Master of Science in Professional Writing with Concentration in Teaching Writing

at Shorelight Group - Towson University USA

• Students are expected to achieve oral proficiency at the Advanced Low level according to ACTFL standards.
• Students are expected to achieve listening comprehension at the Advanced Low level according to ACTFL standards.
• Students are expected to achieve reading comprehension at the Advanced Low level according to ACTFL standards.
• Students are expected to demonstrate written proficiency at the Advanced Low level according to ACTFL standards.

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) is designed for individuals with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than education, who have no formal teacher training and wish to enter the teaching profession. It is well suited to recent graduates and to those seeking to change careers.

Graduates of the MAT program are eligible for teacher certification in the general education tracks of early childhood, elementary and secondary education.

• Early childhood education prepares students to teach Pre-K through grade three.
• Elementary education prepares students to teach grades one through six.
• Secondary education prepares students to teach grades seven through 12 in biology, chemistry, earth-space science, English, mathematics, physics, or history/social studies. 
• World Languages prepares students to teach Pre-K through grade 12 in French or Spanish.

Information technology involves the selection, application, integration and administration of computing and communication technologies to meet the informational needs of individuals, organizations and society at large. The IT program prepares students to enter the workplace as IT professionals and grow into leadership positions or pursue graduate studies in the field.

The Geology major contains a basis of the fundamental earth sciences supplemented by essential mathematics and physical sciences. The upper-level Geology classes are generally small, with both lecture and laboratory taught by faculty. Depending on their course selections, Geology majors are prepared to enter successful careers in a range of geoscience industries (e.g., environmental consulting, state or federal scientific or regulatory agencies, petroleum), to teach at the secondary level, or to attend graduate school. Students interested in the teaching certification in Earth and Space Sciences should investigate TU’s Earth-Space Sciences major.

The Master of Education degree in Special Education is an applied professional program designed to meet the critical need for special educators. Two concentrations support this offering: Special Education and Special Education Teacher as Leader in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Please note: That only one degree in Special Education can be awarded; students who complete more than one concentration in Special Education will not receive two different degrees.

Forensic Chemistry is a field in which many opportunities exist within law enforcement agencies and private companies. There is a critical shortage of qualified professionals in the field. Graduates of this program will be well prepared for employment in the forensic field with minimal on-the-job training or to pursue a graduate degree.

The major in Forensic Chemistry requires the completion of all the required and ancillary courses that are listed below, as well as satisfying the university’s Core Curriculum requirements.  A student may repeat no more than two courses, including multiple attempts at the same course, required for the Forensic Chemistry major. This includes all foundation courses, as well as required courses for the major.

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.

Foreign Languages majors in the French Education Concentration are eligible to apply for certification to teach French 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 who decide not to complete all education requirements must select and complete a different concentration/track in the major in order to graduate.

Majors who are in the Teacher Education Program are required to take Advanced Grammar and Method of Teaching a Foreign Language before internship. 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. 

• READ: Interpret written materials flexibly: understand that although multiple meanings are possible, textual evidence needs to support individual interpretations of the literature being read as well as the implications drawn from it.
• WRITE: Write in a variety of forms (e.g. expository, argumentative, imaginative, business/technical) as appropriate to audience, purpose, and occasion, using evidence to support interpretations.
• RESEARCH: Use research skills that include understanding of methods, technology and conventions.
• REFLECT: Be reflective and lifelong learners.
• INFORMATION LITERACY AND TECHNOLOGICAL COMPETENCE: Use software as appropriate to writing and research.
• GLOBAL AWARENESS: Engaging intellectually in the experiences and views of people with different cultural backgrounds and beliefs.

The Jewish Studies M.A. is a liberal arts program that offers students immersion in the history, literature and culture of Judaism as well as comprehension of the scope of the Jewish experience. Graduates of this program typically go on for a Ph.D. or seek employment requiring a depth of Judaic knowledge. The program consists of a five-course core sequence and a concentration in one of five fields: Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Civilization, Rabbinic Literature, Jewish Thought and Mysticism, Jewish History, or Contemporary Jewish Studies.