Graduate Catalog 2023-2024
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Advanced Teacher Education, MAE (0500)

Department website: http://www.wku.edu/ste


Program Coordinator

Janet L. Tassell, janet.tassell@wku.edu, (270) 745-5306

Program Contact
Rachael Lee, rachael.lee@wku.edu, (270) 745-2819

This program is designed to develop advanced educators who can positively impact student learning in their classrooms and schools. Courses and experiences include professional learning communities in which candidates interact with other graduate candidates from various content areas and grade levels to discuss and work on real world challenges and promising practices they encounter in schools.

The program is divided into two instructional components. The first component, professional education, provides 15 hours of study collaboratively developed between WKU and the administration of the specific school district in which the candidate is employed. This includes a study of education in positive behavioral supports, teaching strategies and curriculum development.  The second component, the concentration, directs the candidate into an individual program in content, pedagogy, and/or areas of professional growth concurrent with the goals of each candidate.

This program is exempt from the maximum of 12 hours denoted in the Duplication of Coursework policy.  All concentration hours may be duplicated on one additional graduate degree or certificate at the same level.

Concentration(s)

  • Addictions Education (ADED)
  • Advanced Behavior Management (ABM)
  • Agriculture (ATEA)
  • Athletic Administration & Coaching (AAC)
  • Chemistry (ATEC)
  • College and Career Readiness (CCR)
  • Earth Science (EASC)
  • Elementary Education (ELED)
  • Elementary Mathematics Specialist P-5 (KEM) 
  • English (ATEE)
  • Environmental Education (KEV)
  • Family and Consumer Science (FACS)
  • Gifted and Talented Education (KE37)
  • History (ATEH)
  • Instructional Design (INDE)
  • Instructional Computer Technology (KCT)
  • Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (KIE)
  • Literacy P-12 (ATEL)
  • Middle Grades Education (MGED)
  • Middle Grades Math (MGM)
  • Secondary Education (SSED)
  • Social Studies (ATES)
  • Teacher Leader (KTLE)
  • Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) (KE36)
  • Trauma Informed Care (TIC)

Program Admission

Applicants must be accepted to the WKU graduate school and hold a valid teaching certificate. A copy of the certificate or statement of eligibility must be submitted with the application.1

1

Applicants whose certificates have expired may be admitted, but they may enroll for only six hours before they must apply to the EPSB for re-issued certificates. After completion of six hours, a student admitted with an expired certificate must submit a copy of the re-issued certificate before being allowed to register for any additional courses. 

Graduate School Admission

Please refer to the admission section of this catalog for Graduate School admission requirements.

Program Requirements (30-37 hours)

During the program, students will complete 15 hours of coursework that are school-district driven and a minimum of 15 hours of specialization coursework chosen by the student. Students should consult with their advisors regarding course work to meet their professional goals.

Required Courses
EDU 502Positive Learning Environment3
EDU 503Professional Development Experience6
or EDU 694 National Board for Certification Exploration and Support
EDU 580Advanced Special Topics3
EDU 560Capstone in Education3
or TCHL 560 Capstone Project for Teacher Leadership
Concentration Courses 1, 215-22
Total Hours30-37

1

For concentrations that are less than 15 hours, students will complete EDU 580 and/or an advisor approved elective to meet the 30 hour requirement for the degree.

2

18 hours in a content discipline are required for credentialing to teach at the postsecondary level. 

