework and research.
• Community Member
  • Students reflect on ways they can use their roles as professional colleagues in schools, communities and professional organizations to help shape the culture of classrooms and schools to reflect the values of our democratic society.
• Effective Practitioner
  • Students demonstrate mastery of advanced instructional strategies to address needs of diverse populations.
  • Students demonstrate understanding of diverse approaches to assessment to inform instructional and intervention practices.
• Visionary Leader and Faith & Learning Integration
  • Students explore understandings and relationships between their faith and/or spirituality and its application within their discipline.
  • Students’ capstone projects reflect depth of understanding on their chosen topics and result in the development of products that are positive contributions to the field.
• Advocate:
  • Students use a diversity, equity and inclusivity lens to analyze and justify courses of action taken to support those whom they serve.

Endorsements and Certification: 

Special Education Endorsement (P-12)
Completion of required special education courses and field experiences will prepare a candidate for an endorsement in special education (P-12). Please see the special education coordinator for advising.

Early Childhood Special Education Endorsement (P-3)
Completion of the endorsement in special education, combined with two additional courses – EDS 534 Early Speech, Language and Literacy and EDS 538 Early Intervention Interdisciplinary Method (or equivalent coursework) – and an advanced practicum in an early intervention or preschool special education setting will prepare a candidate for an endorsement in early childhood special education (P-3). Please see the special education coordinator for advising.

Gifted Education Specialty Endorsement
The gifted education specialty endorsement can be obtained while a student is earning the master of arts in teaching degree, emphasis in gifted & talented (M.A.T./GT) or the master of education in teaching & learning degree (M.Ed). It can also be earned separately in an 11-credit program that includes a field study and a culminating portfolio. Please contact the Whitworth Center for Gifted Education for advising.

English Language Learner Endorsement
The English language learner (ELL) endorsement provides in-depth training in English-as-a-second-language methods, ELL strategies and English language development pedagogy. This program also explores the ways in which issues of cultural diversity, such as poverty, affect instructional and assessment practices. Courses from the ELL endorsement may be applied to elective credits in various master's programs throughout the School of Education. 

Certification:

• While every attempt is made to ensure that certification programs are compatible with degree study, certification requirements may go beyond degree requirements.
• Whitworth University certification programs lead to Washington state certification. For certification in another state, the applicant will need to contact the appropriate state's certification agency to determine requirements.
• Whitworth University certification programs must meet requirements instituted by the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Professional Educator Standards Board. Hence, certification requirements are subject to change upon notification by the OSPI and PESB and must be incorporated into all appropriate certification plans.
• Certification study without the pursuit of a degree is possible where appropriate.
• Only candidates in good standing will be certified. Contact the educational certification & career services office, located in Dixon Hall, at 509.777.4403 or 509.777.4405 for further details.

Services Provided by the Office of Educational Certification & Career Services:

• Certification (Teacher, Principal, School Counselor)
• ​WSP/FBI Fingerprinting
• ​Clock Hour Provider
• Career Service Information:
  • Career fairs
  • Résumé and cover letter building
  • Current job listings

Admission Policies

1. No more than nine semester credits should be taken prior to admission to the program, as there is no guarantee those credits will count toward a graduate degree.
2. Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
3. Complete an online application by the posted deadline found on each program's webpage.
4. There are two levels of admission, as follows:
   1. Full admission: cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher, satisfaction of all prerequisites and acceptable recommendations.
   2. Restricted admission: cumulative grade-point average of 2.7 or higher, acceptable recommendations, and conditions identified by the admissions committee.
5. The entrance-exam requirement is waived for applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher. Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below 3.0 must submit official GRE or MAT scores or complete an analytical essay in lieu of GRE or MAT scores. Please see the application for the essay prompt. 
6. Completion/concurrent enrollment in a teacher-education program is required for all School of Education master’s degree and certification programs except MIT, M.Ed. Social Emotional Learning, M.Ed. Montessori, M.A./M.Ed. School Counseling, and M.A.T in Gifted Education & Equitable Instruction (considered case by case). Photocopies of all Washington teacher, administrator and/or ESA certificates, as well as certificates from other states, must be submitted with the application for admission.
7. Prerequisites or corequisites prior to graduate study may be required where applicants lack appropriate preparation. Students whose first language is not English may be required to complete prerequisites prior to consideration for admission to the program. These courses are determined with an advisor to improve expertise in English, math, education methods and study skills.
8. Part of the application process is completion of the character-and-fitness supplement. Based upon a review and documentation of items disclosed in this supplement, Whitworth may deny admission to any individual. Applicants with suspended or revoked educational certificates (teachers, counselors, principals, psychologists or others) for a program leading to state certification will not be processed for admission to the program until such certificates have been reinstated. This includes certificates from other states as well as those from Washington.
9. For international students, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the GRE are required prior to admission. The minimum score accepted is 88 on the TOEFL or an overall score of 7.0 on the IELTS. Testing is also done in English and in math prior to the student’s graduate coursework, to determine any prerequisites that need to be written into the degree plan. International applicants with diplomas from non-English-speaking universities may be required to provide a professional credential evaluation of their university transcripts from World Education Services. International students must also provide a current passport copy and proof of adequate financial resources for graduate study prior to admission.
10. Graduates of the graduate studies in education and master in teaching programs at Whitworth seeking an additional master’s degree may have the core classes waived if they have been completed within the previous six years. These classes include Educational Research, Milestones in Education, Curriculum Development and Psychology of Learning or course equivalents. 

