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Master of Arts in Teaching

The graduate program will focus on developing teachers who will be skilled in leadership, curriculum design, and advanced instructional strategies.

The MA in Teaching is a non-thesis professional degree varying from 30-36 hours. The MA in Teaching may be combined with other requirements to allow an individual to earn a master's degree and one of two certifications:

  • Early Childhood through Grade 6 Certification (42 hours minimum)

  • 4-8 English Language Arts Certification (36 hours minimum)

  • 4-8 Mathematics Certification (36 hours minimum)

  • 4-8 Science Certification (36 hours minimum)

  • Secondary 7-12 Certification (37 hours minimum)

Specializations (without certification) in the MA in Teaching degree include:

  • Early Childhood through Grade 6  (42 hours minimum)

  • Secondary (36 hours minimum)

  • EC-12 (36 hours minimum)

  • English as a Second Language (36 hours minimum)

  • Montessori:

    • Childhood (30 hours minimum)

    • Elementary I (33 hours minimum)

  • Multisensory (30 hours minimum)*

  • Distance Learning (36 hours minimum)

*The MA in Teaching Multisensory specialization is accredited by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), for having met the standards outlined in the IDA’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading

ADMISSION

There are no additional requirements other than those required for admission to the graduate program at DBU. However, students desiring to earn teacher certification through a graduate program must meet specific requirements. Please contact the College of Education Office for additional information.

PROGRAM CONTINUANCE

Continuance in the program past the first 12 hours is pending submission of a satisfactory score on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or Graduate Record Examinations® (GRE®).

A waiver of the GRE or MAT requirement may be considered if the student meets one of the following conditions:

  • earns an “A-“ or higher in each of the first four courses (12 hours) of graduate coursework in the DBU College of Education, or

  • holds a Bachelor’s degree from the DBU College of Education earned within the past five years with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher, or

  • holds a Master’s degree from DBU.

College of Education Graduate Defense of Degree

Because of Dallas Baptist University’s quest for meaningful assessment of graduate candidates, a defense of degree is required in all College of Education Graduate Programs. The defense of degree is a capstone collection of signature assessments and artifacts with reflections that demonstrate a candidate’s personal growth, development, and acquisition of knowledge, skills and dispositions.

A digital format will be utilized by the candidate to enhance the presentation and to justify why the degree should be awarded to the candidate. The candidate’s formal defense will be presented to members of the Educator Preparation Board and will take place on the main campus each semester.

It is recommended that candidates attend a Defense of Degree workshop held each semester. It is also the candidate’s responsibility to schedule a meeting with their designated program director who will provide additional information regarding objectives, service-learning, artifacts, reflections, presentation format, and evaluative criteria and scoring.

Candidates must register for the Defense of Degree course as prescribed in their degree plan during the semester in which they will present their defense of degree to the Educator Preparation Board. The EPB is a group of experienced and widely successful educators from Dallas Baptist University and the Metroplex. Practicing teachers, administrators, consultants, superintendents, guidance directors, personnel directors, and Educational Region Service Center personnel, as well as DBU professors and administrators, volunteer their time for this highly selective process. The Educator Preparation Board serves as the College of Education Graduate Programs’ advisory board and meets three times a year to assess graduate candidates’ defense of degrees.

College of Education Graduate E-Portfolio

Dallas Baptist University’s educator preparation programs strive to provide a quality learning experience that enables all candidates to impact P-12 learning. The E-Portfolio is designed to be an individualized collection of documents to prepare the candidate for future positions; demonstrate the candidate’s ongoing knowledge, skills, experiences, and dispositions; and provide the candidate with the opportunity for self-reflection. All graduate candidates are required to compile and maintain an electronic, developmental E-Portfolio. There are three types of documents that must be included in the E-Portfolio: required documents, foundational elements, and competency artifacts. Throughout the program, the candidate will collect these documents and upload them to their designed TaskStream account.

