The Education Unit Mission
The Converse Teacher Education Unit has the mission “to identify, prepare, evaluate, and recommend highly-qualified educators who are well grounded in liberal learning, pedagogy, and clinical experiences so that they can contribute to the educational mission of K-12 public schools in their communities.” Individual graduate programs have a more specific set of goals and objectives outlined in the graduate catalog, which can be found at: www.converse.edu
Education Degree Programs
- Master of Arts in Teaching
The MAT program is available for those holding a baccalaureate degree in a field other than education. The purpose of the initial certification program is to prepare graduate students to become well-qualified teachers by their completion of one of our state-approved education programs. Students may elect one of the following initial certification programs: Early Childhood, Elementary, Art Education, Middle Level, Intellectual Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, or Secondary Education. See the Converse website www.converse.edu for important MAT program requirements and benchmarks, and the current program worksheets.
- Master of Education
Converse offers the M.Ed. degree for teachers who are already certified. This program offers six broad areas or tracks: art education (online/low residency), elementary education, gifted education (online), advanced studies (online), special education, administration and supervision. Art education (online/low residency) addresses teacher preparation from kindergarten through high school. Each M.Ed. program requires a minimum of 30 semester hours. See the Converse website www.converse.edu for important M.Ed. program requirements and benchmarks, and the current program worksheets.
- Educational Specialist in Administration and Supervision
The Converse Educational Specialist Degree in Administration & Supervision program requires a total of 30 semester hours in education. The program focuses on the preparation of administrators/supervisors at the elementary or secondary level. See the Converse website www.converse.edu for important Ed.S. program requirements and benchmarks, and the current program worksheets.
- Educational Specialist in Literacy
The Educational Specialist degree in Literacy is for literacy coaches and classroom teachers who recognize a need to expand their knowledge of the theories, methods, and materials of reading, reading instruction, language, language instruction, reading assessment and diagnosis, and remediation of reading difficulties. By emphasizing scholarship, practice, and school-based collaborations, the Educational Specialist in Literacy degree prepares exemplary professionals to provide leadership in reading at local and state levels. See the Converse website www.converse.edu for important Ed.S. program requirements and benchmarks, and the current program worksheets.
- Doctorate in Professional Leadership
The Ed.D. in Professional Leadership is a 60-hour program designed to allow individuals from a variety of professional backgrounds to enhance their preparation for leadership roles in a wide range of contexts. The focus is a background in theory and application to the professional context of the candidate’s choosing. A unique characteristic of the program includes the embedding of the traditional 5-chapter dissertation within the course work. See the Converse website www.converse.edu for important Ed.D. program requirements and benchmarks, and the current program worksheets.