February 27, 2019 | Mikayla Heldt
Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) has redesigned their Graduate Education programs for the 2019-2020 school year. Starting this Fall, SAGU will offer three Master of Education degrees in the areas of Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership, and School Counseling.
“The updated programs reflect current research, trends and best practices in 21st-century educational environments,” Education professor Dr. LaShera McElhany says. “With the specializations, the students will be able to focus on the particular field of study they've chosen.”
The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum and Instruction allows students to choose from three specialization areas: Early Childhood Education (ECE), Curriculum Studies, and History.
ECE courses have been added specifically for early literacy, math, science, and the spiritual and moral development of young children. Curriculum Studies will be updated with classes that “will have educators exploring various assessment tools and analyzing classroom data so they can design instruction to meet student needs”. In addition, there will be a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) course for future educators to integrate these skills into content areas. A specialization in History will have biblical and history of religion courses as well as a focus on American and European history.
Graduate students with an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership can choose from two program specializations: Public School Administration (PSA) and Christian School Administration (CSA).
Now that the Texas Education Agency is updating administration certification requirements for principals in public school, the PSA M.Ed. has been updated to prepare graduates for the certification exam and to practice their leadership skills with confidence in the field, says McElhany. The CSA program is more for graduate students who plan to work in the private school sector. There is no certification with this degree, but students will be prepared with leadership skills uniquely tailored to the Christian school setting.
According to Dr. McElhany, the M.Ed. in School Counseling “was also updated to reflect best practices in the world” and “provides unique tracks for certification in the counseling field”.
Whether a graduate student is interested in improving their craft as an educator, moving into an administrative role, or seeking certification for their teaching career, the M.Ed. programs will serve all of those needs and more.