Masters in Secondary Education

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The SFASU Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership offers two unique Masters degrees for Secondary Education.

Master's in Secondary Education

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) Degree at Stephen F. Austin State University is an exciting and innovative graduate program that prepares teachers for leadership positions in the secondary school setting. By exploring the roles of teacher as researcher, teacher as scholar-practitioner, and teacher as educational leader, the Master’s Program cultivates a learning community of faculty and students through dialogue and critical inquiry.

Teachers who select this program will be prepared to work in schools as instructional specialists with an enhanced understanding of learning and leadership theory, systems design, and teaching with technology. The learning outcomes of this 36 hour graduate degree program are based upon the NCATE professional standards. Thesis and non-thesis options are available.

While graduate programs can be designed to meet students’ individual needs, most students choose one of the following options:

M.Ed. in Secondary Education and Pedagogy

This program is designed for experienced teachers who wish to further their education and improve their teaching practice. Students take courses that cover the following topics: 1) educational research and research methodology, 2) cultural foundations of education, 3) curriculum practice and theory, and 4) instruction and learning.

M.Ed. with Content Area Minor

This 36 hour program includes 18 hours in secondary education and 18 hours in the student’s chosen teaching field. The degree is aimed at students that wish to teach at a community college, but could also be appropriate for high school teachers - particularly those who want to teach dual-credit courses on their campuses.

Interested applicants must meet the following criteria in order to be accepted into the M.Ed. Program:

Undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university
Minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 and a grade-point average of 2.8 on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework (on a 4.0 scale)

For a complete description of the program and coursework, please refer to the Graduate Bulletin. If you are interested in applying to this program, please complete the following:

Apply to the Graduate School.
Apply to the Master of Education (M.Ed.) Degree at SFASU by completing and submitting an application form

*All materials must be submitted by July 15 for full acceptance for Fall semester.
*All materials must be submitted by October 15 for full acceptance for Spring semester.

If you need additional information, further assistance, or wish to make an appointment for graduate advising, please contact Carrie Williams, at either (936) 468-6478, or williamscs1@sfasu.edu

For a list of required classes, refer to the Graduate Bulletin p. 145 at this site: http://www.sfasu.edu/bulletin/docs/graduate/graduate-bulletin.pdf

Master of Arts in Teaching

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree is designed for candidates who have an undergraduate degree and who wish to become certified to teach in Texas. This program is entirely on-line (except for the final course when you have to come to campus to take a practice Mastery Exam). If you are wanting to become certified to teach in any 6-12 or 8-12 content area or any All-Level area (Art, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Health, Music, Physical Education, Special Education, and Theatre), then this is the program for you.

The first 18 hours of this program comprise the certification requirements. Once you complete the certification sequence, you can do 18 remaining hours of online courses (6 courses total) to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching degree.

Interested applicants must meet the following criteria in order to be accepted into the MAT Program:

Undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university
Minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 and a grade-point average of 2.8 on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework (on a 4.0 scale)
Passing score on PACT (Pre-Admission Content Test) for the content area in which you wish to be certified.

If you are interested in applying to this program, please follow these steps:

Go online to the Graduate School and apply for the MAT degree. There will be a $25.00 application fee charged to your account at SFASU. The Graduate School will calculate your GPA to determine eligibility.
Take and receive acceptable scores reports from the Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT) You cannot be admitted to MAT program until you have passed the PACT for your content area.
After you have met eligibility requirements (GPA, PACT), complete and submit this application form to Dr. Olson Beal (olsonbehk@sfasu.edu).

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