The organization of E-Portfolio is governed by the State Board of Educator Certification standards and competencies, DBU/InTASC competencies, and DBU’s Educator Preparation Provider competencies in addition to specific field of study competencies.

The E-Portfolio will be used to assess your development as you proceed through your designated program. Candidates who do not have all required documents and “signature assessments” uploaded into TaskStream will not be allowed to proceed to the next level as designed by these Transition Points:

  • Transition Point One: Requirements for Program Admission

  • Transition Point Two: Requirements for Program Entrance

  • Transition Point Three: Requirements for Program Continuance

  • Transition Point Four: Requirements for Program Completion

  • Transition Point Five: Requirements for Program Evaluation

It is the candidates’ responsibility to meet with their designed program director and/or advisor to discuss the E-Portfolio required documents, checkpoint scoring, foundational elements rubric, and the competency artifacts rubric.

Master of Arts in Teaching:  with Certification

EARLY CHILDHOOD THROUGH GRADE 6 CERTIFICATION

The Master of Arts in Teaching with EC-6 Certification degree is designed for individuals who are pursuing certification in Early Childhood through Sixth Grade concurrently with a master’s degree. This degree is a 42-hour, non-thesis plan that includes the additional criteria established by the State Board for Educator Certification for EC-6 Texas Teacher Certification. This degree includes a clinical-teaching or an internship component, which will count as six graduate hours.

course

Credit hours

Academic Content

27

EDUC 5318 - Pedagogy of Math
GSCI 5320 - Pedagogy of Science
MATH 5304 - Content Math I
READ 5302 - Scaffolding Literacy Instruction
READ 5313 - Science of Teaching Reading
READ 5335 - Pedagogy of Reading I (Phonics)
READ 5336 - Pedagogy of Reading II (Comprehension)
READ 5338 - Pedagogy of Language Arts
SOST 5340 - Pedagogy of Social Studies

Professional Area

15

EDUC 5303 - Developmental Stages of Early Childhood Through Adolescence
EDUC 5315 - Introduction to Designing Instruction
EDUC 5316 - Studies in Classroom Management, Instruction, and Assessment
 
EDUC 5321 - Internship in Teaching I
and 
EDUC 5322 - Internship in Teaching II
or 
EDUC 5608 - Clinical Teaching

15

Required
EDUC 5010 - Elementary Core Subjects EC-6 Seminar
READ 5013 - Science of Teaching Reading Seminar
EDUC 5021 - EC-12 Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Seminar
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree

Total Credit Hours Required

42

4-8 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CERTIFICATION 

Prerequisite: 24 hours of English with 12 hours of upper-level English courses.

course

Credit hours

Academic Content

21

EDUC 5325 - Instructional Technology
READ 5302 - Scaffolding Literacy Instruction
READ 5313 - Science of Teaching Reading


READ 5332 - Diagnosing and Correcting Reading Difficulties

or

READ 5334 - Studies in the Diagnosis and Clinical Correction of Reading Issues


READ 5335 - Pedagogy of Reading I: Phonics

READ 5336 - Pedagogy of Reading II: Comprehension
READ 5338 - Pedagogy of Language Arts

Professional

15

EDUC 5303 - Developmental Stages of Early Childhood through Adolescence
EDUC 5315 - Introduction to Designing Instruction
EDUC 5316 - Studies in Classroom Management, Instruction, and Assessment
 
EDUC 5321 - Internship in Teaching I
and
EDUC 5322 - Internship in Teaching II
or
EDUC 5608 - Clinical Teaching

Required
EDUC 5021 - EC-12 Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Seminar
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree
READ 4010 - ELAR 4-8 Seminar
READ 5013 - Science of Teaching Reading Seminar 

Total Credit Hours Required

36

4-8 MATHEMATICS CERTIFICATION 

Prerequisite: 18 hours of undergraduate Math courses.

course

Credit hours

Academic Content

21

Choose two courses:
EDUC 5310 - Introduction to Exceptional Learners
EDUC 5320 - Teaching the Underachiever
EDUC 6306 - Curriculum Design and Evaluation
EDUC 6308 - The School and Multicultural Society
ESLS 5301 - Second Language Acquisition
ESLS 5304 - Methods in Teaching ESL