Note: At any given time, one or more of our programs may be undergoing revision to stay current with changing Washington State Board of Education requirements. Please consult your advisor to ensure that you have the most current information on your program.

Academic Policies for Graduate Education Programs

Academic Standards

Whitworth Graduate Studies in Education offers guided studies that may be taken on a tutorial basis. Program director approval is required. Proposals are submitted  with the approvals of the faculty supervisor and the director/department chair via the electronic guided study proposal form by the registration deadline of the term during which the study will be taken.

Admission and Expulsion

1. Students who take no courses toward the completion of their master’s degree within a one-year period will be placed on inactive status, unless arrangements have been made for a hiatus. In order for a student to return to active status they must reapply and they will be responsible for any new university or program requirements.
2. Students may be suspended or expelled for failure to meet academic standards and for plagiarism, cheating, misrepresentation of background information, or violation of program requirements. Subsequent readmission follows the procedures for new admission under the catalog requirements in effect at the time of reapplication.
3. Whitworth reserves the right to withhold transcripts and diplomas until all campus debts are settled.
4. Students are prohibited from bringing children, other family members and/or guests to their classes except in an emergency and with the permission of the instructor.

General Guidelines

1. Teaching and Learning students register themselves for courses online.
2. Check with your advisor each term for pre-registration advising and for exit requirements. Students must be cleared by their advisor prior to course registration each term.
3. Tuition is paid through student financial services located in McEachran Hall. If a student enrolls in a course that is not approved for a specific program, that class will be considered an enrichment course only; it will not count toward a graduate degree or certification program.

* Whitworth recognizes the Association Montessori International (AMI) Elementary Diploma for 12 credits of graduate coursework that can be used toward the completion of a Master of Education in Teaching and Learning degree with an area of concentration in Montessori.   

**

Teacher Certification Program (TCP) and TCP Online (TCP-O) graduate level courses may be applied to the M.Ed. in Teaching & Learning and the M.Ed. in Teaching & Learning, Track II: Educational Studies. Consult an academic advisor for additional information.

Endorsements and Thematic Elective Credits

Graduate-level courses required for any of the following endorsements may be applied toward the 12 elective credits required for the M.Ed. in teaching & learning: English language learners (ELL), English to speakers of other languages (ESOL), environmental sustainability education, gifted education, reading and special education. Consult your academic advisor for additional information. 

Alternative, Transfer and Waived Credits Policy

A combination of transfer, waived and alternative credits can meet up to 25% of the required credits for the M.Ed. in teaching & learning degree. However, a student must complete a minimum of 30 graduate credits to receive this master’s degree. Credits will be evaluated by program faculty for approval.

Articulation exists for the TCP and TCP-O transfer courses and the Montessori waived courses.

• ** Whitworth recognizes the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Elementary Diploma or a Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) approved program diploma for 12 credits of graduate coursework that can be used toward the completion of the Montessori track in the master of education in teaching and learning degree. Students selecting this option will need to take the remaining 22 credits of coursework for the degree.
• *** For students attaining certification via the TCP or TCP-O programs, 12 credits of thematic electives will be selected from graduate level TCP/TCP-O elementary or secondary program coursework.