Master of Education in Secondary Education Physics

DePaul University

The TEACH Program combines a College of Science and Health (CSH) undergraduate Physics major or some other disciplinary major with a graduate level College of Education (COE) Master of Education (MEd) Program. Students graduate with a BS in their CSH disciplinary major and a MEd in Education with a Professional Educator License and physics endorsement in the State of Illinois.The program features the integration of disciplinary content with educational foundations and pedagogical content knowledge. The Junior Year Experiential Course, Senior Capstone Course, and three double-counted undergraduate/graduate courses offer students a seamless transition from undergraduate to graduate studies and from major-field coursework to teacher-preparation coursework. For undergraduate disciplinary major requirements, please refer to the appropriate undergraduate program website. The 5th-year master’s level coursework builds on students’ undergraduate experiences through a series of integrated courses that include consistent and long-term field experiences culminating in a student-teaching experience during the Spring of students’ fifth year. Within the COE, the Junior Year Experiential Course, Capstone Course, and master’s level coursework are part of the Department of Teacher Education. This coursework is designed to immerse students into the teaching profession by linking and integrating disciplinary content with an understanding of human development diverse students middle-school and secondary education, research on pedagogical content knowledge the social and cultural contexts of education and the development and assessment of content-area curricula. The program engages teacher candidates in critical reflection on their teacher development and practice. It fosters engagement in schools through placement of students in field experiences in schools and community agencies. Upon completion of the TEACH Program, teacher candidates measure themselves against the values of the COE conceptual framework through the development of professional portfolios. Values that are part of this framework include: commitment to social justice, critical pedagogy, and positive educational transformation within the context of a Vincentian personalism that honors the dignity of each person.