About - Graduate Teacher Education

As a teacher, you’re eager to make a difference in your classroom, school district and community. EMU’s graduate education program provides quality professional opportunities that will help you influence decision making and prepare you to handle a wide range of instructional and non-instructional tasks.

Given the tremendous sociological changes in our modern world, teachers are now social change agents, collaborating within the home and community to address issues like literacy and diversity. It’s both the social and ethical responsibility of today’s teacher to make a difference in the classroom, and we’re ready to help!

EMU’s teacher education programs have carried the highest national accreditation standards in the nation for more than 45 years. EMU's undergraduate teacher education programs, and graduate initial licensure TESL program, are accredited through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

Course Offerings Year-Round

We offer courses in several locations as well as online! An EMU graduate education remains an excellent value in the higher education marketplace at $499 per semester hour, whether you’re working on a degree, a certificate, recertification, or professional development.

• http://www.emu.edu/maed/courses/

• https://emu.edu/lancaster/graduate-teacher-education/courses/

Mission Statement

The mission of the EMU graduate teacher education program is to increase professional knowledge and competence among current practitioners by developing leadership, becoming agents of change who advocate for children and youth, promoting caring learning environments, and teaching boldly in a changing world through an ethic of care and critical reflection.

The teacher education program envisions preparing informed lifelong leaders and learners who value the dignity of all persons and are ready and willing to share a pilgrimage of openness and continuous growth as they invite others to join them. These reflective educators will offer healing and hope in a diverse world.

Goals and Outcomes

Scholarship: to acquire advanced knowledge through core curriculum courses and to organize and integrate that knowledge into professional practice.
Inquiry: to generate questions and to use critical thinking to self-assess, to view problems from multiple perspectives, to make informed decisions and to engage in action research for educational change and student learning enhancement.
Professional Knowledge: to acquire advanced pedagogical and specialty area knowledge in order to create cultures of change and manage environments conducive to learning, setting high expectations and implementing appropriate instructional and assessment practices.
Communication: to develop communication strategies (verbal, nonverbal, and technological) that support collaboration and resourcefulness to advocate for self as teacher, colleagues, parents, and students.
Caring: to develop a nurturing spirit that advocates for students, encourages social and ethical responsibility, and promotes restorative peacebuilding in diverse settings.
Leadership: to act as a social change agent by working collaboratively to bring about fair and just systemic change within educational contexts.