14 months. This full-time, residential program begins in the UNL Summer Pre-Session in May, 2010 and ends with the first Summer Session in July, 2011.

Graduate degree and certification. Successful students will participate in UNL’s summer graduation commencement in mid-August. Upon completion, students will be fully certified to teach grades K-6 in the State of Nebraska and be employable for the 2011-2012 school year.

9 Month Internship in the Lincoln Public Schools. Collaborative relations with public schools offers students' field experiences in diverse classrooms, purposefully designed to help connect coursework theory and methods to classroom practice. Students will gradually build proficiency in teaching, adding responsibilities and skills throughout a nine-month period and be prepared to assume 14 weeks of full-time student teaching in Spring, 2010.

Inquiry. Inquiry infuses all aspects of this graduate program. Early in spring 2011 students will begin to focus on a curriculum inquiry project that requires development of classroom research about a challenge in teaching and learning, an research project that will form the capstone experience of the program.

Emphasis on Literacy. The program has 9 credit hours in literacy studies. These credits can be applied to the specialized Reading Specialist Endorsement for the State of Nebraska that prepares students to become leaders in reading instruction.

Our graduates are distinguished by their capacities for:

• Knowing Theories of Learning and Relationship Roles in Teaching Practice
• Developing Curricular Vision
• Teaching Subject Matter
• Teaching Diverse Learners
• Becoming Agents of Change and Reform
• Knowing Teaching in Terms of Its Foundational Dimensions
• Assessing Practices and Professional Judgment
• Structuring Learning Environments
• Growing Professional Knowledge

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 1, 2010

University of Nebraska-Lincoln
1100 Seaton Hall
PO Box 880619
Lincoln, NE 68588-0619
(402) 472-2878 or 800 742-8800

For online application: www.unl.edu/gradstudies

Graduate Studies Application Checklist:

• UNL Graduate Studies Application

• Application fee (non-refundable)

• Two official transcripts

• International students: official TOEFL scores sent directly from ETS and Financial Resource Certification

It is desirable that applicants for degree programs satisfy all admission requirements one month before the department deadline in order to ensure timely arrival of the corresponding documentation. The department cannot consider your file until these items have been received.

Attention: TLTE Graduate Committee
118C Henzlik Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-0385
(402) 472-3098
sdaehling1@unl.edu

For the MAet department application materials: (Word or PDF)

MAET Application Checklist:

• MAet Application
• Autobiographical Statement
• Resumé
• Three letters of recommendation
• Completed form for State of Nebraska General Education Requirements for Elementary Endorsement
• Nebraska Dept. of Education Personal and Professional Fitness form, must be NOTARIZED

Only completed application files will be considered for admission. It is the applicant's responsibility to be certain that all materials are submitted and received prior to the deadline dates. Please check with Shari Daehling at sdaehling1@unl.edu or (402) 472-3098.

Once admitted to the program, you should plan on taking and passing the PRAXIS I test, a general knowledge exam all teachers in Nebraska must take, and submitting to a criminal background check.

Nebraska Department of Education Competency Requirement

You will need to take the PRAXIS I, also called the Pre-Professional Skills Test or PPST, as soon as possible. This is a competency examination that the Nebraska State Department of Education requires of all applicants for admission to a teacher education program. Students need documentation of proficiency in the 3 areas of reading, writing and mathematics. Successful completion of the PRAXIS I test meets this requirement. You must pass the test before you enroll in any teaching methods courses.

You should take the test as soon as possible after learning of your admission to the MAet program, but BEFORE APRIL 30, 2010 . We suggest that you plan on taking the Computer Pre-Professional Skills Test (C-PPST) at a local Sylvan Learning Center. It is cheaper than the traditional pencil and paper testing format ($130 vs. $170) and you can arrange to take it at your convenience.

You are allowed to re-take the PPST once within any calendar month. So taking it as early as possible is something you should do to know whether you have passing scores.

You may not begin the MAet methods courses in June without passing scores for the PPST.

PRAXIS I information: (PDF)

Criminal Background Check

After admission, you will receive information on how to complete this process through the One Source Background Check Company for a fee of $25.00.

State of Nebraska Academic Coursework Requirements for Elementary Endorsement

In order to become “endorsed”, or certified, to teach at the elementary level in the State of Nebraska, you must have completed sufficient general academic coursework, typically as part of your undergraduate degree.

A minimum total of 30 semester credit hours of academic coursework distributed across English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies/history. A minimum of 6 semester hours in each of the four core areas. Course work in the four core areas includes:

• Communication in English language arts, including literature, composition and speech;
• Mathematics, including statistics and fields of mathematical reasoning;
• Natural sciences; and
• Social sciences

In addition to the 30 semester hours listed above, academic coursework is required in each of the following areas (no credit hours specified):

• Fine arts;
• Health and wellness; and
• Humanities
We do not admit applicants who have deficiencies in any of the above areas. These must be fulfilled by May 2010.