Overview
This program focuses on teacher preparation for grades 6-12, spanning the pre-adolescent and the adolescent learner. Students seeking the secondary education concentration must have an understanding of the content, skills, and practices of the content area, equivalent to an undergraduate degree. Transcripts will be evaluated by the education advisor to determine whether the academic requirements have been met by previous coursework. Subject area specific course work (content) that was not met in previous coursework must be completed prior to Teacher Candidate Internship (student teaching) orientation session. Experiential learning credit may be available for some non-academic work.
Note: This is a new degree program. The first cohort is scheduled to be admitted in Spring 2025.
Admissions
Applicants for the proposed Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Education are required to submit credentials to ODU for consideration. The documentation/criteria for acceptance include:
- A bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited college/university or equivalent institution outside of the United States;
- A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.80 on a 4.0 scale;
- Official copies of transcripts from all regionally-accredited institutions attended or equivalent institutions outside the U.S.;
- A written essay about the applicant's interest in being an educator (400-500 words) that demonstrates academic writing proficiency;
- Three academic and/or professional reference letters for the program of study; and non-native English speakers will also be required to provide current scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) of at least 550 (or 79 on the iBT).
A program admissions committee, consisting of the Graduate Program Directors and at least two other faculty members in the Department of Teaching and Learning, will review transcripts and accompanying documentation for each candidate seeking admission to the proposed program. They will also ensure that prospective students meet the content requirements for their desired teaching areas. The admissions committee will meet in the spring semester to consider applications for summer admission but could be called together more often if needed for admissions decisions. Acceptance into the proposed Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Education will be determined by the program admissions committee.
Students with previously completed graduate-level work at a regionally-accredited institution may submit a request for a maximum of 12 credit hours to be transferred. Such transfer hours would go through the admissions committee and Graduate School for approval and, if accepted, added to the transcripts. They may be used for core classes or as concentration or restricted elective courses if content is deemed equivalent to content in the proposed courses.
