Elementary Education Initial Teaching Licensure Track, M.Ed.

This program is designed for any individual who has an undergraduate degree in a field/area of study other than teacher education and who wants to pursue a course of graduate studies to become licensed as an elementary or secondary school teacher. Transcript evaluations will be conducted on all applicants and, if the licensure director determines any deficiencies in the content area, these courses will have to be completed with a 3.000 GPA or better prior to beginning classes for the M.Ed. Applicants for the secondary teacher preparation programs must submit passing scores on the relevant CASA (Core Academic Skills Assessment) and Pearson Core Content Knowledge exams as part of the admission process. Upon successful completion of the program, teacher candidates are eligible for a Master of Education degree from Valparaiso University and, after passing all required assessments required by the state and the Department of Education, an Indiana initial teaching license. This teaching license qualifies an individual to teach in public and parochial school settings in Indiana. Indiana teaching licenses are reciprocal with teaching licenses in more than 40 other states and territories in the United States.

Persons interested in this program should be aware that additional content area courses may be required, depending on the type of teaching license one wants to obtain. The Valparaiso University licensure director evaluates transcripts and determines if there are any deficiencies in an applicant’s application for admission.

Teacher candidates should also realize that field experiences and an intern-teaching experience are required in this degree program. During these experiences, students are engaged in full-time teaching and therefore will not be able to work at another daytime job.

Native Chinese-speakers with an undergraduate degree who want licensure to teach Chinese in the United States should enroll in the M.Ed. Initial Licensure program. Requirements include the Professional Studies requirements listed below and the Chinese Teaching Concentration.