Graduate Programs

DEGREES AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
Academic Requirements
Joint and Dual Degree Programs
Programs and Specializations
Licensure of Educational Personnel
Accreditation
Title II Annual Institutional Report on Teacher Preparation

Graduate programs at Boston University School of Education (SED) offer specialized work to individuals in many areas of education including preschool; higher education; special needs; counseling; policy, planning, and administration in schools; and in the corporate sector. The flexible, interdisciplinary nature of the School’s more than 20 programs reflects demands being placed on aspiring educators in all areas and responds to the realities of a changing educational environment.

In any one term, approximately 500 graduate students enroll in SED courses. Almost half are enrolled full time, working toward a degree or a certificate of advanced graduate study. Others enroll part time or combine full- and part-time coursework where appropriate. A number of programs offer late afternoon and evening courses to accommodate working professionals.

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DEGREES AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

The graduate degrees offered by the School of Education are the Master of Education (EdM), the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), the Master of Mathematics for Teaching (MMT), and the Doctor of Education (EdD). The School also offers the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS). In some programs, shorter sequences leading to graduate certificates are also offered. At present, five 16-credit graduate certificate sequences are offered in the following areas:

• Instructional Technology
• Literacy Intervention in Grades 3–6
• Physical Education, Health Education & Coaching
• Program Planning, Management, Monitoring & Evaluation
• Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Students may take courses from a number of the seventeen schools and colleges of Boston University, designing a course of study specific to his or her professional needs within the boundaries of the educational specialization. Also, Boston University belongs to an area consortium of institutions, which includes Boston College, Brandeis University, Hebrew College, and Tufts University, allowing cross-registration for graduate students with the approval of faculty advisors.

Academic Requirements

Applicants for the master’s degree must hold a bachelor’s degree or its academic equivalent from an accredited institution. To earn an EdM, a schoolwide minimum of 32 graduate credits is required; however, many programs require additional credits. In addition, a supervised practicum may be required, depending on the program. For the MAT, 46 credits are required. Those seeking initial licensure in English must complete 48 credits. The MAT credit requirements include a supervised practicum for initial licensure. The MMT requires 38 credits, including 18 credits from the School of Education and 20 credits from the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

Doctoral candidates must hold a master’s degree or its academic equivalent from an accredited institution. Candidates must complete a minimum of 32 credit hours of coursework, including schoolwide, departmental, and specialization requirements as well as additional credits of dissertation advisement. Successful completion of a written comprehensive examination (or equivalent), and an approved doctoral dissertation are required, as is a period of full-time residency consisting of two consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment.

CAGS candidates must hold a master’s degree or its academic equivalent from an accredited institution. Schoolwide requirements for the CAGS include a minimum of 30 credit hours and successful completion of a treatise, project, or comprehensive examination. Again, some programs may require more than 30 credits.

Some programs may carry additional credit requirements. Master’s candidates (EdM, MAT) seeking initial teacher licensure in Massachusetts must take the School of Education’s Literacy Test during the first semester of enrollment in order to register for subsequent semesters. An overall score of 70% must be obtained before a student is permitted to enter a student-teaching practicum.

Master’s candidates seeking initial Massachusetts licensure who have passed the MTEL Communication and Literacy Test prior to entrance into a master’s program will not be required to take the School of Education’s Literacy Test. A copy of the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) Communication and Literacy Test results must be provided to the SED Office of Student Records before an exemption from the School of Education test will be approved.

Students are urged to confer with faculty advisors and to read the requirements for each program very carefully when selecting a program during the application process.

Joint and Dual Degree Programs

The School of Education participates in an interdisciplinary program in applied linguistics leading to the PhD degree, based in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Applicants apply to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

A dual degree program in special education (EdM or EdD) and social work (MSW) is offered by the School of Education and the School of Social Work. Please see the Special Education section of this site.

Another dual degree program in policy, planning, and administration (EdM) and social work (MSW) is offered by the School of Education and the School of Social Work. See the Department of Educational Leadership & Development section of this site.

Programs and Specializations

Individuals interested in enrolling in the EdM, MAT, MMT, EdD, and CAGS programs must apply to and be accepted by one of the School’s three departments. Within these three departments (Curriculum & Teaching; Educational Leadership & Development; and Literacy & Language, Counseling & Development) some programs are divided into specializations. Students are urged to review the details of a program for specific requirements and confer with a faculty advisor or the department chair for clarification. For more information, visit www.bu.edu.

Licensure of Educational Personnel

Many professions for which students prepare in the School of Education require certification/licensure by the state or commonwealth in which the student wishes to practice. Appropriate course selection to meet these standards and any additional requirements are the responsibility of the student.

On October 1, 2001, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts began to issue licenses in lieu of the advanced provisional and standard certificates in place prior to that date. The “initial license” corresponds to the former “advanced provisional certificate.” The license equivalent to the former “standard certificate” is the “professional license.”

For each program leading to a license in Massachusetts a specific sequence of courses is required. A description of each sequence and information about additional requirements are available in the offices of the appropriate department.

Students completing a Massachusetts-approved teaching licensure program, and any additional Massachusetts Department of Education requirements, may also be eligible, through a reciprocal agreement, for initial teacher licensure in 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam.

It is imperative that a student discuss his or her plans with an advisor at the initial conference and throughout the course of his or her academic program.

Accreditation

Boston University, including its School of Education, is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.

Title II Annual Institutional Report on Teacher Preparation

Since 1999/2000, Section 2007 of Title II of the Higher Education Act has mandated that each teacher preparation institution submit an annual report on the performance of students and make this report available to the public. In Massachusetts, this information is recorded as students’ performance on the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure. The chart below provides the most recent Boston University report for the 2007/2008 program year. Boston University does not require a student to pass any part of these tests prior to acceptance into a program. We believe that Boston University standards should be the basis of admission.

If you would like more information about these test scores, the ratio of students to supervisors in the field, or information about the number of full- and part-time faculty supporting these programs, we would be pleased to provide it. You can reach the Graduation & Licensure Office at 617-353-3239 or jrichard@bu.edu for additional information.

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Annual Institutional Report on Teacher Preparation Academic Year 2007–208

Pass Rates

Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure
Institution: Boston University

"-" indicates Boston University's "Number Passed" and "Pass Rate"  not shown because "Number Tested" is less than 10.

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Boston, MA 02215

7 October 2009
Boston University
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