Education, M.Ed. - La Salle/RTC
Program Description
La Salle University has partnered with the Regional Training Center (RTC) to provide a 30-credit Master of Education (M.Ed.) program with a concentration in instruction for licensed K-12 classroom practitioners offered virtually in synchronous and asynchronous formats in all 49 states (except for California). Founded in 1993, The Regional Training Center’s (RTC) purpose is to provide exciting and relevant graduate professional development opportunities to teachers in partnership with colleges accredited by the Middle States and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
Non-degree seeking students can also enroll in the program for graduate-level professional development courses.
The goal of the La Salle/RTC M.Ed. program is to develop the teacher as a master educator in the classroom and beyond. The program, focused on advanced pedagogy, gives teachers the skills to stimulate and challenge their students to become more actively involved in the learning process, to think critically and problem-solve, to become more creative, to communicate more effectively, and to collaborate as they learn in the 21st-century classroom.
As professional educators, teachers in the La Salle/RTC M. Ed. program focus on understanding not only what works in the teaching process but why it works. Meaningful inquiry into the link between theory and practice is built into all of the courses in this 30-credit program, which has concentration choices that allow the teachers to specialize in their area of interest.
Teaching Strategies for the 21st Century Learner; The Differentiated Classroom; Building Positive Classroom Communities; Classroom Wellbeing and Physical Activity; or Integrating Technology into the K-12 Classroom.
Courses for professional development and the M.Ed. are offered conveniently online in synchronous and asynchronous formats with classes starting every month, so students can begin the program at any time throughout the calendar year. Online courses run five weeks in length, with the sixth week reserved for the Learning Extension Project (LEP) completion.
In addition to assignments and activities completed during the courses, all courses have a Learning Extension Project (LEP) due ten days to two weeks after the conclusion of the course. Two of the courses; EDM 535 Brain-Based Teaching and Learning and Learning and EDM 580 Differentiated Instruction have one specific LEP required for all candidates that supports the EDM 635 Reflective Practice in Teaching course culminating in an action-research LEP.
Mission
The mission of the Department of Education incorporates the de La Salle Christian Brothers tradition of teaching excellence and service. Our departmental focus on learning capitalizes on the need for all professional educators to understand and apply developmentally appropriate, content rich, differentiated instructional, management, technological, and assessment practices that result in deep and meaningful learning.
A Lasallian educator is responsive to the needs of all students and the communities they serve through a rigorous curriculum. La Salle educators are knowledgeable, intellectually curious, reflective collaborative, confident, and proactive. They are service-oriented – manifesting a measurable degree of devotion to assist students in need.
This mission statement, reflected in its courses and curricula, makes a strong statement about our sustained and focused commitment to selected graduate programs, globally, that provide for the development of the area’s most competent and qualified educational professionals. Given La Salle’s history, teacher development is a clear focus of this public service mandate. Because they are typically employed and often have family or other responsibilities, part-time graduate students in education are often limited in how far they can travel to pursue their education. All too often, geography, not the nature of the educational program dictates a prospective student’s choice.
Because our candidates are certified, practicing Pre K-12 teachers, our instructors are mindful to explicate the links between the overall transformative social justice mission of the Education Department and the course experiences provided for candidates as they work to improve their teaching. Lastly, the dynamic integration of theory-practice-reflection domains assures that candidates have ample opportunity to discuss, explore and understand how and in what ways the coursework specifically relates to their work as teachers and their students as learners. The partnership with the RTC merges La Salle University’s excellent reputation in higher education with The Regional Training Center’s comprehensive relevant coursework.
Students who are interested in applying for matriculation into the Master of Education program should reference the section on admission requirements. Students who apply for matriculation into one of La Salle’s other Master of Arts programs may apply a maximum of six credits of RTC coursework as elective credit, pending approval by the graduate program director. Elective credit requirements vary by concentration and students must contact their graduate program advisor prior to registration for course approval.
Program Specific Information
Candidates are expected to complete the application process prior to completing six credits in the program.
Candidates must:
- hold an appropriate bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with at least a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average;
- complete the online application;
- submit all official undergraduate (and any graduate) transcripts;
- provide a professional résumé; and
- provide one names of an individual that La Salle University will contact to request a letter of recommendation.