And complete the following courses:
EDUC 5318 - Pedagogy of Math
EDUC 5325 - Instructional Technology 
MATH 5304 - Content Math I
MATH 5305 - Content Math II
READ 5331 - Reading in the Content Area

Professional

15

EDUC 5303 - Developmental Stages of Early Childhood through Adolescence
EDUC 5315 - Introduction to Designing Instruction
EDUC 5316 - Studies in Classroom Management, Instruction, and Assessment

EDUC 5321 - Internship in Teaching I
and
EDUC 5322 - Internship in Teaching II
or
EDUC 5608 - Clinical Teaching

Required
EDUC 5021 - EC-12 Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Seminar
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree
MATH 5010 - MATH 4-8 Seminar 

Total Credit Hours Required

36

4-8 SCIENCE CERTIFICATION 

Prerequisite: 18 hours of undergraduate Science courses.

course

Credit hours

Academic Content

21

Choose four courses:
EDUC 5310 - Introduction to Exceptional Learners
EDUC 5320 - Teaching the Underachiever
EDUC 6306 - Curriculum Design and Evaluation
EDUC 6308 - The School and Multicultural Society
ESLS 5301 - Second Language Acquisition
ESLS 5304 - Methods in Teaching ESL

And complete the following courses:
EDUC 5325 - Instructional Technology
GSCI 5320 - Pedagogy of Science
READ 5331 - Reading in the Content Area

Professional

15

EDUC 5303 - Developmental Stages of Early Childhood through Adolescence
EDUC 5315 - Introduction to Designing Instruction
EDUC 5316 - Studies in Classroom Management, Instruction, and Assessment

EDUC 5321 - Internship in Teaching I
and
EDUC 5322 - Internship in Teaching II
or
EDUC 5608 - Clinical Teaching

Required
EDUC 5021 - EC-12 Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Seminar
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree
GSCI 5010 - Science 4-8 Seminar 

Total Credit Hours Required

36

SECONDARY 7-12 CERTIFICATION

The Master of Arts in Teaching degree with Secondary Certification is designed for individuals who are pursuing certification at the Secondary level concurrently with a master’s degree. This degree is a 37-hour, non-thesis plan that includes the additional criteria established by the State Board for Educator Certification for Secondary Texas Teacher Certification. This degree includes a clinical-teaching or an internship component, which will count as six graduate hours, and additionally requires 24 hours in undergraduate content courses with a minimum of 12 upper-level hours in a specified certification concentration. Passing test results on the PACT may be substituted for the required 24 hours of subject-related content courses. Please contact Dr. Chuck Roberts at 214-333-5398 for information regarding requirements for the MAT with Secondary Certification.

Prerequisite: 18 hours of undergraduate content course work. 

course

Credit hours

Academic Content

19

Choose four courses:
EDUC 5310 - Introduction to Exceptional Learners
EDUC 5320 - Teaching the Underachiever
EDUC 6306 - Curriculum Design and Evaluation
EDUC 6308 - The School and Multicultural Society
ESLS 5301 - Second Language Acquisition
ESLS 5304 - Methods in Teaching ESL

And complete the following course:
EDUC 5325 - Instructional Technology 

Secondary Pedagogy (Choose certification area)
EDUC 5433 - Secondary Pedagogy for Computer Science with Lab
EDUC 5435 - Secondary Pedagogy for Mathematics with Lab
EDUC 5436 - Secondary Pedagogy for English, Language Arts and Reading with Lab
EDUC 5437 - Secondary Pedagogy for Natural Science with Lab
EDUC 5438 - Secondary Pedagogy for History with Lab
EDUC 5439 - Secondary Pedagogy for Biology with Lab  

Professional

18

EDUC 5303 - Developmental Stages of Early Childhood through Adolescence
EDUC 5315 - Introduction to Designing Instruction
EDUC 5316 - Studies in Classroom Management, Instruction, and Assessment
 
