Kaplan University offers the Master of Arts in Teaching (for Aspiring Teachers Grades 5-12) Program to individuals seeking to develop the professional competencies required to handle children in grades 5-12. The program allows aspiring teachers to prepare themselves to teach the teens of the future as they discover their individual self-worth while obtaining the academic knowledge and skills that will shape their lives. Students of the program are ensured of getting a curriculum that meets nationally recognized standards. However, it is the responsibility of the students to check on specific licensing requirements of the state in which they intend to seek licensure.

There are two (2) track options offered by the program. The first option is the Iowa Certification Track. Core Requirements include Educational Psychology, Teaching Methods through Differentiated Instruction, Child and Adolescent Development, Reading in the Content Areas, Research on Effective Teaching, Secondary Student Assessment, Perspectives on Diversity, Education and Psychology of Exceptional Children, History and Philosophy of Education, Secondary Classroom Management, and Student Teaching/Internship I and II. Students have to choose one of the six Methods Courses which include Methods of Teaching Secondary English Language Arts, Methods of Teaching Secondary Mathematics, Methods of Teaching Secondary Science, Methods of Teaching Secondary Social Studies, Methods of Teaching a Foreign Language, and Methods of Teaching Visual and Performing Arts.

The second option is the Nationwide Non-certification Track. Required Core Courses are more or less the same as the first option except that it does not include the Internship and Methods Courses. Total program length is forty (40) credit hours. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5. Accreditation is provided by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

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