Online Master’s Degrees Offered at Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Most Affordable Accelerated Master’s in Educational Psychology Online.
To meet the demands of students at the graduate level, Eastern Michigan University now offers four online master’s degree programs. One of those programs awards students a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership. Designed for teachers, the program features all online courses and is available part-time or full-time. Students take 18 to 36 months to finish their degrees, depending on how many courses they take every semester. The program prepares students for working in leadership roles in K-12 school settings. It includes courses such as Organization and Administration of K-12 Schools, Instructional Leadership, Legal, Ethical and Professional Issues of Administration, and Economics of Public Education. The university requires that students do an educational internship too.
The university’s Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction is available with a concentration in leadership or reading. Students can finish either program in one year, but the courses they take will depend on their concentrations. Those in the leadership program take Principles of Educational Research, Improving Instruction Through Inquiry, Leadership for School Improvement and Curriculum Design, Implementation and Evaluation among others. The courses in the reading program include Comprehension and the Content Areas and Literacy Instruction in a Multilingual Society.
Also available is a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education that students can finish in 12 months. The university designed the program for licensed teachers who want to work with young children. It features 30 credits of classes, including Leadership and Advocacy, Inclusive Practices, Foundations, and Curriculum and Environments. Eastern Michigan University asks that students take at least one research course and that they do a final study project or a thesis. Students will also do an early childhood education internship.
The university also offers a Master of Arts in Teaching in Special Education Online. This program accepts students who have already licensed teachers and others who want to work with students with disabilities and other special needs. Those who do not have a teaching license will need to take 12 extra courses, which will increase their time in the program to 18 months. Licensed educators take fewer classes and can graduate in 12 months. The program includes four concentrations too: cognitive impairment, emotional impairment, learning disabilities, and physical and other health impairments. Students will take 11 credits of concentration courses on top of their other classes.
About Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a large public university in the eastern region of the state. Located in Ypsilanti, it has a convenient location near both Ann Arbor and Detroit, both of which offer academic and professional opportunities for students. Established in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it opened four years later for classes. It would become the Michigan State Normal College near the turn of the century as the need for educational colleges grew. The college would also serve as Eastern Michigan College before becoming Eastern Michigan University. Students and others also call the university EMU and Eastern Michigan.
According to Forbes, EMU ranks as one of the best colleges in the nation and ranks at number 623 on its list. The university still has a strong reputation for its education programs, which include options for undergrad students who want to get their teaching licenses and working teachers who need more academic experience. Many of those programs require that majors either do internships or student teaching experiences in the field. Enrollment at EMU includes more than 3,300 graduate and post-graduate students.
Eastern Michigan University Accreditation Details
All the education programs at EMU have the same accreditation, which covers the programs designed for future and current teachers. It comes from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and also applies to the university’s online programs. Eastern Michigan is also a regionally accredited university with accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Eastern Michigan University Application Requirements
As the graduate programs offered by EMU are educational programs for teachers, most require that students have a teaching license. The online programs accept teachers who live outside of Michigan too. All prospective students must apply online and pay the university’s application fee. They have the option of creating accounts on the EMU site that they can use to work on the application over several days or more. The university recommends that students go over each section on the application to verify that they entered the correct information before they submit it.
The main requirements for education majors include an undergrad grade point average of 2.7 or higher and a bachelor’s degree. Students must have degrees from regionally accredited schools too. They will submit their transcripts and a copy of their teaching license. Students who lack this license cannot apply to all of the university’s online graduate programs. Even those that accept students without a license will require that they take more courses. EMU also asks for a personal statement that lists the goals the student accomplished and his or her achievements. Students must also submit the names of two references and the contact information for them.
Tuition and Financial Aid
EMU offers a reduced tuition rate for online students to help them save money on their overall cost of attendance. All online graduate students pay $512 per credit hour, which comes to $1,536 per class. Students in the early childhood education program and other programs pay $15,360 to earn their degrees. The total cost of attendance will depend on the total number of classes a student must take and whether he or she retakes any of those courses.
Any graduate student who wants to receive financial aid to attend EMU must submit the FAFSA and make sure that they use the university’s code. It takes five days or less for students to get a student aid report, but it takes a few weeks longer for the university to notify them of their aid packages. Most students will qualify for federal student loans such as unsubsidized and PLUS loans, but they may receive university scholarships or grants also. Online students can apply for alternative loans and work with other lenders too, though they need a good credit history and will face higher interest rates on those loans. Eastern Michigan University offers financial aid packages that help online graduate students afford all of their costs.
Related:
TOP 25 MOST AFFORDABLE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY ONLINE PROGRAMS
30 PROS AND CONS FOR GETTING A FAST ONLINE MASTER’S DEGREE
ARE ONLINE MASTER’S PROGRAMS EASIER TO GET INTO?
5 TYPES OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS RECOGNIZED BY THE IRS
89 RACIAL EQUITY RESOURCES FOR HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITIES
