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Master of Education in Teaching At-Risk Students

Available Online or On Campus in the Kansas City Area

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree at Park University began in October 1995, becoming the first graduate program in the School for Education. The degree is designed to meet the practical needs of the classroom teacher, and uses a praxis model that ties theory and practice together, in each course. The program strives to develop reflective educators who can be change agents in the lives of their students, in their school and communities, and culminates with two capstone courses: Critical Reflections Seminar and Action Practicum, or by completion of the Thesis Option.

The emphasis in at-risk learners is designed to help teachers better prepare to work with these special students. Although appropriate for any teacher with at-risk students in the classroom, this emphasis is especially designed for teachers in non-traditional or alternative settings.

Admission Requirements

  • A Bachelor's degree in education from regionally accredited institution, or hold a valid state teaching certificate (applicant must provide copy of certificate).
  • Minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA) on a 4.00 scale.
  • Students with a GPA between 2.75 and 3.0 may be considered for admission, if they provide one of the following:
    • Four (4) years successful employment experience (letter of recommendation from supervisor based on good evaluations).
    • An acceptable GRE score for verbal and quantitative tests.
    • Meet or exceed the state field test mean score on the area test of the National Teacher's Exam.
    • Optional professional portfolio (to be evaluated by two full-time Teacher Education faculty members)

Format of Courses

Courses in the Master of Education program are offered in an online, as well as face-to-face, format. This degree can be completed face-to-face, online, or by combining face-to-face courses with online courses.

*An applicant who has been denied admission to a graduate education program may appeal the decision to the Committee for Selection, Admission, Retention, and Appeals (CSARA). The appeal shall be submitted in writing to the Chair of the CSARA using the appropriate appeal form. Documentation supporting the appeal must accompany the appeal form where applicable. Additional information related to the appeals process may be obtained from the School for Education office.

Curriculum

This 36-hour program is offered in an eight week format. The degree can be finished in two calendar years, including summer school.

Required Core Courses: 18 hrs
ED  515  Sociological Factors
Affecting Education		 3
ED 532 Teaching & Learning:
Theory into Practice		 3
ED 516 Introduction to
Graduate Research		 3
ED 606 Curriculum Theory and Practice 3
ED 629 Critical Reflections
Seminar		 3
ED 630 Action Practicum 3
Electives: 18 hrs

At-Risk Core:
ED  519  Diversity in the Classroom 3 hrs.
ED 520 Special Needs in the Classroom 3 hrs.
ED 544 Teaching the At-Risk Student 3 hrs.

Electives (At least 3 hours of electives must be chosen from the following):
ED 521 Introduction to Literacy 3 hrs.
ED 526 Classroom Management Seminar 3 hrs.
ED 529 Cross-Cultural Communication for Teachers 3 hrs.
ED 531 Literacy Across the Curriculum 3 hrs.
ED 533 Conflict Resolution in Schools 3 hrs.
ED 534 Understanding Violent & Troubling
Behavior: A Contextualized Approach		 3 hrs.
ED 545 Teaching Reading to Linguistically
Diverse Learners		 3 hrs.
ED 546 Advanced Diagnosis and Remediation
of Reading		 3 hrs.

Thesis Option

With the approval of the Program Director, interested and capable students may elect the thesis option, to replace ED 629 and ED 630. The six-credit thesis option provides students with the opportunity to explore a topic in-depth, by applying an appropriate research methodology.

Students electing the thesis option shall adhere to the requirements set forth in the Graduate School's Master's Thesis Procedures, described above. Additional information about writing a thesis may be found in the Standards and Procedures Manual, accessible through the Graduate School website.

Required Coursework: 6 hrs.*
ED  700  Thesis - Research
and Proposal Development
(Offered in 16 week format) 		3 hrs.
ED 701 Thesis - Research
(Offered in 16 week format)		 3 hrs.
ED 799 Thesis - Continuous Enrollment
(Offered in 16 week format)
 1 hr.

* Please note: A maximum of six thesis hours may be counted toward degree requirements. Students electing the thesis option will not take ED 629 and ED 630.

Undergraduate Credit

A limited number of courses at the 400 level may be taken for graduate elective credit if eligible for graduate credit and with the permission of the graduate advisor or Program Director.

Graduation Requirements

  • Successful completion of 36 credit hours, with no grade lower than a "C," in the required courses, with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher.
  • See Academic Policies - Graduation Requirements for more information.
  • An Application for Graduation is required before a completion statement is posted to the transcript. Application for Graduation is available online at w.park.edu/graduation. Students must return the completed form with the appropriate fee.

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