Education
Campuses
Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Liberal Studies
Liberal Studies
The NDMU School of Education strives to prepare teacher candidates to respond to the supply and demand of the teacher education workforce and endeavors to prepare candidates who are highly skilled and equipped to teach children regardless of learning style, differentiated or special needs, and racial or socio-economic status. As such, candidates are encouraged to pursue certification in more than one content area or specialization; e.g, Certification in Biology and Special Education; or in English and TESOL; or in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. In some cases, candidates can even obtain three or four certifications (e.g, elementary, special education, early childhood education and/or TESOL).
Having more than one certification yields several benefits: 1) Most important of all, candidates are exposed to specific content and instructional strategies that may be unique to targeted individuals or groups of students (e.g, second language generation students whose parents speak only in their native language). 2) Candidates acquire a deeper, richer background in the vast variety of instructional strategies that one might employ, irrespective of the student's classification (e.g, a student in a Gifted and Talented class might respond just as readily to a 'reward and praise' technique as would a student with special needs). 3) Candidates find that, when seeking employment, they are more marketable because principals are afforded greater flexibility in assigning them to teaching positions that fit the needs of their school and student population (e.g, if given two equally qualified candidates from which to select, a principal is more likely to hire a candidate who has more than one certification, thereby giving them more flexibility to assign highly qualified teachers to classrooms based on that certification).
In essence, the teacher candidates enter the education profession with a larger and more diverse skill set of instructional strategies and content knowledge to better meet the needs of the school system, where employed, and the children whom they are entrusted to teach.
Pathways to obtain dual, triple, or even four certifications are outlined in the following tables, based on professional courses needed, content areas, programs and degrees.
Degree candidates must complete the general education classes listed in Engage and Empower as well as the liberal arts classes required by MSDE.
Traditional Undergraduate
The School of Education offers full-time and part-time, four-year and five-year Programs of Study that integrate academic and professional studies and lead to Certification in Secondary Education, Certification in Secondary and Special Education, Certification in Elementary Education, Certification in Elementary and Special Education, or Certification in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Each Program of Study requires the creation of an electronic portfolio throughout the course of study; it is to be completed with each course of study. An ePortfolio license fee is required.
All Programs of Study leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Education are designed to provide a balance among liberal arts courses in a variety of academic fields, a planned sequence of professional courses, and practical field experiences which may begin in the first year of college and culminate in an extended internship experience in the student's senior year. The School of Education may require a student to complete specific courses in addition to those listed as requirements. Each Program of Study aims to build competence through appropriate academic and professional course work, and to involve the student in practical classroom internship activities of steadily increasing responsibility. Internship placements are in professional development school environments through collaborative arrangements between Notre Dame and area school systems.
Graduates of the School of Education are educators in virtually every public school district throughout the State of Maryland, as well as in many private, independent and parochial schools. Not only do they ably serve Maryland's students, they are recognized as outstanding leaders. Many have been honored as "Teacher of the Year" in their respective districts; e.g, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Caroline County, Carroll County, Harford County, St. Mary's County.
Elementary Education/Liberal Studies
The Elementary Education/Liberal Studies Major provides a balanced program of liberal arts courses in a variety of academic fields, a planned sequence of professional courses, and practical field experiences that culminate in an extended teaching internship experience. Completion of the program qualifies graduates for Maryland State Department Certification in Elementary Education. Each student works closely with an academic advisor to ensure that the student obtains all the credits needed for the degree, as well as the requirements of the State Department of Education for Certification in Elementary Education. Traditional Undergraduate students interested in Elementary Education are encouraged to declare the Elementary Education/Liberal Studies Major in spring semester of the first year.
For students in CAUS, the practical field experiences, including the teaching internship, are the only parts of the Program of Study offered during the day. These must be taken during the academic year when elementary schools are in session.
Early Childhood Education
The NDMU College of Adult Undergraduate Studies prepares interested students to become certified to teach children in pre-kindergarten through grade three. NDMU invites students to consider preparing for a career as an early childhood education teacher. Being a certified early childhood educator allows the professional to teach in a public or private school setting where they work with children who are in pre-kindergarten up to and including grade three. Teaching at this level requires close attention to the developmental needs of young children and how to appropriately support their learning process. As with any teaching assignment, the educator must be equipped to effectively plan lessons to engage these young learners in activities stimulating their fine and gross motor skills as well as their kinesthetic, auditory, and visual senses. Early Childhood Education Program of Study focuses on the academic, social, and cognitive skills that develop in children during their formative years.
Most early childhood educators work throughout the school day in a classroom setting with a single group of students for whom all content areas must be taught, i.e., English language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science instruction. Regardless of age and grade-level placement, NDMU will prepare all graduates to be highly qualified for any teaching situation by providing multiple opportunities for them to learn and teach in a variety of settings under outstanding mentor teachers. In fact, NDMU is the only teacher preparation program in Maryland that affords students the opportunity to observe pre-school age children on its main campus in LeClerc Hall in a program called 'A Child's Place', a school for children age 3 through kindergarten.
Secondary Education
The NDMU traditional undergraduate program prepares interested students to become certified to teach adolescents in grade 7 - 12. NDMU invites traditional undergraduate students to consider preparing for a career as a secondary school educator. By Majoring in any one of many secondary content areas [e.g. Art, Business, Computer Studies, English, History or Social Studies, Mathematics, Music, Science (Biology, Chemistry, or Physics), Spanish, Theatre, etc.], students may become a certified secondary school educator teaching students in grades 7 - 12. Professional educators will have the opportunity to help students navigate their changing lives and maximize their potential as they matriculate to post-secondary careers and college. In addition to mastery of content area, students will receive a solid foundation in the theory and research that informs current secondary instructional methods, curricula, and assessment tools.
During the senior year while completing the internship, students in most cases will work for one-half of a semester in a middle school and the other half of the semester in a high school - thereby giving them an experience in both settings and preparing them for either employment opportunity.
Degrees and Certificates
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BA/MA, Major -
BA/MAT, Major -
Elementary Education, Major -
Elementary Education, Liberal Studies, Major -
Elementary Education/ESOL, Major -
Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Liberal Studies, Major -
Elementary and Special Education, Liberal Studies, Major -
Liberal Studies/ESOL, Major -
Special Education (Dual Certification), Major