Elementary mathematics specialist

University of Missouri-Columbia
Graduate certificate
young children solving arithmetic on a blackboard
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Overview

The online graduate certificate in elementary mathematics specialist from MU can help you further your existing career in elementary education. If you are a full-time, in-service elementary teacher and want to be a mathematics coach, teacher leader or an elementary mathematics teacher in your district, this may be the certificate for you.

Quick facts

Official name

Graduate certificate in elementary mathematics specialist

Campus

University of Missouri-Columbia

Program type

Graduate certificate

Academic home

College of Education & Human Development | Department of Learning, Teaching and Curriculum

Delivery mode

100% online

Accreditation

Higher Learning Commission, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)

Credit hours

24

Estimated cost

$13,483.20

*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.

A young child holds a paper with an "A+"

Career prospects

Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
6.9%
Employment growth
Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
$60,000
Median salary

Program structure

Delivery of the program is entirely online during the school year, with scheduled synchronous online meetings approximately five times a semester. Summer courses may include meetings on the Columbia campus, with a video conferencing option for students who are unable to attend in person.

Classes follow the same schedule as on campus. Students typically take one or two classes each semester, including summers, and finish in two years.

Course work includes

  • Algebraic reasoning
  • Data analysis and mathematical modeling
  • Geometry and measurement
  • Mathematics leadership
  • Numbers and operations
  • Rational numbers

This graduate certificate may serve as a stand-alone credential or be applied toward a master’s degree (M Ed) or an education specialist’s degree (EdSp).

Delivery

100% online

Calendar system

Semester-based

Typical program length

2 years

Typical course load

1 or 2 classes each semester

Accreditation

The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. 

This program is accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Faculty spotlight

Corey Webel

Corey Webel has served as the director of the elementary mathematics specialist program at the University of Missouri since 2016. Dr. Webel is actively researching how school-based mathematics leaders shape and are shaped by the systems and structures that exist in elementary schools. He is ultimately interested in how these systems and leaders could create healthier mathematics learning experiences for children.

Corey Webel, PhD
Associate Professor and Program Director, Department of Learning, Teaching and Curriculum
Tiffany LaCroix

Tiffany LaCroix joined the University of Missouri (Mizzou) in 2024 as an assistant teaching professor in mathematics education in the Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum. Dr. LaCroix is also the primary advisor for the master of education and educational specialist degrees offered in mathematics education. Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Mizzou as well as an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech. Her areas of expertise include K–12 mathematics teaching methods, virtual teaching, using AI in education and working with elementary mathematics specialists.

Tiffany LaCroix, PhD
Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Learning, Teaching and Curriculum

Learn more about this program

This program is administered by the Department of Learning, Teaching and Curriculum