EDUC 5321 - Internship in Teaching I
and
EDUC 5322 - Internship in Teaching II
or
EDUC 5608 - Clinical Teaching

READ 5331 - Reading in the Content Area

Required
EDUC 5021 - EC-12 Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Seminar
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree

Choose certification area: 
BIOL 5011 - Life Science 7-12 Seminar
COMA 5010 - Speech 7-12 Seminar 
COSC 5011 - Computer Science 8-12 Seminar
ENGL 5011 - English Language Arts and Reading 7-12 Seminar
GSCI 5011 - Science 7-12 Seminar
HIST 5011 - History 7-12 Seminar
KNES 5010 - EC-12 Physical Education Seminar
MATH 5011 - Math 7-12 Seminar
MUSI 5010 - Music All-Level Seminar  

Total Credit Hours Required

37

Master of Arts in Teaching:  Non-Certification

EC-6 SPECIALIZATION (WITHOUT CERTIFICATION)

course

Credit hours

Academic Content

27

GSCI 5320 - Pedagogy of Science
EDUC 5318 - Pedagogy of Math
EDUC 5325 - Instructional Technology
MATH 5304 - Content Math I
READ 5302 - Scaffolding Literacy Instruction
READ 5335 - Pedagogy of Reading I (Phonics)
READ 5336 - Pedagogy of Reading II (Comprehension)
READ 5338 - Pedagogy of Language Arts
SOST 5340 - Pedagogy of Social Studies

Professional

9

EDUC 5303 - Developmental Stages of Early Childhood through Adolescence
EDUC 5315 - Introduction to Designing Instruction
EDUC 5316 - Studies in Classroom Management, Instruction, and ASSESSMENT

Required
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree

Total Credit Hours Required

36

SECONDARY SPECIALIZATION (WITHOUT CERTIFICATION)

course

Credit hours

Academic Area

12

EDUC 5316 - Studies in Classroom Management, Instruction, and Assessment
EDUC 6308 - The School and Multicultural Society
READ 5331 - Reading in the Content Area
READ 5338 - Pedagogy of Language Arts

Technology Area

3

EDUC 6312 - Technology Integration in Curriculum

Professional Area

12

EDUC 5303 - Developmental Stages of Early Childhood Through Adolescence
EDUC 5315 - Introduction to Designing Instruction
EDUC 6302 - Research in Education (S-L)
EDUC 6306 - Curriculum Design and Evaluation

Resource Area

9

EDUC 5310 - Introduction to Exceptional Learners
EDUC 5320 - Teaching the Underachiever
Candidate will register for corresponding teacher concentration area below: 
EDUC 5335 - Secondary Pedagogy for Math
EDUC 5336 - Secondary Pedagogy for English Language Arts Reading
EDUC 5337 - Secondary Pedagogy for Science
EDUC 5338 - Secondary Pedagogy for History

Required
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree

Total Credit Hours Required

36

EC-12 SPECIALIZATION

course

Credit hours

Academic Area

12

EDUC 5316 - Studies in Classroom Management, Instruction, and Assessment
EDUC 6308 - The School and Multicultural Society
READ 5331 - Reading in the Content Area
READ 5338 - Pedagogy of Language Arts

Technology Area

3

EDUC 6312 - Technology Integration in Curriculum

Professional Area

12

EDUC 5303 - Developmental Stages of Early Childhood Through Adolescence
EDUC 5315 - Introduction to Designing Instruction
EDUC 6302 - Research in Education (S-L)
EDUC 6306 - Curriculum Design and Evaluation

Resource Area

9

EDUC 5310 - Introduction to Exceptional Learners
EDUC 5320 - Teaching the Underachiever
EDAD 6313 - Supervision of Instruction

Required
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree

Total Credit Hours Required

36

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE SPECIALIZATION

course

Credit hours

Academic Area

15

Chosen with advisor approval: 
ESLS 5301 - Second Language Acquisition*
ESLS 5304 - Methods in Teaching ESL*
ESLS 5306 - Content Area Language Proficiency Skills*
ESLS 5308 - Multicultural and Multilingual Learning Environments*
ESLS 5310 - Administration of the ESL Program
ESLS 5312 - Practicum for State Certification (S-L)
ESLS 5314 - Practicum in ESL/EFL Settings (S-L)*
  *Courses required for the Texas ESL Certification
**Students not seeking Texas ESL certification, may take this course instead of ESLS 5312.  

