Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum

Lisa Poling, Chair

Program Director for Elementary Education Graduate Certificate
Program Director for Middle and Secondary Teaching Graduate Certificate
mstgradcert.appstate.edu
Cacey Wells
wellscl1@appstate.edu

Graduate Program Director for Curriculum Specialist, MA
currspec.appstate.edu
Shannan Fitts
fittss@appstate.edu

Graduate Program Director for Elementary Mathematics Graduate Certificate
Ashley Whitehead
whiteheadan@appstate.edu

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

Graduate Program Director for Middle Grades Education MA (program currently inactive)
Chris Cook
cookcm5@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 State has a fully online Graduate Certificate program in the Middle Grades content fields of Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts.

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.

Appalachian’s Master of Arts in Elementary Education leads to “M”-level licensure in grades K-6 and the Master of Arts in Middle Grades Education leads to the graduate-level “M” Grades 6-9 licensure. However, both programs are closed at this time.