Master of Arts in Education - Alternative Plan
Alternative Plan (Alabama State Board of Education Approved)
The alternative Class A program leading to the M.A.Ed. degree and Class A professional certification is offered to individuals who have completed a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution.
Admission requirements are listed below.
- Conditional Admission: All Alternative A candidates are conditionally admitted to the program and must complete a formal application for unconditional admission through the Office of Educator Preparation.
- Entrance Exam Requirement: a passing score on the appropriate Praxis II exam(s) is required for unconditional admission.
- Degree and Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement: a bachelor’s or higher degree from a regionally accredited university with a minimum GPA overall of 2.50 (4.0) for a bachelor’s and at least a 3.0 on master’s or higher degree documented on the official transcript from the degree granting institution and must be the GPA that was used as the basis for granting the degree. If a graduate degree is used as the basis for admission to the Alternative A program, no graduate credit from that degree may be applied to the Alternative A program for certification purposes. Exception: individuals who have earned a bachelor's degree from a senior institution that was regionally accredited at the time the degree was earned and do not meet the minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 2.50, but have at least a 2.0 overall undergraduate GPA, may seek unconditional admission to an Alternative Class A program if the alternate score on the Alabama prescribed Praxis subject-area test(s) are obtained. The ONLY tests and scores accepted are those listed on the Alternate Score Requirements document, please contact UNA Certification Specialist. All other requirements for unconditional admission must also be met.
- Background Clearance: ASBI/FBI clearance is secured at application to UNA.
- Unconditional admission: Candidates are limited to a total of five graduate courses prior to unconditional admission. Any coursework exceeding the five-course rule may not be used for certification purposes.
- Admission to the university
- Major: An appropriate major should be declared
- Background Clearance: ASBI/FBI clearance is secured at application to UNA.
- GTEP Application
- Application: a formal application for unconditional admission to the Alternative A program processed through the Office of Educator Preparation.
- Successful completion of Materials and Methods of High School Teaching (ED 585).
- Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP) Interview: successful completion of the GTEP Interview. Candidates are limited to two attempts to successfully complete the GTEP interview.
- Liability Coverage: Liability insurance is a mandatory requirement for all teacher candidates enrolled in courses that have a field or clinical experiences component at the University of North Alabama.
- Educator Assessments: Successful completion of Praxis II exam in the teaching field is required for unconditional admission into the Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP).
- Undergraduate Prerequisite Coursework: may be recommended based on the admission audit.
- Internship: Applications are submitted online and are no longer on paper; late applications are accepted with a late fee.
- The intern shall not be enrolled in other courses during the internship.
- All required coursework must be completed before enrollment in the internship is permitted.
- A passing score on the PRAXIS II Subject Assessment is required before enrollment in internship is permitted.
- A grade point average of 3.25 or better on all graduate work is required to enroll in the internship.
Completion requirements include: a grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale for all work completed on the degree program and successful completion of a comprehensive assessment.
The major areas of study include P-12 English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), P-12 instrumental music, P-12 choral music, and P-12 physical education; secondary education (6-12) programs in biology, business and marketing education, chemistry, English/Language arts, general science, history, mathematics, Spanish, and social studies.
Additional Program Requirements for All Alternative A Candidates
Alternative A candidates are required to submit documentation of a completed multicultural experience that may include a foreign language taken at the high school or college level, a continuing studies course, or other experiences as approved by the College.
Secondary Education, P-12 English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), Music and Physical Education
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required courses: | ||
| ED 585 | Materials and Methods of High School Teaching | 3 |
| ED 601 | Methods of Educational Research | 3 |
| ED 605 | Curriculum Development | 3 |
| ED 655 | Evaluation in Modern Education | 3 |
| ED 675 | Content Literacy | 3 |
| ED 677 | Curriculum and Teaching | 3 |
| EEX 605 | Survey of Students with Disabilities (If a survey of special education course was completed prior to unconditional admission to the Alt A Program, another approved diversity course is required.) | 3 |
| One content-specific methods course | 3 | |
| Teaching Science in the Secondary School (For Biology or General Science Teaching Method only) | ||
| Teaching Career-Technical Business and Marketing Education (For Business Marketing Teaching Method Only) | ||
| Methods and Materials for Teaching English/Language Arts (For English Language Arts Teaching Method Only) | ||
| Methodology and Assessment of Teaching English as a Second Language (For ESOL Teaching Method Only) | ||
| Teaching Methodology (For History or Social Science Teaching Method Only) | ||
| Methods and Materials for Teaching Secondary Mathematics (For Math Teaching Method Only) | ||
| Methods and Materials in Music Education (For Music Teaching Method Only) | ||
| Advanced Methods of Teaching in Physical Education or Health Education (For PE Teaching Method Only) | ||
| Methods in Foreign Language Instruction (For Foreign Language Teaching Method Only) | ||
| A minimum of 15 semester hours of major field advisor-approved graduate courses of which at least six hours must be at the 600-level | 15 | |
| ED 582 | Internship Grades 6-12 (6-12 majors) | 6-9 |
| ED 584 | Internship Grades P-12 (P-12 majors) | 6-9 |
Additional Requirements for Comprehensive Fields
English Language Arts: This program requires at least one course in two areas within the broader field (English, speech, drama/theatre, and print or broadcast journalism).
General Science: This program requires at least one course in two areas within the broader field (Biology, chemistry, earth or space science, physics).
General Social Studies: This program requires at least one course in two areas within the broader field (Economics, geography, history, political science).
Coursework in at least two disciplines must be completed at the graduate level.
Early Childhood Education (P-3)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 500 | Seminar in Early Childhood Education | 1 |
| ECE 673 | Methods and Materials in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| ECE 609 | Early Childhood Programs | 3 |
| ECE 510 | Infants and Toddlers | 3 |
| ECE 570 | Clinical Residency in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| EED 601 | Methods of Action Research for Educators | 3 |
| EEX 605 | Survey of Students with Disabilities (or ALSDE-approved diversity course) | 3 |
| ECE 506 | Mathematics for Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| ECE 550 | Inquiry and Investigation in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| ECE 610 | Reading and the Language Arts in Early Childhood Education | 6 |
| EED 505 | Evaluation and Remediation of Reading Problems | 3 |
| Six additional hours of advisor-approved coursework appropriate for early childhood education | 6 | |
| ECE 572 | Early Childhood Education Internship | 9 |