The Elementary Education M.Ed. program is designed to meet the needs of educators focused on Grades K-6. It provides experiences in the foundations of education, an update of the student's skills and understanding related to current research and instructional trends in basic subject matter areas, and elective choices in specific areas. Teachers with a temporary teaching certificate, who have obtained a Statement of Eligibility (S.O.E.) from the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE), may be accepted into the program and have the opportunity to include coursework required by the state of Florida to move to professional certification.
The MEd in Elementary Education requires 30 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree and offers a non-thesis OR thesis option. Both options require 6 credit hours of core courses, 15 credit hours from ONE area of specialization, and 9 credit hours from either the non-thesis option or the thesis option (outlined below).
Non thesis option: Students choose 3 additional elective courses (9 credit hours) with permission of program advisor, culminating in a final theoretical research paper and presentation.
Thesis option: Students enroll in a 3 credit hour foundations of research course - EDF 6481 (OR an approved research course with consent of program advisor), AND EDE 6971 (6 credit hours), culminating in a final thesis defense presentation to a committee of chosen faculty and a written thesis document.
At minimum, 50 percent of the program coursework completed for the MEd must be at the 6000 level.
Total Credit Hours Required: 30
Please note: Elementary Education MEd may be completed fully online. Newly admitted students choosing to complete this program exclusively via UCF online classes may enroll with a reduction in campus-based fees.
International students (F or J visa) are required to enroll in a full-time course load of 9 credit hours during the fall and spring semesters. Only 3 of the 9 credit hours may be taken in a completely online format. For a detailed listing of enrollment requirements for international students, please visit UCF Global. If you have questions, please consult UCF Global at 407-823-2337. UCF is not authorized to provide online courses or instruction to students in some states. Refer to State Restrictions for current information.
Program Prerequisites
A current Florida Professional Teaching Certificate in the program's subject area. Applicants who have graduated from an accredited university or college teacher certification program in another state or country, in the appropriate subject and/or grade range, may also be admitted to the MEd program at the discretion of the program director.
OR
A Temporary Teaching Certificate, a passing score on the Subject Area Exam (SAE) section of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination (or permission from a program advisor to enroll in pending SAE completion status), and at least 1 year of successful teaching experience.
Degree Requirements
Required Courses
6 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Students should plan to take EDE 6933 Introductory Seminar in Elementary Education during the first semester of enrollment. Students should take EDE 6935 during the final semester in the program. Note: All three courses require an independent learning experience in the form of research studies.
- Complete the following:
- EDE6933 - Introductory Seminar in Elementary Education (1)
- EDE6935 - Capstone Seminar in Elementary Education (2)
- EDF6237 - Principles of Learning and Introduction to Classroom Assessment (3)
Areas of Specialization
15 Total Credits
- Complete 1 of the following
- Graduate students have the opportunity to earn a graduate certificate simultaneously with their MEd in Elementary Education. To pursue an area of specialization and complete the required coursework to meet your professional goals, please speak to a program advisor. Choose from the following areas of specialization: - Reading Education Graduate Certificate - ESOL Endorsement K-12 Graduate Certificate - Gifted Education Graduate Certificate - Special Education Graduate Certificate - General Elementary Education Specialization - Dual Language Graduate Certificate - Early Childhood Education Specialization A program advisor may approve courses taken as part of a UCF graduate certificate program to transfer 50% of the program’s credits into the Elementary Education MEd. - EDS 5356 Mentoring and Clinical Supervision of Pre- Professional Educators is highly recommended for K-6 educators with 3 or more years of teaching experience. This course prepares you to supervise interns. For each senior intern and two junior interns you supervise, you will earn a Certificate of Participation which covers the cost of 6 credit hours of tuition.)
Reading Education Graduate Certificate Pathway (leading to endorsement)- Complete all of the following
- Graduate students have the opportunity to earn their reading endorsement (issued by Florida Department of Education, FLDOE) and satisfy Statements of Eligibility (SOE) issued by FLDOE through this pathway. This requires the following three course to be taken sequentially - RED 5147, RED 5517, RED 5948 (total of 9 credit hours), plus enrolling in professional courses identified on SOE. Please speak to a program advisor for additional course enrollment requirements.
- Complete the following:
- RED5147 - Developmental Reading (3)
- RED5517 - Classroom Diagnosis and Development of Reading Proficiencies (3)
- RED5948 - Practicum in Reading Assessment and Instruction (3)
- Complete the following:
- EDG6415 - Principles of Instruction and Classroom Management (3)
- TSL5085 - Teaching Language Minority Students in K-12 Classrooms (3)
ESOL Endorsement K-12 Graduate Certificate Pathway- Complete all of the following
- Graduate students have the opportunity to earn their ESOL endorsement (issued by Florida Department of Education, FLDOE) and satisfy Statements of Eligibility (SOE) issued by FLDOE through this pathway. For endorsement, a student must complete an ESOL exam, and enroll in additional coursework. Please speak to a program adviser for additional course enrollment requirements. Students must take all 15 hours (from the selections below) if applying for the ESOL Endorsement Graduate Certificate program. Upon successful completion, students will need to complete separate paperwork with the state of Florida for official recognition of this endorsement. All courses are offered online. If interested, students will apply for the ESOL Endorsement Graduate Certificate AND the Elementary Education MEd. simultaneously.
