Education Degree Programs to be Offered in Edina

 

FULTON, MO—William Woods University is offering Edina area
residents the opportunity to pursue a master of education (M.Ed.) or a specialist
of education (Ed.S.) degree without quitting work.

 

The programs will begin with an orientation Sept. 2 at Knox County High School Library, Route 3, Edina. The
M.Ed. orientation is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with Ed.S. at 6:30.

 

Prospective
students are encouraged to contact the university’s Graduate & Adult
Studies program prior to then, but walk-ins will be accepted. Call
1-800-995-3199 or contact WWU by e-mail at AdultEd@WilliamWoods.edu.

 

The 36-credit-hour M.Ed. program has three tracks—students can choose
to study administration, which is intended to provide the fundamental skills
necessary for effective school administration; curriculum and instruction,
which is for teachers who wish to enhance their classroom skills, and
athletics/activities administration, which is for anyone interested in
developing and administering activities in any school or community setting.

Claudia S. Gott, assistant superintendent of Warsaw R-IX
Schools, completed her M.Ed. in Clinton. She said she found the program very
beneficial and said “working with current educators and administrators in
the course work was the greatest strength of the program.”

The program, she said, “prepared me to take the position I
currently have with the utmost confidence, and the educational contacts I have
gained from the Williams Woods Program are priceless.”

North Central Association’s
Higher Learning Commission granted approval in 2003 for William Woods to offer
the specialist of education in school administration program. This degree
prepares educational administrators to be certified for the superintendent’s
certification. 

 

A
specialist of education in curriculum leadership was added later.  These degrees are a level higher than the
master’s degree and they prepare recipients to pursue the doctorate degree.

Miriam Spencer of Liberty,
Mo., completed her specialist of education in school administration at William
Woods.

“The convenient schedule
and the way the curriculum covered material that I could immediately put to use
was the greatest strength of the program,” she said.

She added, “I have referred
several people to the program.  I
explain that the format, location, and variety of professors were great.  The grandest opportunity was to spend time
with professionals from a variety of districts and learn about best practices
from others.”

 

Employing
a model of accelerated learning developed especially for the convenience of the
working adult, William Woods University’s Graduate and Adult Studies programs
are structured so that a degree can be completed in as few as 22 months.

 

William
Woods offers degree programs that utilize a cohort model, emphasizing learning
through student-directed study groups of three to five students.

 

“Cohort” describes a group of people who collaborate to reach a common
goal.  WWU’s program utilizes the
diversity of the individual members to broaden the learning experience of the
class as a whole as they work together. 
The school recognizes that learning can and does take place outside of
the classroom and that theoretical knowledge is only useful if applied to
real-life on-the-job situations.

Classes
meet once a week in the evening for four hours.  Study groups meet outside of class to prepare projects and assignments
before the upcoming week.           

 

“With
the teamwork approach of using study groups and projects within the cohort
model, students can draw on a greater pool of ideas, and they have the
opportunity to learn quickly that the effectiveness of one person can be
greatly enhanced by utilizing the other members of the group,” said Sherry
McCarthy, vice president and academic dean.

Because
of the nature of programming—focusing effort on one course at a time—90 percent
of all students finish their program successfully.  Each course in the M.Ed. program normally runs six weeks in
length.

“William
Woods University is a leader when it comes to designing quality programs for
nontraditional adult students. 
Everything we do is specifically designed to help adults succeed in
reaching their goals as efficiently as possible,” said McCarthy.

In
addition to the M.Ed. and Ed.S., William Woods offers several other Graduate
& Adult Studies programs, including the ACCESS program of general
education, an associate of arts degree in liberal studies, a bachelor of
science in management (BSM), a BSM with human resources emphasis and a B.S. in paralegal studies.

 

Additional
graduate programs include a master of business administration (MBA) and MBAs
with accounting, agribusiness, health management or human resources emphasis.

 

William
Woods can tailor any of its programs for a particular business or community.
More information is available on the William Woods website at TheWoods.edu/evening.  

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