School of Education Brochure

Merrimack CollegeSchool of Education OPPORTUNITY

OPPORUNITY. to LEARN. to PRACTIcE. To CHANGE.

to L E A R N . to P R A C T I c E .

To CHANGE.

Academic Offerings

at a glance

undergr aduate progr ams in:

gr aduate progr ams in:

Education, with licenses in: -- Early Childhood Education (PreK–2) -- Elementary (1–6) -- Moderate Disabilities (PreK–8) -- Middle (5–8) and Secondary (8–12) licenses in: -- Biology -- Chemistry -- English -- French -- History -- Math -- Spanish -- Physics [new]

Education, with licenses in: -- Early Childhood Education (PreK–2) -- Elementary (1–6) -- Moderate Disabilities (PreK–8) -- English as a Second Language (PreK–8) -- Middle (5–8) and Secondary (8–12) (new) -- Reading Specialist (all levels) [new]

Educational Studies, Theory and Policy [new] Human Development STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education [anticipated] Community Engagement [new]

Higher Education [new] Community Engagement [new] CAGS (Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies) [anticipated]

gr aduate institute for education Leadership Think Tanks for: -- Principals [new] -- Assistant Principals -- Guidance Directors -- Math Specialists

The School of Education offers multiple licensure programs that have been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Interstate Certification Compact of the National Association of State Directors of Teachers Education. Students are thus able to receive reciprocal teaching licenses in more than 45 states.

Please refer to the DESE’s website (www.doe.mass.edu) and each state’s requirements for exact terms of reciprocity.

Your Vision, Our Passion “I have prepared myself for my career inside a classroom with knowledge gained outside of a classroom. I learned about myself and about my capabilities… which was the greatest knowledge of all…The lesson learned is about self confidence and personal faith, which everyone can learn wherever there is a bit of willpower and gut.”

Kelsie Rogers, Undergraduate Education and Communication major; Study Abroad student, Argentina

to learn

to change

The School of Education provides dynamic and focused programs that give you the tools and skills to succeed. Our innovative programs make ideas come alive and help you — as an individual and a student striving for the future — to find your voice. We help you to make a difference in the schools and communities where you live and work.

For the common good.

To change — ourselves, our classrooms, our communities — is the hardest and most important thing we can ever do.

Merrimack’s School of Education is committed to the betterment of our public commons through sustained and democratic engagement. Our longstanding partnerships with our local schools and community-based organizations promote global citizenship and local action. We embrace the universal and engage with differences.

to practice All of our programs have deep and sustained field experiences. Our students begin in their very first semesters to visit classrooms, to engage in service learning, and to develop partnerships with dedicated and experienced mentors and supervisors in their practicum sites. We have multiple programs where semester-long and year-long internships are the norm — because practice matters.

Linking theory with action, and action with reflection, is what makes us better.

Pathways to Success advising: personalization is what we do

career: preparation for your future

All students have an advisor to discuss academic, personal, and professional goals. You’ll meet every term with your advisor, get support from the department chair, and be supervised by a college supervisor and a site-based mentor. We’ll make sure that you have a personalized term-by-term plan.

A plan that is right for you.

Our programs are geared to support your ultimate goals. We link you with schools and organizations, principals and directors. We help you to understand what skills are necessary and why internships matter. We prepare you for the MTELs and help you to understand that it is just a test. Our career office will help you search for jobs and prep you for the interview.

We know the routes to getting a job. We’ll help.

options: choices for how to succeed There are many different pathways towards success. You choose the best one. Undergraduate students can study abroad in Italy, England, or a dozen other places. They can engage in service learning and gain a dual license in elementary education and moderate disabilities. They can take advantage of a “9th semester” option or transition seamlessly into our masters “4+1” program to get their graduate degree in just one more year. You decide.

“Collaborating with Merrimack has allowed our school district to obtain dynamic, highly-driven recent graduates in our classrooms providing assistance to our students. We are proud to be a partner in education with Merrimack College and look forward to supporting many more Merrimack students in our school district.”

Joanne Benton, Superintendent, Wilmington PubliC Schools

Academics That Make an Impact education fellowships

leadership think tanks

A select group of graduate students have full-tuition fellowships to participate in a year-long clinical residency in a partner school. They take graduate courses in the evenings while serving as full-time professionals in varied capacities in their classrooms. They have experienced mentors, college supervisors, and education advisors to support their learning and to strengthen their impact on students’ success. They serve in elementary, middle, and high schools. They work one-on-one with ELL students and deliver full classroom instruction. They meet with parents and sit on committees. It is relentless. But so are they.

Once a month, experienced professionals come to Merrimack College to be a part of a “community of practice.” Principals; assistant principals; math directors; guidance directors — each with their own Think Tank. We bring in outside experts, synthesize best practices, and foster dialogue and debate. We create

community engagement Experiential education is always linked to academic coursework to make learning matter. Our work with the community is built on the foundations of respect, relevance, and reciprocity.

Through service learning, community studies, and studentteaching, our classrooms come alive.

a culture of learning, which, in turn, creates a culture of action.

human development Learn about child and human development through an in-depth program in psychology and education. Prepare to become a teacher, social worker, school psychologist or work in a related field. Whether you work with young children or the elderly, this program offers a comprehensive focus across the life span.

“Merrimack College taught me the practical knowledge that I needed to be successful in the classroom. As a business major, Merrimack made it easy to transition to my ultimate goal of becoming a teacher by teaching me the knowledge that I can now apply in my classroom every day.”

Brian Reilly, North Andover Middle School Special Education Teacher and current graduate student at Merrimack College

“My experience as an undergraduate student at Merrimack has been phenomenal. For me, it is the passionate, determined, and engaging education faculty that has made my experiences here at Merrimack so rewarding and worthwhile…I can honestly say that it is the personal support and encouragement from my professors that will remain with me. Their support and wisdom has truly prepared me to become an effective, understanding, and successful future teacher.”

Jessica Bologna, Undergraduate Education student, license in Moderate Disabilities

Who We Are our faculty

our college

Our faculty is composed of distinguished researchers and teachers committed to providing a world-class learning environment. Our professors possess real-world experience, in-depth industry expertise, and firsthand knowledge of the trends that are shaping the face of education.

Founded in 1947, by the Order of St. Augustine, Merrimack College is a private, selective college located just minutes from Boston. The College offers over 40 undergraduate majors in liberal arts, science and engineering, business and education. Merrimack also offers graduate programs in education and part-time degree completion and certificate programs. The College’s 2,000 students come from 25 states and 17 countries to form an engaged community of thinkers, learners and achievers who are driven to making a difference in the world.

our dean Dan W. Butin, Ph.D. is the founding dean of the Merrimack College School of Education. The author of seven books and dozens of articles, reports, and book chapters, he has won numerous academic awards and is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences and universities.

100

New Programs Coming in

%

2011

MTEL pass rate for all program completers

92 %

13:1

students professionally employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation

student to faculty ratio

Want to Learn More? www.merrimack.edu/schoolofeducation 978-837-3414 schoolofeducation@merrimack.edu

17

average graduate class size

School of Education 315 Turnpike Street North Andover, MA 01845 978-837-3414 www.merrimack.edu/schoolofeducation