Master in Teaching, Bellingham, MIT

Secondary Education, Woodring College of Education

68 Credits

Graduate Faculty

Burgess, Donald, PhD.
Dade, Karen, EdD.
Larson, Bruce, PhD.
Longoria, A, PhD.
McClanahan, Lauren, PhD.
Nolet, Victor, PhD, graduate advisor.
Pyscher, Tracey, PhD.
Rios, Francisco, PhD.
Roxas, Kevin, PhD.
Ware, Molly, PhD.

Program Information

The Master in Teaching (MIT) program is designed for candidates who wish to complete a Master’s degree while gaining state of Washington Residency certification to teach at the secondary level (middle and high school). Our comprehensive MIT program is firmly backed by current research of effective teaching and promoting student learning. The MIT program can be completed in five quarters, including the student teaching (internship).

The MIT program is available at the Bellingham campus and at our Everett site.

Bellingham MIT: wce.wwu.edu/sec/master-teaching-mit-bellingham

Secondary Education: 360-650-3327, seced@wwu.edu, Miller Hall 400

Graduate School: 360-650-3170, gradschool@wwu.edu, wwu.edu/gradschool

See the Department of Secondary Education catalog page for additional program and teacher certification information. In particular, review the following headings: Certification, Endorsements, Character and Fitness, and Internships.

Program Application

Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate School and the Secondary Education department requirements below. The GRE is not an application requirement for this graduate program.

Early advising is highly encouraged. Contact Secondary Education faculty or staff to help determine your eligibility and the best time to apply. As well, applicants seeking the Music endorsement should contact Patty.Bourne@wwu.edu for advising.

Pre-application Requirement

A signed endorsement evaluation is required with your application for all endorsements you may be earning. No more than 10 endorsement credits may be outstanding once you begin the MIT program. An evaluation request can be requested in the online application. An evaluation should include any courses that are in progress or planned from the time application is submitted to the program start date.

In addition to the endorsement evaluation, academic content knowledge must be demonstrated with WEST-E / NES passing score(s).

Passing scores to meet the Washington Education Skills Test (WEST-B) requirement is necessary prior to applying to ensure WWU has these on record by the application deadline. The scores may be met by a) passing the WEST-B exam, b) SAT minimum scores, and/or c) ACT minimum scores. For details, see the WEST-B Requirement website, wce.wwu.edu/admissions/west-b-requirement.

Application Requirements

• Baccalaureate degree (or degree completed prior to program start date).
• A minimum overall grade point average of 3.0; or see Graduate School GPA eligibility requirements.
• Meet the WEST-B requirement.
• Unofficial transcripts for every institution of higher learning attended (official transcripts required if admitted).
• A completed endorsement evaluation.
• Passing WEST-E or NES scores.
• Experience working with youth in an educational setting, with preference to public secondary schools.
• Experience with youth and families in diverse socio-economic, cultural, linguistic settings.
• Resumé.
• Essays responding to the prompts in the online application (prompts also at SEC’s MIT website).
• Three letters of reference (details at SEC website).
• Completion of an approved English composition course, with a grade of B or higher.
• English language proficiency.
• Interview by SEC faculty (details provided after application deadline).

Important Application Dates:

• Fall quarter: February 1
• Spring quarter: September 1

Requirements Upon Program Admission

Candidates admitted to the Woodring College of Education must meet specified requirements throughout the course of their teacher education program in order to remain in the program. Upon acceptance, each candidate receives a detailed letter for next steps, and is assigned a Secondary Education faculty advisor. All newly admitted candidates must attend the mandatory orientation and advising session before beginning first quarter classes. Candidates may be dropped from Secondary Education for failing to attend the required orientation.

Some of the requirements include:

• Completion of a Pre-Residency Clearance through the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and a fingerprint background check.
• Completion of the Woodring College of Education Prevention of Sexual Harassment Training.
• Completion of the Woodring College of Education Blood-Borne Pathogens Training.
• Completion of the online Student Conduct Requirements and Agreement.

General Retention Requirements

• Candidates must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA, beginning with the quarter they are notified of admission to Secondary Education and all subsequent quarters even quarters when no education courses are being taken. Candidates who fail to meet this standard will receive a letter advising them that they have been dropped from the program.
• Candidates must earn a grade of B (3.0) or better in the professional education sequence, and a C or better in all courses required for the endorsement. See Woodring College and the Graduate School policies for more information.
• Candidates not registered for program or endorsement courses will be required to register for GRAD 699 every quarter (excluding summer) until all degree requirements are completed.
• Candidates must complete all certification and endorsement course work.
• Candidates are required to conduct themselves in a professional manner, demonstrating good moral character and personal fitness.

Program Completion

To qualify for program completion and recommendation for state of Washington residency certification, candidates must complete the following requirements and assessments:

• A state-approved, performance-based teacher preparation program that includes preparation in an endorsable subject area, teaching methodology, and an internship.
• Evidence of good moral character and personal fitness.
• Passing score in content test for each endorsement to be earned. The content tests are Washington Educator Skills Test (WEST-E), National Evaluation Series (NES), and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL).
• Passing score on the education Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA).
• Successful completion of the student teaching internship as shown by performance on the WWU Intern Development and Evaluation System (IDES).
• Candidates who interrupt enrollment in a teacher education program for more than two consecutive quarters (summer quarter not included) must meet all program admission, completion and certification requirements in place for the quarter in which they expect to return.
• The Graduate School policy is for program requirements to be completed within five years. While it is possible to earn the Residency teaching certificate without completing the final requirements for the MIT degree, it is not possible to earn the MIT without earning the Residency teaching certificate.