Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Elizabeth Campbell, Chair

ci.appstate.edu

Sara Zimmerman, Graduate Program Director for Curriculum Specialist (MA)
zimmermnsj@appstate.edu
currspec.appstate.edu

Chrystal Dean, Graduate Program Director for Elementary Education (MA) and Elementary Mathematics (Graduate Certificate)
deanco@appstate.edu

Chris Cook, Graduate Program Director for Middle Grades Education (MA)
cookcm5@appstate.edu

Jerianne Taylor, Program Director for Middle and Secondary Teaching (Graduate Certificate)
taylorjs@appstate.edu
http://mstgradcert.appstate.edu

Shanan Fitts, Program Director for Teaching Emergent Bilingual Populations in the Content Areas (Graduate Certificate)
fittss@appstate.edu

The Curriculum Specialist online 33-credit-hour Master of Arts degree program prepares students to become curriculum and instruction specialists whose primary concern is the improvement of learning opportunities. Students gain instructional expertise, knowledge of learners, research skills and content knowledge, as well as professional and leadership development to advise administrators and teachers on curriculum development and instruction. The program is in compliance with the N.C. Department of Public Instructional (DPI) requirements leading to North Carolina Licensure as a curriculum-instruction specialist. Students must have a teaching license to be admitted.

Appalachian’s Master of Arts in Elementary Education leads to “M”-level licensure in grades K-6 and has been approved by the appropriate bodies at the state level to meet the advanced competencies as mandated in the NC Excellent Schools Act for master’s-level teacher education programs. This degree program is open to qualified students who hold a valid NC “A”-level teaching license or its equivalent from another state (the teaching license does not have to be in elementary education). The program covers the theoretical and philosophical bases for educational practices as they relate to the elementary school curriculum. Students concentrate in one or more of the instructional areas in these grades and explore how subjects interrelate. Students learn to better understand the elementary school-age learner, utilize research techniques in designing and implementing curricula and activities, identify major issues and trends impacting elementary education, and make critical decisions.

The Master of Arts in Middle Grades Education leads to the graduate-level “M” Grades 6-9 licensure and has been approved by the appropriate bodies at the state level to meet the advanced competencies as mandated in the NC Excellent Schools Act for Master-level teacher education programs. This nationally recognized program seeks to prepare teachers who are knowledgeable about the developmental characteristics of young adolescents and are able to conceptualize and apply that knowledge in the classroom; are knowledgeable about at least one subject area; possess a clear, research-based knowledge of developmentally responsive instruction and schooling; have the specialized skills and knowledge needed to provide middle grades students with effective instruction; and, demonstrate a dedication to middle grades education based on an accurate middle grades knowledge base.

Appalachian State has a fully online Graduate Certificate program in all four Middle Grades content fields: Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts, as well as in Career and Technical Education, grades 6-12. We also offer an on-campus program for individuals wishing to obtain a Graduate Certificate in Secondary Science or Secondary Mathematics.

The Graduate Certificate in Teaching Emergent Bilingual Populations in the Content Areas provides you with strong grounding in culturally sustainable pedagogy and creative methods for engaging immigrant and refugee in the areas of math, science, and multiliteracies. The certificate focuses on the intersections of math, science, and language learning due to lower achievement and participation rates for bilingual students in these fields.

Programs

Master of Arts

Graduate Certificate

Courses

Career & Technical Education

Curriculum & Instruction

Additional offerings by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction include courses in Career and Technical Education (CTE)