- Complete at least 1 of the following:
- TSL5345 - Methods of ESOL Teaching (3)
- TSL5085 - Teaching Language Minority Students in K-12 Classrooms (3)
- Complete at least 1 of the following:
- TSL6440 - Assessment Issues in TESOL (3)
- SPA6474 - Assessment and Management of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations (3)
- Complete the following:
- TSL6142 - Critical Approaches to ESOL (3)
- TSL6250 - Applied Linguistics in ESOL (3)
- TSL5525 - ESOL Cultural Diversity (3)
Gifted Education Graduate Certificate- Complete the following:
- EGI6051 - Understanding the Gifted/Talented Student (3)
- EGI6245 - Curriculum and Instruction for Teaching Advanced, Gifted, and Talented Learners (3)
- EGI6246 - Education of Special Populations of Gifted Students (3)
- EGI6305 - Theory and Development of Creativity (3)
- EGI6417 - Guidance and Counseling Strategies for Teachers of Gifted and Talented Individuals (3)
Special Education Graduate Certificate Pathway- Complete all of the following
- Graduate students have the opportunity to earn their Special Education Graduate Certificate and satisfy Statements of Eligibility (SOE) issued by Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) through this pathway. Students will apply for the Special Education Graduate Certificate AND the Elementary Education MEd simultaneously. The following contains the four required courses for the graduate certificate and one professional education course commonly required by FLDOE on Statements of Eligibility.
- Complete the following:
- EEX6295 - Assessment and Curriculum Prescriptions for the Exceptional Population (3)
- EEX6612 - Methods of Behavioral Management (3)
- EEX5051 - Exceptional Children in the Schools (3)
- EEX6061 - Instructional Strategies Pre-K-6 (3)
- RED5147 - Developmental Reading (3)
Dual Languages Graduate Certificate- Complete all of the following
- Currently, earning the Dual Language Graduate Certificate will require students to complete one additional TSL course to total the 18 credit hours listed on the program website.
- Complete at least 5 of the following:
- SPN6940 - Teaching Methods for the Spanish Classroom (3)
- TSL5085 - Teaching Language Minority Students in K-12 Classrooms (3)
- TSL6143 - Curriculum and Instruction in Dual Language Programs (3)
- TSL6250 - Applied Linguistics in ESOL (3)
- TSL6377 - Bilingualism, Multiculturalism, and Biliteracy in the Dual Language Classroom (3)
- TSL6443 - Assessment in Dual Language Programs (3)
- TSL6526 - Interdependencies of Language, Culture, and Education for Dual Language Learners (3)
Early Childhood Education Specialization- Complete the following:
- EEC5205 - Programs and Trends in Early Childhood Education (3)
- EEC6269 - Play Development, Intervention, and Assessment (3)
- EEC6405 - Home-School-Community Interaction in Early Childhood Education (3)
- EEC6406 - Guiding and Facilitating Social Competence (3)
- EEC6606 - Global Issues in Early Childhood (3)
General Elementary Education Specialization- Complete all of the following
- Please note that each of the following writing focused courses (LAE 5295, 5495, 6296, 6417, 6616, 6936; MAE 6656; SCE 5836) are inclusive of K-12 graduate student populations.
- Earn at least 15 credits from the following:
- ISC6146 - Environmental Education for Educators (3)
- LAE5295 - Writing Workshop (1 - 3)
- LAE5319 - Methods of Elementary School Language Arts (3)
- LAE5415 - Children's Literature in Elementary Education (3)
- LAE5495 - Assessing Writing (3)
- LAE6296 - Advanced Writing Workshop (1 - 3)
- LAE6417 - Investigation in Children's Literature (3)
- LAE6616 - Trends in Language Arts Education (3)
- LAE6936 - Seminar in Language Arts Education (3)
- MAE6318 - Current Methods in Elementary School Mathematics (3)
- SCE5836 - Space and Physical Science for Educators (3)
- TSL6142 - Critical Approaches to ESOL (3)
- EME6053 - Teaching and Learning with Emerging Technologies (3)
- TSL5085 - Teaching Language Minority Students in K-12 Classrooms (3)
- RED5147 - Developmental Reading (3)
- EEX5051 - Exceptional Children in the Schools (3)
- EEX6061 - Instructional Strategies Pre-K-6 (3)
- EGI6051 - Understanding the Gifted/Talented Student (3)
- EGI6245 - Curriculum and Instruction for Teaching Advanced, Gifted, and Talented Learners (3)
- TSL6250 - Applied Linguistics in ESOL (3)
- RED6336 - Teaching Content Area and Disciplinary Literacy (3)
- EME6405 - Adapting and Integrating Innovative Technologies in Education (3)
- MAE6656 - Using Technology in the Instruction of K-12 Mathematics (3)
- EEX6612 - Methods of Behavioral Management (3)
- EDF6216 - Motivation in Learning and Performance (3)
Professional Teaching Certificate - Complete all of the following
- The Professional Teaching Certificate courses are only for MEd. in Elementary Education students who have a Temporary Teaching Certificate and are seeking professional certification.
- Complete at least 5 of the following:
- EDF6727 - Critical Analysis of Social, Ethical, Legal, and Safety Issues Related to Education (3)
- EDG6415 - Principles of Instruction and Classroom Management (3)
- RED5147 - Developmental Reading (3)
- TSL5085 - Teaching Language Minority Students in K-12 Classrooms (3)
- EEX5051 - Exceptional Children in the Schools (3)
Thesis/Nonthesis Options
9 Total Credits
- Complete 1 of the following
Thesis Option- Earn at least 9 credits from the following:
- EDF6481 - Fundamentals of Graduate Research in Education (3)
- 6971 - Thesis (1 - 99)
- Or another research course with consent of a program advisor.
Nonthesis Option- Earn at least 9 credits from the following types of courses: Student will choose 3 additional elective courses of interest (with permission of a program advisor).
Grand Total Credits: 30
Application Requirements
Application Deadlines
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
Admission Requirements
