College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

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Teacher Education, MS

The MS in Teacher Education is designed for passionate educators ready to deepen their expertise and elevate their impact. Build instructional strategies, curriculum design skills, and research-based practices that transform teaching and improve student outcomes. With flexible options for working professionals, this program prepares you to lead as a master teacher, instructional coach, or curriculum developer. 

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Program overview

The Department of Theory & Practice in Teacher Education offers three pathways to becoming a teacher while earning a graduate degree: on-campus Professional Internship Concentrations, a distance-education Practitioner Concentration, and a distance-education Student Teaching Concentration. 

TPTE also offers a non-licensure master’s degree option – Educational Studies. The Educational Studies degree, however, may lead to an additional endorsement area for an already licensed teacher, depending on the student’s program of study. 

Concentrations 

Professional Internship Concentrations | On Campus

The Professional Internship Concentrations are intended for individuals seeking initial teacher licensure. Note that several of the Concentrations have dual or triple pathway options that lead to additional licensure in English as a Second Language and/or Special Education. The Professional Internship includes the following concentrations: 

Practitioner Concentration | Distance Education

The Practitioner concentration is designed for students who are earning an initial teaching credential while serving as an instructor of record (i.e. as a “Job-Embedded Practitioner”) or as an Apprentice Teacher (i.e., as a “Grow Your Own” teacher candidate) in a school. State licensure requirements allow a partnership school system (or private school) to employ an individual as “instructor of record” or as an “apprentice teacher,” provided content/subject knowledge has been met, and the candidate has been admitted to an approved educator preparation program (EPP). The student would complete graduate-level coursework while carrying out the duties and responsibilities of a first-year teacher or an apprentice teacher, with the school system and UT faculty as mentors, and has four years to complete licensure requirements. The Tennessee Department of Education’s Office of Educator Licensing will issue the license only at the recommendation of the approved educator preparation program. The Practitioner Concentration offers the following focus areas or Specializations:  

Student Teaching Concentration | Distance Education

The student teaching program is designed for people seeking an initial teaching license through remote programming options. After completing the majority of their coursework, students will enroll in a 15-week student teaching experience. Upon successful completion of the program, the student will be recommended for a Tennessee teaching license for special education-hearing. A person planning to teach Deaf students in another state would apply for licensure in that state upon receiving their Tennessee teaching license. UT’s Office of Professional Licensure will supply an out-of-state educator preparation verification form upon request.

The Student Teaching Concentration encompasses the following focus area/specialization.

Advanced Educational Studies Concentration (non-licensure) |On Campus, Distance Education 

The Advanced Educational Studies concentration does not lead to initial teacher licensure but, depending on the student’s program of study, may lead to an additional endorsement area for an already licensed teacher. It is for students seeking to enhance their professional knowledge and expertise, for those preparing to teach at the post-secondary level, or for those preparing for careers that do not require teacher licensure. 

The Advanced Educational Studies Concentration encompasses the following focus areas or specializations: 

Why study Teacher Education?

Teacher Education prepares you with the knowledge, instructional strategies, and classroom management skills needed to reach every learner and create environments where all students can succeed. It develops your ability to design meaningful curriculum, assess student growth, and respond to the diverse needs of today’s classrooms. 

Beyond the classroom, a background in Teacher Education opens doors in curriculum development, instructional coaching, educational leadership, and policy advocacy. 

If you are passionate about learning, children, and making a lasting difference in your community, Teacher Education is a deeply rewarding and critically important field that will define your legacy for generations. 

What can you do with an MS in Teacher Education after graduation?

Lead Teacher

Curriculum Coordinator

Curriculum Developer

Special Education Teacher

Analysis of Teaching for Professional Development

Strategies to document and analyze the effectiveness of teaching and of professional development. Study and application of various approaches.

Intro to Classroom Technology Applications

Classroom applications of technology to support information literacy and 21st century skills; designed to enable teachers to use and integrate a variety of technology tools into the K-12 curriculum.

Professional Studies: Special Education and Diverse Learners

Characteristics and needs of students with disabilities and diverse learners with an emphasis on educational implications. 

Classroom Management

Designed to examine validated methodology of class-wide and individual strategies for successfully managing a classroom across a variety of learning environments and levels. 

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