This program is designed for any individual who has an undergraduate degree in a field/area of study other than teacher education and who wants to pursue a course of graduate studies to become licensed as an elementary or secondary school teacher. Transcript evaluations will be conducted on all applicants and, if the licensure director determines any deficiencies in the content area, these courses will have to be completed with a 3.000 GPA or better prior to beginning classes for the M.Ed. Applicants for the secondary teacher preparation programs must submit passing scores on the relevant CASA (Core Academic Skills Assessment) and Pearson Core Content Knowledge exams as part of the admission process. Upon successful completion of the program, teacher candidates are eligible for a Master of Education degree from Valparaiso University and, after passing all required assessments required by the state and the Department of Education, an Indiana initial teaching license. This teaching license qualifies an individual to teach in public and parochial school settings in Indiana. Indiana teaching licenses are reciprocal with teaching licenses in more than 40 other states and territories in the United States.
Persons interested in this program should be aware that additional content area courses may be required, depending on the type of teaching license one wants to obtain. The Valparaiso University licensure director evaluates transcripts and determines if there are any deficiencies in an applicant’s application for admission.
Teacher candidates should also realize that field experiences and an intern-teaching experience are required in this degree program. During these experiences, students are engaged in full-time teaching and therefore will not be able to work at another daytime job.
Native Chinese-speakers with an undergraduate degree who want licensure to teach Chinese in the United States should enroll in the M.Ed. Initial Licensure program. Requirements include the Professional Studies requirements listed below and the Chinese Teaching Concentration.
Requirements
The program consists of 35-50 credits of required coursework and 10 credits of student teaching under the supervision of a cooperating teacher and University field instructor.
Three checkpoints must also be successfully completed in this program. Checkpoint 1 is completed through submission of all materials required for admission to the program (see admission requirements described below). Requirements for Checkpoint 2 must be met after successful completion of all required coursework and prior to ED 630 , the student teaching internship experience in the degree program, and must indicate a potential for success in student teaching. (Note: Students must provide proof of CPR/ Heimlich Maneuver/AED certification prior to student teaching semester.) Checkpoint 3 is completed at the end of the ED 630 student teaching experience. This checkpoint involves successful completion of additional performance assessments during the student teaching experience, passing scores on Pearson Content Knowledge exam(s) prior to student teaching for elementary education, and completion of all other licensing and degree requirements and IDOE requirements.
Admission
In addition to meeting the requirements for graduate admission (see here ), applicants should meet the following requirements:
- Secondary education students must submit passing scores on the Indiana required content test/s in the area they are seeking to be certified in.
- Essay relating graduate study to professional goals clearly stating reasons for wanting to become a teacher; this essay substitutes for the General Essay noted under Admission for Degree- Seeking Students.
- Completed Supplemental Education Application.
- Completion of an interview with The Department of Education Chair and the Field Director.
Admission is competitive with deadlines of March 1, August 1, and November 1.
Program Exit Criteria
Successful completion of M.Ed. degree programs leading to initial teaching licensure requires:
- A 3.000 grade point average in all required and elective coursework and no more than one grade of C or C+
- Satisfactory performance on practicum and/or internship requirements
Passing scores on any Indiana required licensing exams.
Strong dispositional standing.
- Submission of all Indiana-required licensure paperwork
- Submission of all Valparaiso University materials required for graduation according to published guidelines
Early Admission for Undergraduate Valparaiso University Students
Exceptional undergraduate students at Valparaiso University may be accepted into the Master of Education Initial Licensure program and begin work toward a graduate degree before completion of the baccalaureate degree. In this program offering option, prior to March 1st of their junior year, an applicant with an overall GPA of 3.30 or higher may apply for early admission to the M.Ed.-IL program. These students will have provisional acceptance status in the graduate program, pending the award of the baccalaureate degree.
To be accepted into this program, the student must complete an application for the Master of Education Initial Licensure program, and submit an essay and two strong letters of recommendation from professors. In addition, the student must complete an Early-Entry Program Form, and have it approved by the Master of Education Initial Licensure program director. See the GENERAL CATALOG for more information.
Final admission to the program is granted only upon completion of the undergraduate degree with a GPA of at least 3.000, and passing scores on the CASA and Pearson Content Knowledge exams as outlined by the Indiana Professional Standards Board/Department of Education. If an early-entry student has not met the normal admission requirements of a 3.000 GPA at the end of their baccalaureate degree, they will not be given final admission to the graduate program. Students accepted into an early-entry program will be subject to the same policies that pertain to other matriculated graduate students.
Under this model, students may take up to nine credits during their senior year toward both their undergraduate degree (as electives) and graduate degree. In other words, up to nine hours of graduate work may be “double counted” toward both the baccalaureate and graduate degrees. In no case may more than nine hours be double counted.
Note: A commitment to pursuing the M.Ed. - IL program must be made prior to January 1st of the candidate’s senior year. The Early-Entry Program Form must be approved by the Graduate Admissions and Retention Committee before the student begins the early-entry graduate coursework. Failure to obtain prior Graduate Admission and Retention Committee or director of M.Ed.-IL approval negates the ability to “double count” courses in an accelerated early-entry program.
Students admitted into an early-entry program pay regular undergraduate tuition fees for all courses (undergraduate and graduate) for which they register. No additional graduate tuition is assessed for graduate courses completed prior to the awarding of the undergraduate degree.
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