Technology Area

3

EDUC 6312 - Technology Integration in Curriculum

Professional Area

9

EDUC 5315 - Introduction to Designing Instruction
EDUC 6302 - Research in Education (S-L)
EDUC 6308 - The School and Multicultural Society

Resource Area

9

EDAD 6313 - Supervision of Instruction
EDUC 6306 - Curriculum Design and Evaluation
READ 5302 - Scaffolding Literacy Instruction

9

Required
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree

Total Credit Hours Required

36

Montessori Specializations

The Master of Arts in Teaching with Montessori Specialization offers two options: Early Childhood, consisting of 30 graduate hours, or Elementary I, consisting of 33 graduate hours.

EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIALIZATION

course

Credit hours

Academic Area

21

EDUC 5360 - Introduction to Montessori Philosophy and Observation
EDUC 5361 - Montessori Practical Life and Philosophy
EDUC 5362 - Montessori Sensorial and Philosophy
EDUC 5363 - Montessori Early Childhood Mathematics and Philosophy
EDUC 5364 - Montessori Early Childhood Language Arts and Philosophy
EDUC 5365 - Montessori Cultures and Philosophy
EDUC 5366 - Montessori Early Childhood Content Areas and Philosophy

PROFESSIONAL AREA

3

EDUC 6302 - Research in Education (S-L)

RESOURCE AREA

6

EDUC 5368 - Montessori Child Development
EDUC 5369 - Montessori Early Childhood Classroom Leadership

Required
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree (Required)

Total Credit Hours Required

30

ELEMENTARY I SPECIALIZATION

course

Credit hours

Academic Area

30

EDUC 5360 - Introduction to Montessori Philosophy and Observation
EDUC 5370 - Montessori Elementary Mathematics I and Philosophy
EDUC 5371 - Montessori Elementary Mathematics II and Philosophy
EDUC 5372 - Montessori Elementary Language Arts I and Philosophy
EDUC 5373 - Montessori Elementary Language Arts II and Philosophy
EDUC 5374 - Montessori Biological Sciences and Philosophy
EDUC 5375 - Montessori Geometry, Fractions, and Philosophy
EDUC 5376 - Montessori History, Geography, and Philosophy
EDUC 5377 - Montessori Functional Geography and Philosophy
EDUC 5378 - Montessori Elementary Content Areas and Philosophy

Resource Area

3

EDUC 5379 - Montessori Elementary Classroom Management, Research, and Curriculum Design

Required
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree 

Total Credit Hours Required

33

Multisensory Specialization

Note: These courses are taught through the Shelton School. Students must apply and be admitted to the Master of Arts in Teaching at DBU in order to receive transcript credit from DBU. Class registration is completed through both DBU and the Shelton School with tuition and fees being paid to both DBU and the Shelton School. Contact the MAT program director for more information about this specialization.

course

Credit hours

Academic Area

18

Chosen with advisor approval
EDUC 5340 - Teaching Written Language Skills in a Multisensory Structured Language Approach
EDUC 5341 - Therapeutic Analysis of Written Language Disorders
EDUC 5342 - Classroom Management of the Learning Different Student
EDUC 5343 - Classroom Instruction of the Learning Different Student  
EDUC 5344 - Diagnosing Learning Different Children
EDUC 5345 - Teaching Written Language Skills with an Alphabetic Phonetic Approach
EDUC 5348 - Teaching Written Language Skills in a Multisensory Structured Language Therapy with Adolescents
EDUC 5349 - Therapeutic Analysis of Written Disorders for Adolescents
EDUC 5350 - Written Language Skills Intervention for Students with Dyslexia
EDUC 5351 - Therapeutic Implementation of Written Language Skills Intervention for Students with Dyslexia
EDUC 5352 - Theory to Practice

