HPU | M.Ed. in Elementary Education

M.Ed. in Elementary Education

The Choice for Leaders in Elementary Education

 

  • Hawai‘i State Approved Teacher Education Program (SATEP) through Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board (HTSB).
  • Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) Accredited
  • You will receive mentorship by content area teachers in public, private and charter school settings. 
  • You will have the flexibility of evening course offerings with small class sizes. 
  • The M.Ed. in Elementary Education is a portable degree, recognized in Hawaiʻi and on the mainland.  
  • You will engage in 450 hours of clinical practice (student teaching) in schools under the guidance of experienced mentor teachers selected by school principals. 
  • Online options available with student teaching in Hawai‘i.

 

Join our M.Ed. in Elementary Education program and receive a global, world-class education while being immersed in a diverse environment located in the center of the Pacific Rim. You will learn alongside peers from all 50 states and over 65+ countries who provide unique worldviews and perspectives. Hawaiʻi’s location also presents you with the opportunity to teach in culturally diverse classrooms that are impossible to find elsewhere 

The Master of Education in Elementary Education (M.Ed.) develops professional educators who are reflective practitioners dedicated to the scholarship of teaching and school renewal. The program is based on a standards-driven, field-based, and inquiry-oriented curriculum that employs cutting-edge educational technology to integrate content and pedagogy. Employing an electronic portfolio-based assessment system, university faculty and mentor teachers guide the candidate's progress in achieving professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions.

Hawai‘i Pacific University's M.Ed. Program in Elementary Education prepares candidates to become competent, caring, and professional educators through classroom discussions and clinical practice experiences. Teacher candidates learn in small classes and enjoy individual attention by university faculty and mentor teachers.

The program prepares individuals for licensure in grades K-6.

Graduate students will complete 450 hours of clinical practice in one semester.  Placement at a school is determined by various factors: educational philosophy, employment of the teacher candidate at the school, proximity of the teacher candidate's residency at the school, convenience to the teacher candidate's outside employment, etc.  Every effort is made to make the clinical practice meaningful, relevant and challenging to our students.

Teacher candidates complete ten core seminar courses in elementary education and curriculum and two capstone clinical practice courses, for a total of 36 credit hours.

Not only does the M.Ed. in Elementary Education program take a global view, the learning environment at HPU is also multicultural. Located in the center of the Pacific Rim, Honolulu is a cosmopolitan city with a busy, international community. This attracts a wide-range of learners and uniquely prepares you to teach in culturally diverse classrooms. In fact, HPU students come from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.

Graduate faculty at HPU are well-respected teachers and scholars in their respective fields. Because they come to HPU from all parts of the United States, they also bring a wealth of worldly experience to campus. You will find a deep commitment to utilizing educational technology tools at HPU, including access to online periodical databases, a digital portfolio-based web page assessment system, course web-page technology, and state-of-the-art wireless services and high tech classrooms.

The M.Ed. in Elementary Education is a portable degree, recognized in Hawaii and on the mainland.  The curriculum is aligned with professional, state, and institutional standards. In addition, teacher candidates engage in 450 hours of clinical practice experiences in schools under the guidance of mentor teachers selected by school principals.

Students who complete the Master of Education in Elementary Education Program will:

  • Understand how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
  • Use an understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
  • Work with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
  • Understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
  • Understand how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
  • Understand and use multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.
  • Plan instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
  • Understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
  • Engage in ongoing professional learning and use evidence to continually evaluate their practice, particularly the effects of their choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapt practice to meet the needs of each learner.
  • Seek appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.

  • Application
  • $55 Application Fee
  • Interview
  • Official Transcripts
  • Prior to admission to the program, teacher candidates seeking licensure in Elementary Education must have successfully passed the Praxis II Elementary Content Knowledge Test.
  • Resume
  • Letters of Recommendation (optional)
  • Personal Statement (optional)

  • Fall

Teacher candidates pursuing the Master of Education in Elementary Education must complete a minimum of 36 semester hours of graduate work.

To prepare for licensure in elementary education, teacher candidates must complete ten core seminar courses in elementary education and curriculum and two capstone clinical practice courses.

 

FALL TERM

ED

6000

The Professional Educator

3 credits

ED

6100

Educational Psychology

3 credits

ED

6300

Introduction to Teaching

3 credits

ED

6700

The Exceptional Learner

3 credits

  
SPRING TERM

ED

6401

Elementary Curriculum I: Language Arts

3 credits

ED

6402

Elementary Curriculum II: Math and  Science

3 credits

ED

6511 

Elementary Clinical Practice I

3 credits

ED

6512 

Elementary Clinical Practice II

3 credits


Summer TERM 8A

ED

6200

Introduction to Educational Research

3 credits

ED

6430

English Language Learner

3 credits

 

Summer TERM 8b

ED

6310

Culturally Responsive Education in Hawai'i

3 credits

ED

6403

Elementary Curriculum III: Social Studies and the Arts

3 credits

  

TOTAL:  36 credits

Request Info

 

 

Hawaiʻi Pacific University’s School of Education is a member in good standing for the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). The teacher education licensure programs are nationally accredited until June 30, 2028.