Graduate Program Coordinator: Dr. Sara Young
Phone: 508-929-8246
Email: syoung3@worcester.edu

The Education Department at WSU is committed to creating a teaching/learning-based environment that will provide caring, competent, creative teachers for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond. The programs provide theoretical and practical knowledge of adolescents’ developmental needs, abilities, and interests. Practitioners who are schooled in reflective practices and contemporary, research-based classroom techniques, strategies, and resources become skilled educators. Lifelong learning is a requirement of being an effective teacher/scholar and professional development is integral to teacher growth.

The Master of Education in Middle School Education is for Middle grades teachers who already possess an initial or professional license. People who do not have their initial license should complete the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate for Initial Teacher Licensure in Middle or Secondary School prior to applying to the M.Ed. program.  The M.Ed. in Middle School Education reflects Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidelines for advancing Education Licenses. Students have used the degree for career advancement, professional licensure, curriculum leadership, and other professional and personal goals. WSU's Department of Education collaborates with relevant departments in the Liberal Arts & Sciences to provide content area courses. Please discuss your content area with the program coordinator to ensure that WSU can meet your needs.

Admissions Requirements

In addition to the general admission requirements for graduate study at WSU, candidates must possess the following attributes:

• Possession of an Initial license that includes middle school grades (1-6, 5-8, 5-12, or all grades) from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the relevant field of licensure.

Items Needed to Apply:

• Online application found at www.worcester.edu/apply
• Essay explaining reason for pursuing this degree program
• Application fee
• Two letters of recommendation from professional or academic sources
• Official transcripts from ALL colleges and universities attended showing a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 2.75 or higher
• Official transcript evaluation for any transcript from outside the United States
• An English language proficiency test if the student’s academic background is not in English
• Copy of a Massachusetts initial or professional teaching license that includes middle school grades (1-6, 5-8, 5-12, or all grades) in the relevant field of licensure

Program of Study

This program consists of thirteen (13) courses for a total of thirty-seven (37) credits. Four of the courses (12 credits) are in core education requirements, while six (18 credits) support the content field of licensure. All students take ES  950 Disciplinary, Multimodal and Critical Literacies Across the Curriculum as well as five (5) classes in their field of licensure (Humanities, Math, General Science, World Language/Spanish, English, History, or Mathematics/Science) to meet the content area requirements. The final three classes in the program are the advanced education courses of Research, Thesis Seminar and a one credit program portfolio encompassing both content and pedagogy.

Students in Middle School Education have the following program outcomes which they meet at their grade level at a professional level:
1. Candidate demonstrates subject matter knowledge for the content they will teach.
2. Candidate applies and evaluates pedagogical principles and can integrate them with content in planning, implementing and assessing.
3. As caring individual, candidate demonstrates high expectations for all learners. They evaluate and meet the individual needs of diverse learners.
4. Candidate reflects upon and evaluates teaching practices in order to improve learner outcomes.
5. Candidate uses evidence from research and practice to address challenges and improve student outcomes.
6. Candidate develops and demonstrates in practice the affirmation of diversity and promotes equity in schools and in the larger world (e.g. race, gender, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, language, family structure, religion, ability, age, etc.).
7. Candidate uses technology and digital media strategically and critically in research, teaching, and learning.
8. Candidate collaborates with colleagues and community members to advance professional practice (e.g. across the curriculum, interdisciplinary, community service, etc.).