Concentrations

Addictions Education (15 hours)

Required Courses
CNS 637Theories of Addiction3
CNS 647Addictions: Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment Planning3
CNS 667Counseling Substance and Process Addictions3
CNS, PSY, or SWRK graduate electives6
Total Hours15

Advanced Behavior Management (15 hours)

Required Courses
SPED 501Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis3
SPED 502Positive Behavior Supports3
SPED 503Behavior Assessment3
SPED 504Instruction to Improve Behavior3
SPED 505Ethics Surrounding Behavior Issues3
Total Hours15

Agriculture (13 hours)

Required Courses
AGRI 491GData Analysis and Interpretation3
AGRI 528Population Genetics3
AGRI 590Experimental Design3
AGRI 598Seminar1
AGEC 561Agricultural Production and Economics3
Total Hours13

Athletic Administration and Coaching (18 hours)

Required Courses
RSA 513Recreation and Sport Administration3
RSA 515Recreation and Sport Facility Development3
RSA 517Legal Issues in Recreation and Sport3
RSA 519Fiscal Practices in Recreation and Sport3
Select 6 hours from the following:6
Research Methods in Recreation and Sport
Public Relations in Recreation and Sport
Theoretical Foundations of Recreation and Sport
Facility Management
Event Management
Facility and Event Security Management
Investigation of Current Interscholastic Athletics Issues
Sports Medicine Administration for Interscholastic Athletics
Practicum in Interscholastic Sport
Total Hours18

Chemistry (15 hours)

Required Courses
CHEM graduate courses 315
Total Hours15

College and Career Readiness (15 hours)

Required Courses
CNS 500College and Career Readiness Foundations3
CNS 501College and Career Consultation & Collaboration3
CNS 502College and Career Program Development & Evaluation3
CNS 503Practicum in College and Career Readiness3
CNS 556Developmental Career Counseling3
Total Hours15

Earth Science (15 hours)

Required Courses
GEOS graduate courses15
Total Hours15

Elementary Education (15 hours)

Required Courses
ELED 503Organization of Elementary School Curriculum3
ELED 505Mat/Meth/Math/El Teach3
ELED 506Seminar in Elementary School Science3
ELED 507Advanced Materials and Methods in Social Studies3
LTCY 519Literacy Development and Instruction3
Total Hours15

Elementary Mathematics Specialist P-5 (KEM) (15 hours)

Required Courses
ELED 571Leadership, Math and Technology Education3
ELED 572Math and Technology Methods for Diverse Learners3
ELED 573Math and Technology Assessment3
Select 6 hours from the following:6
Problem Solving for Elementary and Middle School Teachers 4
Number Systems for Elementary and Middle Grades Teachers
Rational Number Concepts for Elementary and Middle Grades Teachers
Total Hours15

English (15 hours)

Required Courses
ENG 510Graduate Rhetoric and Writing3
ENG 516Literature and Pedagogy3
Select 6 hours from the following: 36
19th Century American Literature
British Literature since 1900
Shakespeare
Victorian Literature & Culture
The British Novel
American Novel
American Poetry
Southern Literature
Women's Literature
Studies in American Literature
Studies in British Literature
Studies in World Literature
Studies in Genre
Seminar in British Writers
Seminar in American Writers
Select 3 hours from the following: 33
Advanced Composition
Editing and Publishing
Composition Theory and Practice in Writing Instruction
Theories of Rhetoric and Persuasive Writing
Special Topics in English
Total Hours15

Environmental Education (KEV) (12 hours)

Required Courses
ENVE 520Introduction to Environmental Education3
ENVE 580Instructional Strategies in Environmental Education3
Select 6 hours from the following:6
Special Topics in Environmental Education
Educational Assessment for P-12 Learners
Environmental Education Resources
Environmental Interpretation
GEOS 511
Geographic Concepts and Skills for Teachers
Total Hours12

Family and Consumer Science (15 hours)

FACS 510Professional Development Seminar in Family and Consumer Sciences3
FACS 511Grant Writing for Child and Family Programs3
FACS 550Youth and Family Theory and Research3
FACS 577Child Development Theory and Research3
EDFN 500Research Methods3
Total Hours15

Gifted and Talented Education (KE37) (12 hours)

Required Courses
GTE 536Nature and Needs of Gifted, Creative, and Talented Students3
GTE 537Curriculum, Strategies, and Materials for Gifted Students3
PSY 432GPsychology of the Gifted and Creative3
GTE 538Practicum for Teachers of Gifted Students3
Total Hours12