Professional Area

12

EDUC 6302 - Research in Education (S-L)
EDUC 6308 - The School and Multicultural Society
EDUC 6340 - Practicum I
EDUC 6341 - Practicum II

Required
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree 

Total Credit Hours Required:

30

Distance Learning Specialization

The Master of Arts in Teaching Distance Learning Specialization is a master’s-level education program with 15 hours of distance learning coursework. The 36-hour degree is designed for professionals seeking a master’s degree in education with knowledge and skills specific to Distance Learning. This program does not lead to Texas Teacher Certification.

course

Credit hours

Academic Area

15

DLED 6301 - Foundations of Distance Learning
DLED 6302 - Designing and Developing Distance Learning
DLED 6303 - Teaching and Learning in the Online Classroom
DLED 6304 - Technology Tools for the Online Classroom
DLED 6305 - Distance Learning Design and Administration

Professional Area

12

EDUC 6302 - Research in Education (S-L)
EDUC 6304 - Improvement of Instruction
EDUC 6306 - Curriculum Design and Evaluation
EDAD 6313 - Supervision of Instruction

Resource Area

9

EDUC 5310 - Introduction to Exceptional Learners
ESLS 5304 - Methods in Teaching ESL
EDUC 6308 - The School and Multicultural Society

Required
EDUC 6010 - Defense of Degree

Total Credit Hours Required

36

(S-L)=Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.

Refer to individual course descriptions for course requisites.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Find course descriptions by category under the Graduate Course Descriptions section in the navigation panel.

Pathways to Teaching Program

(Teacher Certification as a Post-Baccalaureate student and not seeking a master’s degree)

The Pathways to Teaching Program is a specifically designed program which allows an individual who has already obtained at least a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited university to earn Texas teacher certification. Once certification is complete, the individual may add an ESL Supplemental or Special Education Supplemental teacher certification.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS :

  • Complete Advanced Certificate Application

  • Non-refundable $25 application fee

  • Conferred bachelor’s or master’s degree

  • Official transcripts from all institutions attended

  • Letter of intent (typewritten) stating:

    • Which certificate you would like to earn and why you selected that program

    • What you personally hope to accomplish during this program

    • Why you have chosen to attend Dallas Baptist University

  • Minimum 3.0 GPA in previous coursework. In some instances, it is possible for an individual to take prerequisite courses to raise a low GPA.

  • Current professional resume

  • Two recommendations

  • Evidence of sound moral character and compatibility with DBU’s mission

  • THEA requirements: 260 on Reading, 240 on Math, 240 on Writing

CERTIFICATIONS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE PATHWAYS TO TEACHING PROGRAM:

EC-6 (Early childhood through sixth grade)

Grades 4-8
English Language Arts and Reading
Mathematics
Science

Grades 7-12
Communication
English Language Arts and Reading
History
Life Sciences
Mathematics
Science
Speech

Grades 8-12
Computer Science

EC-12
Music
Physical Education

An ESL or Special Education Supplement may be added to any of these certifications.

Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT) Information

Post-baccalaureate individuals seeking Texas teaching certification who have not yet enrolled in DBU’s Pathways to Teaching Certification Program have the opportunity to take the state Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT) to demonstrate subject area content proficiency. Passing test results on the PACT may be substituted for the required 24 hours of subject-related content courses in the Pathways to Teaching Certification plan.

For More Pathways to Teaching Information

Please contact Dr. Chuck Roberts at 214-333-5398 for additional information regarding the PACT procedure, acceptance into the Pathways to Teaching Certification program. Specific course requirements for the Pathways to Teaching program are included in the Undergraduate catalog under the College of Education.