Master of Education in Early Childhood Education

at Shorelight Group - Towson University USA

The Health Care Management curriculum is designed to provide students with a comprehension of U.S. health care organizations, a public health orientation including epidemiological concepts and tools, and the math, language and computer competencies for research development, organizational management and/or program evaluation. Depending on a student’s interest, graduate training in health administration is recommended after completing this course of study and after the student has worked in the field for 1–2 years. Students interested in long-term care have the option of completing a track.

Students who major and minor in Health Care Management will adhere to the American College of Healthcare Executives Code of Conduct.

• Use a working critical vocabulary to do textual and ethnographic analyses of cultural phenomena, showing an understanding of both verbal and visual texts, students own everyday experience, and the inter-relatedness of social, political, historical, and economic components of their worlds.
• Through writing, convey an understanding of a variety of critical strategies (e.g. semiotics, content analysis, structuralism) applicable to cultural studies cross-disciplinary core.
• Acquire the habits and attitudes of an inquiring mind, for looking into questions of culture in ways that resonate with students’ lives and finally even beyond these lives, into an awareness of ethical, cognitive, and emotional issues that may at first seem foreign to their own systems of cultural values.
• Evaluate critically the sources and content of information. This goal is listed among the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Expectations Regarding Information Literacy and Technological Competency.
• Understanding and applying relevant discipline-specific methodologies and strategies of inquiry.
• Engaging intellectually and seeking to understand the experiences and views of people with different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, whether in their own country or abroad.

The Masters of Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts Infusion (MAIAI) is a one of a kind, graduate program designed for classroom teachers, arts specialists, teaching artists, administrators and arts entrepreneurs. The program deepens and extends the skills and techniques of the arts disciplines through a unique blend of professional development course work and advanced, trans-disciplinary arts practice. 

MAIAI builds upon the successful work of our Arts Integration Institute and the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate that Towson has been offering since 1999. MAIAI reflects an interdisciplinary approach to arts education integrating a variety of art forms (theatre, dance, music, visual arts) into PreK-12 classrooms and beyond. This program is consistent with Towson University’s mission to provide programs that enhance teaching skills and professional development for educators. Graduates will be collaborators equipped to lead a transformation in teaching, learning and school reform through arts integration.

Majors must complete 54 units. The program is divided into four parts, and writing skills are emphasized throughout.

• First, students must complete two introductory courses, one each in political science and economics, which acquaint students with the nature of law and its role in American society.
• Second, students will take four required courses: one at the lower-division, two at the upper-division level and an advanced writing course. These courses further situate students in American culture, politics, judicial policymaking and logical thinking.
• Third, students will have several options in choosing electives, which will be offered by several departments: Accounting, Mass Communication and Communication Studies, English, History, Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Political Science.
• Fourth and finally, students will undertake a 6-unit capstone experience of their choice and, if possible, design. Advanced students may wish to undertake a project in the workplace and then write an evaluative essay on that experience as it fits into the overall program. Other students will participate in a senior seminar, in which they will write a research paper on some aspect of the law or develop a thesis supervised by the program director.

The field of Health Education and Promotion (HEP) explores the complexities of human behavior and identifies ways to promote healthy behaviors. Health Education and Promotion prepares students to educate and empower the public to understand their health, to make healthy choices, to improve their quality of life, and to reduce disease and disability. Health educators design, market, implement and/or evaluate health education and health promotion programs. The settings in which community health educators work include, but are not limited to health departments, voluntary health agencies, hospitals, universities, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and schools.

The Health Education and Promotion major gives students the foundation needed to be effective health professionals based on principles from the behavioral, biomedical and social sciences. Through coursework and a 12-unit internship, students will graduate with a solid foundation in a variety of health topic areas including public health, health education theory and practice, and program planning and evaluation.

• In the production of art and/or design work, students will demonstrate a working knowledge of the elements of art and the principles of design.
• In the production of art and/or design work, students will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the materials and processes of their chosen discipline.
• In creating and/or evaluating art and design work, students will recognize and demonstrate understanding of perspectives of people from cultures and situations other than their own.
• Students will articulate, through writing, verbally and through the production of a body of work, their personal aesthetic and/or professional direction.

The M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education is an advanced degree program designed to prepare the degree candidate for a future professional role, to increase competence in a current career role or to provide a step toward further study in the field of early childhood education. It is not an initial teaching certification or licensure program, but an opportunity for increased professional development at the graduate level. The M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education is recommended for practitioners in a wide range of programs for children from birth through age 8 in a variety of community settings. Their roles may include administration, supervision and mentoring in early childhood programs; pre-elementary or primary grade teaching; family/community support; early intervention; resource and referral; program licensing; infants and toddlers specialist; and many others. Guiding principles include an interdisciplinary perspective, collaboration, mentoring and advocacy, with a foundation of the most current knowledge base in early childhood and best practice for all young children and families.

The M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education is aligned with National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation in Advanced Programs. The 33-unit program consists of seven required courses and four elective courses that are designed to provide each student with a deeper understanding of the knowledge base in the field, while supporting individual areas of professional specialization and academic interest. The faculty in the Department of Early Childhood Education has developed specific courses to support students in their professional development and in their future contributions to the field of early childhood education through their chosen career paths.

Majors must complete 54 units. The program is divided into four parts, and writing skills are emphasized throughout.

• First, students must complete two introductory courses, one each in political science and economics, which acquaint students with the nature of law and its role in American society.
• Second, students will take four required courses: one at the lower-division, two at the upper-division level and an advanced writing course. These courses further situate students in American culture, politics, judicial policymaking and logical thinking.
• Third, students will have several options in choosing electives, which will be offered by several departments: Accounting, Mass Communication and Communication Studies, English, History, Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Political Science.
• Fourth and finally, students will undertake a 6-unit capstone experience of their choice and, if possible, design. Advanced students may wish to undertake a project in the workplace and then write an evaluative essay on that experience as it fits into the overall program. Other students will participate in a senior seminar, in which they will write a research paper on some aspect of the law or develop a thesis supervised by the program director.

The M.Ed. in Art Education is designed to provide opportunities for artistic and scholarly inquiry and specialized research for the practicing art educator. Emphasis is placed on each graduate student customizing a program of study from a wide array of courses that are significant to the contemporary field of art education. The program encourages professional development as artist / teacher / researchers in becoming more effective practitioners and leaders in the field of art education. 

Foreign Languages majors in the Spanish Education Concentration are eligible to apply for certification to teach Spanish in Maryland upon graduation. In addition to the Core Curriculum requirements and the requirements specified by the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education, students must complete 30 units. Students must contact the Department of Secondary and Middle School Education about admission to the Teacher Education Program. Students are also required to complete the Oral Proficiency Interview and the Writing Proficiency Test. They are required to achieve a level of “Advanced Low" in the Oral Proficiency Interview. 

Students who decide not to complete all education requirements must select and complete a different concentration/track in the major in order to graduate.