School of Education

Juliann Dupuis, Ph.D., Dean, School of Education
Madelyn Ball, M.Ed.
Katherine Beauchat, Ed.D.
Kelly Byrne Bull, Ph.D.
Christa de Kleine, Ph.D.
Molly Dunn, Ph.D.
Rachel Durham, Ph.D.
Angelo Letizia, Ph.D.
Chelsea McClure, Ed.D.
Joanna Newton, Ph.D.
Lisa Pallett, Ph.D.
Rosemary Poling, M.Ed.
Stephanie Savick, Ph.D.
Ryan Schaaf, Ph.D.
Yuewei Shi, Ph.D.
Patty Silver, Ph.D.
Angela Snyder, Ph.D.
Sarah Wilson, Ph.D.
 

Summary

The School of Education offers full-time and part-time, four-year and five-year programs of study for traditional and non-traditional undergraduate students that integrate academic and professional studies and lead to licensure in a variety of programs, including the following:

  • Early Childhood Education
  • Elementary Education
  • Secondary Education (major in content area, minor in Education)
    • Mathematics
    • Science
    • Social Studies
    • English
    • World Languages
    • Art
    • Music
  • Special Education
  • TESOL

Additionally, the School of Education offers full-time and part-time programs of study for graduate students seeking initial licensure in the following areas: 

  • Early Childhood Education
  • Elementary Education
  • Secondary Education
    • Mathematics
    • Science
    • Social Studies
    • English
    • Theatre
    • Business
    • Computer Science
  • Special Education
  • TESOL
  • Art
  • World Languages
  • Music

All programs of study leading to initial licensure 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 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 for traditional students are in partner 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.

To schedule course work effectively, each student is expected to meet regularly each semester with their advisor.

To be eligible for the extended teaching internship students must earn a B or higher in methods courses, and a grade of C or higher in professional courses. Students whose GPA is below 3.0 must pass PRAXIS Core prior to enrolling in internship. Students in secondary education, art and music education also must have the recommendation of their academic departments. To be eligible for Maryland state licensure through one of the approved programs at the University, the student must attain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, must earn a grade of B or higher during the internship and pass PRAXIS Core Academic Skills and PRAXIS II examinations. PRAXIS II must be taken during the internship semester and passed before approval for licensure. For more information regarding testing opportunities and preparation, consult www.ETS.org.

The Maryland State Department of Education will allow candidates to waive Praxis Core if they present one of the following test scores.  These MSDE-acceptable test scores will also be accepted by NDMU

  • PPST with a composite score of 527
  • ACT with a composite score of 24
  • SAT -- taken before 1995 with a composite score (math + verbal) of 1000
  • SAT -- taken between April 1995 and December 2018 with a composite score (math + verbal) of 1100
  • SAT -- taken January 2019 and later with a composite score (math + verbal) of 1180
  • GRE -- taken before September 2011 -- composite score (math + verbal) of 1000; taken since September 2011 composite score (math + verbal) of 297

Students should confer with their School of Education advisor to confirm they have completed all the requirements for the MSDE approved program(s) as well as the Notre Dame's degree requirements.

Pathways to Multiple Licensure Areas

The NDMU School of Education prepares highly skilled teacher candidates who are equipped to teach a diverse population of students. Candidates are encouraged to pursue licensure in more than one content area or specialization; e.g, licensure 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 licensures (e.g, elementary, special education, early childhood education and/or TESOL).

Having more than one licensure area yields several benefits: 1) Candidates are exposed to specific content and instructional strategies that may be unique to targeted individuals or groups of students (e.g, multilingual learners.) 2) Candidates acquire a deeper, richer background in the vast variety of instructional strategies that one might employ, irrespective of the student's classification. 3) Candidates are more marketable because they are qualified for multiple teaching positions that fit the needs of their school and student population.

Option: B.A.

The School of Education offers the Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education to undergraduate students. The School of Education also offers a program of professional courses for licensure in secondary education. 

  • Elementary Education
  • Elementary Education/ Special Education
  • Elementary Education/ TESOL
  • Elementary Education/ Early Childhood
  • Elementary Education/Early Childhood/ Special Education
  • Elementary Education/ Early Childhood/ Special Education/ TESOL
  • Early Childhood
  • Liberal Arts/Special Education (1-8 or 6- Adult)
  • Liberal Arts/ TESOL
  • Secondary Education (Major in content area, minor in education)

 All programs are CAEP accredited and MSDE approved.

Secondary Education

A student seeking licensure in secondary education (e.g., Art, Biology, Chemistry, English, etc.) must major in one of the academic departments offering a Maryland State Department of Education-approved program in secondary education and complete the sequence of professional courses listed in the education program listings. Students interested in secondary education declare the minor after acceptance as majors in their academic disciplines, preferably by the end of sophomore year.

Option: BA/MA.LDT

(Traditional undergraduate students only)

This option enables a full-time student to complete the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Leadership in Teaching degrees and to fulfill state licensure requirements within five years. For the Elementary Education option, students complete a baccalaureate degree in education and the Master of Arts in Leadership in Teaching in an area of interest, such as:

  • Mathematics Instructional Leader
  • STEM
  • Literacy Specialist
  • Special Education for Changing Populations
  • Library and Media Specialist
  • TESOL
  • Digital Leadership 

For the secondary education option, students complete a Major in an academic discipline for their bachelor's degree and the Master of Arts in Teaching in the final year.

If a student wishes to pursue the five-year B.A./M.A.T. option, they must meet with their advisor in the School of Education to plan their program appropriately.