History (15 hours)

Required Courses
HIST graduate courses 315
Total Hours15

Instructional Design (12 hours)

Required Courses
ID 560Instructional Design Foundations3
ID 570Systematic Instructional Design3
Select 6 hours from the following:6
Improvement Analysis in the Workplace
Special Topics in Instructional Design
Management of Instructional Systems
Training Design and Development
Distance Education Opportunities and Challenges
Trends and Issues in Instructional Design
Multimedia Design
Practicum in Instructional Design
Total Hours12

Instructional Computer Technology (KCT) (12 hours)

Required Courses
LITE 535Survey of Educational Technology Practices3
LITE 537Principles of Educational Technology Applications3
LITE 508Informatics in Education3
Select 3 hours from the following:3
Educational Technology Production
Integration of Educational Technology
Emerging Technology in Education
Educational Technology Leadership
Total Hours12

Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (KIE) (15 hours)

Required Courses
IECE 521Assessment in Early Childhood Special Education3
IECE 523Planning Curriculum and Instruction in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education3
IECE 524Internship in Early Childhood Special Education3
SPED 523Curriculum/Methods in Early Childhood Special Education3
SLP 517Normal Language Development3
Total Hours15

Literacy P-12 (15 hours)

Required Courses
LTCY 519Literacy Development and Instruction3
LTCY 523Assessment and Intervention of Reading and Writing3
LTCY 524Content Area and Disciplinary Literacy3
LTCY 527Diversity and Equity in Literacy Education3
LTCY graduate elective course3
Total Hours15

Middle Grades Math (15 hours)

Required Courses
MATH 508Rational Number Concepts for Elementary and Middle Grades Teachers3
MATH 506Mathematical Applications for Middle Grades Teachers3
MATH 504Application of Technology to Problems in Mathematics3
MATH 507Number Systems for Elementary and Middle Grades Teachers3
Select 3 hours from the following.3
Introduction to Probability and Statistics I
History of Mathematics
Mathematical Modeling and Applications
Total Hours15

Middle Grades Education (15 hours)

Required Courses
MGE graduate courses15
Total Hours15

Secondary Education (15 hours)

Required Courses
SEC graduate courses15
Total Hours15

Social Studies (15 hours)

Required Courses
HIST graduate courses or any courses below15
Economics for Teachers
Workshop - Elementary Education
Workshop - Workshop in Middle School Education
Workshop - Secondary Education 3
Total Hours15

Teacher Leader (KTLE) (16 hours)

Required Courses
TCHL 500Foundations of Teacher Leadership3
TCHL 530Curriculum Development3
TCHL 545Classroom Instruction Strategies3
TCHL 555School and Classroom Assessment3
TCHL 559Capstone Project Design for Teacher Leadership1
TCHL 560Capstone Project for Teacher Leadership3
Total Hours16

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) (KE36) (16-22 hours)

Required Courses
ENG 407GLinguistic Analysis3
ENG 408GPsycholinguistics and Sociolinguistics3
ENG 565Integrated Teaching English as a Second Language3
ENG 566Teaching and Testing ESL Grammar3
ENG 471GTESL Practicum4
6 hours of a foreign language (FREN, GERM, SPAN, MLNG, ARBC, CHIN, JAPN, RUSS) or fulfillment of the WKU Colonnade language requirements. At least one grammar or linguistics course completed at the undergraduate level.0-6
Total Hours16-22

Trauma Informed Care (12 hours)

Required Courses
CNS 588Family Systems Counseling3
CNS 557Human and Family Development in Counseling3
CNS 555Social and Cultural Diversity in Counseling3
CNS 669Special Topics in Counseling and Guidance3
Total Hours12
3

Additional program approval required.

4

Students must complete MATH 411G unless MATH 411 was completed as an undergraduate student. If MATH 411 was completed, both MATH 507 and MATH 508 must be completed.