About

Are you eager to help young minds learn? Do you want to advance your expertise in the field of professional education?

The master of arts in education middle grades education degree program allows completion of an advanced degree for individuals who presently hold an initial middle grades teaching license.

Middle grades education students explore middle grades curriculum development in public school settings, advanced instructional and assessment strategies, and issues/trends specific to middle grades education.

ECU Advantage

ECU graduates are highly sought after and can be found working throughout the region and around the United States. Many graduates become Nationally Board Certified and go on to earn doctorate degrees in their area of expertise.

As an ECU student, you can research your future career in Steppingblocks. Explore real-world stats about your major, your interests, and your dream job title with data-powered career exploration tools designed for doers like you.

What You Will Study

Program Coordinator: Kristen Gregory (221 Speight Building; 252-328-1134; gregorykr18@ecu.edu)

The degree requires a minimum of 30 s.h. as follows:

1. Professional core courses - 6 s.h.
  • EDUC 6001 - Introduction to Differences in Human Learning in Schools
  • ELEM 6550 - Leadership and Communication Skills in Education
2. Middle grades education core courses - 12 s.h.

Students in the thesis option take 3 s.h. of MIDG 7000 instead of MIDG 6402.

  • MIDG 6200 - Advanced Curriculum Development in Middle Grades Education
  • MIDG 6300 - Advanced Instructional Strategies and Assessment in Middle Grades Education
  • MIDG 6400 - Educational Research in the Classroom I

  • MIDG 6402 - Educational Research in the Classroom II OR
  • MIDG 7000 - Thesis
3. Concentrations - 12 s.h.

Students in the thesis option take 12 s.h. of concentration courses in total. Nine s.h. can be taken from the list of concentration courses and 3 additional hours of thesis can fulfill the final 3 hours of concentration credit requirements. Students in the nonthesis option take 12 s.h. from one of the following concentrations or a minimum of 9 s.h. from one concentration and 3 s.h. from another.        

    a. English:
    • ENED 6630 - Studies in the Process of Composition OR
    • ENGL 6340 - Ethnic American Literature OR
    • ENGL 6360 - World Literature Written in English OR
    • ENGL 6460 - Studies in African American Literature OR
    • ELEM 6488 - Advanced Language Arts in the Elementary School

    • ELEM 6550 - Leadership and Communication Skills in Education
    • ENED 6600 - Teaching English Studies in the High School
    • ENED 6967 - Literature Study in the Secondary School
    • 3 s.h. ENGL or ENED elective
    b. Mathematics:
    • MATE 6321 - Advanced Middle-Level Mathematics Methods
    • MATE 6331 - Reasoning with Number and Algebra
    • MATE 6341 - Teaching and Learning of Geometry
    • MATE 6351 - Data Analysis and Probability in the Middle Grades
    • MATE 6361 - Measurement Across the Curriculum
    • MATE 6371 - Teaching and Learning of Algebra
    • 3 s.h. MATE or MATH elective
    • 3 s.h. MATE or MATH elective
    c. Science:
    • SCIE 6003 - Advanced Studies in Biological Science for Teachers
    • SCIE 6004 - Advanced Studies in Physical Science for Teachers
    • SCIE 6005 - Advanced Studies in Earth Systems Science for Teachers
    • SCIE 6020 - Perspectives on Science Education
    • SCIE 6030 - Technology in Science Teaching, Learning and Professional Development
    • SCIE 6310 - Advanced Methods in Science Teaching and Learning
    • 3 s.h. SCIE elective
    • 3 s.h. SCIE elective
    d. Social studies:
    • ELEM 5306 - Social Studies in the Elementary School OR
    • ELEM 6406 - The Teaching of Social Studies in the Elementary Grades

    • GEOG 5283 - Selected Topics in Physical Geography
    • GEOG 6393 - Independent Study in Human Geography
    • HIED 6510 - Issues and Topics in Social Studies Education
    • HIST 5140 - The Old South
    • HIST 5220 - Selected Topics in US Women's History
    • HIST 5230 - Themes in African American History
    • HIST 5300 - Comparative History of Non-Western Civilizations
    • HIST 5480 - Weimar and the Rise of Hitler
    • HIST 5765 - Latin America, 1492 to the Present
    • HIST 6035 - Civil War
    • HIST 6260 - The United States and the Middle East, 1783 to the Present
    • HIST 6375 - Twentieth-Century European History
    • MIDG 6600 - Advanced Middle Grades Social Studies
Thesis option:

Thesis students are not required to take MIDG 6402. Students in the thesis option take 12 s.h. of concentration courses in total. Nine s.h. will be taken from the list of concentration courses and 3 s.h. of thesis credits will fulfill the final 3 hours of concentration credit requirements. The thesis must be written on a topic related to the concentration area. An oral defense is required. If the thesis is not successfully completed, the student will need to take the fourth 3 s.h. concentration course and MIDG 6402.

  • MIDG 7000 - Thesis
Comprehensive assessment requirement:

All graduate programs at ECU require a comprehensive assessment. The nonthesis option for this degree requires a research project with a presentation and written documentation (MIDG 6400 and MIDG 6402). The thesis option requires the successful completion of a thesis (MIDG 7000) and an oral defense.

    Licensure for the Middle Grades Education, MAEd

    The Middle Grades Education, MAEd leads to a NC Advanced, M Level license in one of four content areas. The licenses issued with this degree will be one of the following: Language Arts Grades 6-9, Mathematics Grades 6-9, Science Grades 6-9 or Social Studies Grades 6-9. Candidates must hold a valid NC initial, A level license in one of the four Middle Grades Education content areas noted above in order to be eligible to upgrade the license to the advanced, M level in the same area upon program completion.

    Candidates may be admitted to the Middle Grades Education, MAEd if they do not hold the valid NC initial, A level license in one of the four middle grades education grades 6-9 content areas noted above, including anyone with a license in another area, with an out-of-state license, or with no license at all.  These candidates will be required to sign the LNNC Waiver and by doing so are duly informed that they will not receive the NC recommendation for the chosen area of the Middle Grades Education Grades 6-9 advanced, M level licensure until the NC initial, A level licensure requirements in the same area are met, which will include additional NC licensure tests.

    The LNNC Waiver can be located at  https://education.ecu.edu/graduate/. The waiver should accompany the application for admission to the MAEd.

    ECU degree programs satisfy the professional licensure and/or certification requirements in North Carolina and prepare students to sit for these exams. Requirements in other states may be different.

    Upon successful completion of ECU educator preparation program degree requirements and licensure requirements for the State of North Carolina candidates will be eligible for an ECU recommendation for a NC license. However, final licensure granting decisions are the sole responsibility of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction not ECU.

    Candidates who seek out of state employment or out of state licensure will have to meet the receiving state's requirements. There is no automatic licensure reciprocity between states. ECU will verify the completion of an approved, accredited program for candidates who seek this verification, but those candidates will be responsible for working with the receiving state to complete any additional requirements to obtain the license and/or employment in the receiving state.

      For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.
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