Master's Candidacy
To earn a master’s degree at Washington University, a student must complete all courses required by their department; maintain satisfactory academic progress; fulfill all academic and residence requirements; and file an Intent to Graduate. For a general layout of master’s degree general requirements in Arts & Sciences, including an explanation of Satisfactory Academic Progress, students should review the Master’s Degree Academic Information page of the Arts & Sciences Bulletin.
Program Requirements
- Total Units Required: 48
- Degree Length: 3 semesters
- Courses are typically completed in three semesters, with one summer course after the spring semester of the program
- Students must achieve a grade of B- or better in order for courses to count toward the degree and certification requirements
- Note: Students must be enrolled in 9 graduate credits each semester to retain full-time status. As students complete their course work, if enrolled in fewer than 9 graduate credits, they must enroll in a specific Arts & Sciences graduate course that will show 0 units but does count as full-time status. Students should connect with their department to ensure proper enrollment prior to Add/Drop.
Required Courses
- The first fall semester consists of foundations courses in education and courses in teaching reading and math
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| Educ 513B | Education, Childhood, Adolescence, and Society | 3 |
| Educ 5114 | Sociolinguistics, Literacies, Schools, and Communities | 3 |
| Educ 6052 | Educational Psychology: A Focus on Teaching and Learning in School Settings | 3 |
| Educ 6053 | Early Field Experience | 1 |
| Educ 6660 | Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers | 3 |
| Educ 6681 | Teaching Reading in the Elementary School | 3 |
- Spring includes the curriculum and instruction block, which involves pedagogical course work in the basic subject areas of reading, math, social studies, and science as well as a field and clinical seminar requiring 50 hours of classroom experience
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| Educ 670 | Language, Learning, and Instruction | 3 |
| Educ 6731 | Elementary School Mathematics | 3 |
| Educ 6741 | Elementary Science: Content, Curriculum, and Instruction | 2 |
| Educ 6751 | Elementary Social Studies: Content, Curriculum, and Instruction | 2 |
| Educ 6771 | The Arts and Aesthetics: A Means of Communication | 3 |
| Educ 6841 | Elementary Methods Field Experience | 2 |
- Summer consists of a course in the Education and Psychology of Exceptional Children
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| Educ 6008 | Education and Psychology of Exceptional Children | 3 |
- The second fall semester, which is the final semester of the program, includes 16 weeks of student teaching as well as courses for reading and creating a teaching portfolio. Given the intensity of the academic requirements during this final semester of study, students must focus wholly on their culminating field experience and will not be able to accept outside employment.
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| Educ 525 | Diagnosis and Correction of Reading Disabilities | 3 |
| Educ 6831 | The Teaching-Learning Process in Elementary School | 3 |
| Educ 6911 | Student Teaching in the Elementary School | 8 |
After students successfully complete the program and the state-mandated certification assessments, they are eligible for initial teacher certification in Missouri for elementary education grades 1 through 6. States all have their own unique requirements for teacher certification, but many have reciprocity agreements to allow currently certified teachers to transfer their teaching credentials to a new state. Teachers may have to meet some additional state requirements, but for most states, transferring teacher certification is fairly straightforward.