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)

Ideal candidates are those individuals with an earned baccalaureate degree from an institutionally 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).

If the MN Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) changes any content standards or education standards after a student is admitted into a Bethel education program, the student is responsible to complete and pay for appropriate classes to meet the standard(s) either at Bethel or another college/university.  

At the time of this publication, offering courses with the new Standards of Effective Practice (SEP) are pending final approval from the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board.

Program Outcomes

1. Planning for Instruction. Candidates will plan standards-based instruction aligned with the discipline and grade levels of their licensure area. (General Education Teaching Licenses, Field Experience & Student Teaching, MN SEPs)
2. 
   Instruction. Candidates will apply appropriate evidence-based instructional strategies that engage students in learning. (General Education Teaching Licenses, Field Experience & Student Teaching, MN SEPs)
3. Assessment. Candidates will select or design a variety of assessments (e.g. standardized, formative, summative) that inform instructional practice and/or measure student performance. (General Education Teaching Licenses, Field Experience & Student Teaching, MN SEPs)
4. Learner Development and Learner Differences. 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. (General Education Teaching Licenses, Field Experience & Student Teaching, MN SEPs)
5. 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). (General Education Teaching Licenses, Field Experience & Student Teaching, MN SEPs)
6. Students will integrate Christian perspectives, personal values, and/or ethics with the professional practice of teaching. (General Education Teaching Licenses, Field Experience & Student Teaching, MN SEPs)
7. Students will demonstrate written and/or oral communication with all stakeholders, including an academic audience.

Program Design

• Courses are offered sequentially throughout the calendar year, including the summer months.
• Courses are generally taken one or two at a time.

Delivery format:

Courses are offered in a combination of online classes and face-to-face classes. Face-to-face classes are held on various weeknights and Saturdays. Consult a calendar of class sessions for the schedule.

Degree Requirements

M.A. in Teaching

The required curriculum for the M.A. in Teaching comprises a 36-37 semester credit sequence of courses. For course sequence, request a program calendar from the Graduate School.

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Course must be taken for credit at Bethel