Overview
Teaching (Initial License) Programs M.A., License
The M.A. in Teaching and the Teaching License programs are designed for college graduates who aspire to teach at the elementary, middle and/or secondary levels. The programs are a student-centered, standards-driven collaboration among students, college professors, and local school districts. In collaboration with school districts, students will have opportunities to continually apply their new knowledge and learning in a school environment. Students in the program will complete the coursework required to apply for a Minnesota teaching license in one of the following areas:
- Business (5–12)
- Chemistry (9–12)
- Communication Arts and Literature (5–12)
- English as a Second Language—ESL (K–12)
- General Science (5–8)
- Life Science (9–12)
- Mathematics (5–12)
- Physics (9–12)
- Social Studies (5–12)
- Visual Arts (K–12)
- World Languages and Cultures (K–12)
- Spanish
Ideal candidates are those individuals with an earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution in a field other than education. The program is intended for adult students who:
- Embody considerable life experience;
- Possess established values, beliefs, and opinions;
- Relate new knowledge to previously learned information and experience;
- Come to the classroom with a well-developed mindset;
- Tend to be self-directed; and
- Seek immediate application of classroom theory.
Prospective teachers across the United States are being educated into the profession through a standards-based approach. The state of Minnesota currently requires that all teacher candidates show evidence of meeting the Minnesota Standards of Effective Practice (MNSEP), which includes subject matter standards. The standards recognize that content knowledge is wedded to pedagogical understanding. Coursework in the M.A. in Teaching program is also structured to develop an understanding of Minnesota Academic Standards, which have been implemented in Minnesota’s public schools. Bethel’s M.A. in Teaching program is structured to assist students in meeting both the MNSEP and the standards created by Bethel University and the Bethel Department of Education. The M.A. in Teaching holds Minnesota accreditation with the Professional Education Licensing Standards Board (PELSB).
Program Design
- Courses are offered sequentially throughout the calendar year, including the summer months.
- Courses are generally taken one at a time.
Program Outcomes
- Candidates will plan standards-based instruction aligned with the discipline and grade levels of their licensure area.
- Candidates will apply appropriate evidence-based instructional strategies that engage students in learning.
- Candidates will select or design a variety of assessments (e.g. standardized, formative, summative) that inform instructional practice and/or measure student performance.
- Candidates will differentiate instruction for students with various learning needs using a variety of culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate strategies and/or methods and appropriate educational technologies.
- Candidates will practice professional dispositions that allow them to appropriately engage in a variety of educational contexts (e.g. schools, other teachers, students, administrators, families, communities).
- Students will integrate Christian perspectives, personal values and/or ethics with the professional practice of teaching.
Delivery format:
Teaching Licensure courses are offered in a combination of online classes and face-to-face classes. Face-to-face classes are held various week nights and Saturdays. Consult a calendar of class sessions for the schedule.
License Requirements
To be recommended for a license students must:
- Maintain academic success, which is defined as completion of each teacher licensure and each content area course with a passing grade: S, C, or higher.
- Maintain character, ethics, and relational skills consistent with the role and responsibility of the professional educator. Any student failing to meet this expectation may be asked to discuss with the program director other viable options for professional development.
- Complete required license standards, which are subject to change at any time by the Professional Education Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB).
- Meet the PELSB license standards in place at the time of program completion.
License standards are subject to change at any time by the Minnesota Professional Education Licensing Standards Board (PELSB). Candidates for license must meet the license standards in place at the time of program completion.
If PELSB changes any content standards or education standards after a student is admitted into a Bethel education program, the student is responsible to find, complete, and pay for appropriate classes to meet the standard(s) either at Bethel or another college/university.
Admission Requirements
The Teaching License program will consider applicants who:
- Meet the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School.
- Submit an official transcript (U.S. schools) or NACES or AICE evaluation (international schools) showing an earned baccalaureate degree and official transcripts or NACES or AICE evaluations from all undergraduate and graduate schools attended. Undergraduate transcript(s) may be waived if transfer credit(s) are not being used to fulfill content area requirements.
- Have earned a baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally accredited (or internationally recognized as equivalent) institution.
- Have earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale on the highest degree completed.
- Submit two professional Admission References.
- Submit a written Statement of Purpose.
- Submit a current resume.
- Interview with enrollment counselor or program director.
- Students applying for initial licensure (TEAG) and add-on teaching licenses (TEAQ) in Graduate School World Languages and Cultures: Spanish must demonstrate Intermediate-High oral proficiency in Spanish as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures (ACTFL). They will demonstrate oral proficiency by taking an official ACTFL OPIc test and passing with Intermediate-High level proficiency. Students are responsible for paying for the exam and the costs of sending an official copy of the exam results to Bethel University.
Accepted students will be eligible to begin the program once they have three or fewer content area requirements remaining (with the exception of the business license, which allows for four or fewer content area requirements remaining) from the State of Minnesota Content Standards.
Students who have not achieved the minimum GPA, grade standards, or other assessment criteria may still apply to be considered for provisional acceptance. See Admission Categories.
License Requirements
Teaching License 5-12
The required curriculum for the grades 5-12, 9-12, and 5-8 Teaching licenses comprises a 31 semester credit sequence of courses. It is recommended, but not required, that license-only students enroll in EDUC 614.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDUC 627 | Historical and Contemporary Issues in K-12 Education | 3 |
| EDUC 634 | Psychology of Student Learning | 3 |
| EDUC 641 | General Methods of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment | 4 |
| EDUC 643 | Field Experiences in School-based Settings | 3 |
| EDUC 665 | Teaching Content Area Literacy * | 3 |
| EDUC 669 | Equity in Diverse School Contexts | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Mathematics 5-12 Teaching Methods * | ||
| Science 5-12 Teaching Methods * | ||
| Communication Arts and Literature 5-12 Teaching Methods * | ||
| Business 5-12 Teaching Methods * | ||
| Social Studies 5-12 Teaching Methods * | ||
| EDUC 753 | Teacher Candidate Seminar | 3 |
| EDUC 778 | Student Teaching Placement I * | 5 |
| Total Credits | 31 | |
Teaching License K-12
The required curriculum for the K-12 Teaching license comprises a 32 semester credit sequence of courses. It is recommended, but not required, that license-only students enroll in EDUC 614.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDUC 627 | Historical and Contemporary Issues in K-12 Education | 3 |
| EDUC 634 | Psychology of Student Learning | 3 |
| EDUC 641 | General Methods of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment | 4 |
| EDUC 643 | Field Experiences in School-based Settings | 3 |
| EDUC 665 | Teaching Content Area Literacy * | 3 |
| EDUC 669 | Equity in Diverse School Contexts | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Visual Arts K-12 Teaching Methods * | ||
| ESL K-12 Teaching Methods * | ||
| EDUC 753 | Teacher Candidate Seminar | 3 |
| EDUC 778 | Student Teaching Placement I * | 5 |
| EDUC 781 | Student Teaching II ‡ and * | 1 |
| Total Credits | 32 | |
- *
Course must be taken for credit at Bethel.
- ±
EDUC 781 is only required for MA Teaching students who want a K-12 license or an add-on license. 5-12 licenses do not need to take EDUC 781.