Elementary education

University of Missouri-St. Louis
Master of education
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Overview

Educators are creative and unique. Rather than depending on brief, disconnected professional development days in your school, become a designer of your destiny. Take a deep dive into areas of knowledge and skills of your profession designed to impact your educational practice. Do you feel you need to know more about how to support your students with disabilities? Your language learners? Do you want to learn about how character education might improve classroom climate? Do you want to test the waters in educational leadership to see if administration is in your future?

Within the master’s degree in elementary education several concentration areas provide focus on high-leverage problems of practice such as designing curriculum, special education, social justice, leadership and assessment. Two linked concentrations will support a journey to literary specialist. Come join us for collaborative dialogue on the exciting challenges around education in the 21st century.

You will have the opportunity to engage in Action Research within your own classroom or educational work settings, identifying problems of practice and collecting and analyzing data to make things better for learners. As one of the largest programs in the state, the College of Education boasts a strong research and teaching faculty recognized by national reviews for high productivity.

The master of education consists of three foundation courses, two concentrations and two teacher research courses that build on your strengths or strengthen areas that build your educator effectiveness. Each person can find the educational opportunities that impact student learning and increase the capacity for leading. Three concentrations provide opportunities for courses that lead to a certificate in an emphasis area.

Quick facts

Official name

Master of education in elementary education with an emphasis in general

Campus

University of Missouri-St. Louis

Program type

Master's degree

Academic home

College of Education | Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership

Delivery mode

100% online

Accreditation

Higher Learning Commission

*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 classroom of young boys and girls drawing on one large piece of paper. The children are wearing school uniform while their teacher watches.

Career prospects

The master’s in elementary education is appropriate for early childhood and elementary teachers, specialists, department chairpersons and those who work in informal or international educational settings. Candidates choose two 9-hour concentration areas that will support their personal growth and development as an educational leader.

Program structure

Delivery of this program is 100% online: no campus visits are required. Courses are semester-based. Students typically take one or two classes each semester and finish in two to three years.

Course work includes

  • Examining history, community and social justice in education
  • Teacher action, advocacy and leadership
  • Instruction, learning and assessment

Delivery

100% online

Calendar system

Semester-based

Typical program length

2 or 3 years

Typical course load

1 or 2 classes each semester

Accreditation

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

Faculty spotlight

Nancy Singer

Dr. Singer has been actively involved in research that addresses teacher preparation and retention. These projects have included online support of novice teachers, investigation of how teachers create and perceive their professional identities and philosophies, and mentoring teachers preparing for jobs in hard-to-staff schools. She has published numerous articles and technical papers in journals including Journal of Writing Assessment, Urban Education, and Teacher Development.

Nancy Robb Singer, PhD
Director of Teacher Education

Learn more about this program

This program is administered by the Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership