TEACHING EXCELLENCE
ONLINE MASTER OF SCIENCE

Enhance your skills as a master educator with Mercyhurst University’s online master’s in Teaching Excellence. Designed for certified teachers in grades K-12, this program offers a highly innovative and customizable path to a master’s degree while also allowing you to fulfill your ACT 48 requirements. One of the fastest and most flexible programs in the region, the master’s in Teaching Excellence incorporates evidence-based pedagogy, professional development, and educational scholarship so you can pursue a master’s degree personalized to your personal and professional goals and interests, or the recommendations of your school district.

In addition to the course courses and electives in this program, students can receive credit toward their master’s from PLS 3rd Learning coursework, teaching experience, coursework for PDE endorsements, or transfer credits from other graduate programs.

Program Overview

Options: Master’s (with optional principal certification, PDE endorsements, and/or PLS microcredentials)
Location(s): Online
Credits: 30 (minimum)
Duration: Minimum 1 year
Cost: $515 per credit (for Mercyhurst alumni, Pennsylvania teachers, and U.S. veterans)
Deadline: Rolling admissions (May 1 for those applying for the Principal Leadership concentration)
Start term(s): Summer (preferred, mandatory for the Principal Leadership concentration), Fall, or Spring semester
Careers: Teaching, principal/education administration, developmental disability services

Course Requirements

The master’s in Teaching Excellence is a 30-credit (minimum) program. All students complete a set of five core courses, which focus on the theoretical underpinnings of education, innovative pedagogy to meet the demands of diverse learners, and analysis and conduction of educational research:

EDSE 500 Foundation of Pedagogy & Practice
EDSE 610 21st Century Literacies
EDU 670 Internship
EDSP 502 Educational Research
EDSE 676 Thesis

The remaining five courses for the master’s (15 credits minimum) can be fulfilled through:

PLS Coursework (Online or On-Site)

Through PLS, Mercyhurst offers instruction in integrated educational theory, research-based best practices and meaningful applications, providing measurable, transformational results for educators and the students. Courses are available online or on-site at convenient locations throughout the region, and each course offers three credit hours at the graduate level. Course instructors are experienced classroom teachers and provide real-life applications for your classroom.

In addition, PLS now offers micro-credentials in instructional coaching, blended and online teaching, new teacher induction, 21st century learning, teaching and assessment, and teacher leadership. This means while you’re working toward your master’s, you can obtain a PDE endorsement and a PLS micro-credential at the same time.

Explore PLS Courses

PDE Endorsements

Pursue any of the following endorsements from the Pennsylvania Department of Education; courses you complete for these endorsements can count toward your master’s.

Instructional Coaching Endorsement (9 credits)
Online Design Endorsement (12 credits)
ELL Program Specialist Certificate (18 credits)
Autism Endorsement (12 credits)
Teaching Leadership (12 credits)

Teaching Experience

If you’ve been teaching for more than a year, you can earn up to six credits for your experience (based on a portfolio review by our graduate faculty).

Transfer Credits

Have you already earned some graduate-level credits in education from another institution? Up to nine credits earned elsewhere should count toward equivalent coursework at Mercyhurst.

Graduate Electives

Mercyhurst electives for the master’s in Teaching Excellence include:

EDU 501 Classroom Management
EDU 502 Differentiated Instruction
EDU 503 Cultural Competence
EDU 504 Educating Net-Generation
EDU 505 Professional Learner Teacher Effectiveness
EDU 506 Blended & Synchronous Learning Design
EDU 507 Building Online Collaborative Environment
EDU 508 Facilitating Online Learning Communities
EDU 509 Foundations of Literacy Beginning Reading
EDU 510 Instructional Coaching
EDU 511 Instructional Design for Online Educators
EDU 512 Purposeful Learning Through Multiple Intelligences
EDU 513 Reading Across the Curriculum
EDSP 501 Behavior Management
EDSP 504 Behavior Management Clinical
EDSP 521 Psychology of Diverse Learners
EDSP 522 Inclusive Practices
EDSP 535 Assessment and Data-Driven Decision Making
EDSP 536 Professional, Legal and Ethical Practices
EDSP 540 Introduction to Autism and Clinical
EDSP 541 Autism: Instructional Assessment and Methods
EDSP 650 Functional Behavior Assessment and Intervention Development
WL 501 Cultural & Linguistic Diversity Learner
WL 512 Second Language Acquisition
WL 514 Introduction to Sociolinguistics
ELL 500 Teaching English as a Second Language
ELL 505 Professionalism and Program Development for ELLs
ELL 515 Supporting Literacy for English Language Learners
OL 500 Leadership Theory and Practice
OL 502 Leadership and Organizational Behavior
OL 505 Organizational Ethics
OL 530 Organizational Communication for Leaders

Admissions Requirements

To apply for the master’s in Teaching Excellence, please provide the following:

A completed (free) online application
All official transcripts from accredited higher education institutions
A personal statement of 300-500 words outlining the student’s personal, professional and educational goals
A resume or curriculum vitae
One recommendation from a supervisor, teaching colleague, or college faculty member (requested electronically via a widget in the application)

Cost and Financial Aid

The Master of Science in Teaching Excellence is one of the most affordable programs of its kind in the Erie region and across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Currently, teachers working in schools operating within Pennsylvania, or teachers who are U.S. veterans (regardless of where they teach), are eligible for our inaugural pricing for corporate partners tuition rate: $500 per credit, plus an $80 distance learning fee per course. Standard per-semester registration and IT fees ($185) also apply. After fees, the cost of our program is lower than that of other regional institutions.

Certified teachers can also save money toward the program’s cost via:

Credit for eligible PLS coursework
Teaching experience credit after one year of teaching (up to six credits; portfolio-based)
Graduate transfer credits for equivalent coursework (up to nine credits)

Students not fitting the in-state or veteran profile will pay the standard graduate tuition rate outlined on the cost and financial aid page.

Degree Completion Plan

Earn your master’s in Teaching Excellence in as little as one year!

Summer Semester (12 credits)

Mini 5

EDSE 500
Elective

Mini 6

EDSE 610 or elective
Elective

Fall Semester (9 credits)

Mini 1

Elective
EDSP 502 (semester-long course)

Mini 2

EDU 670
EDSP 502 (semester-long course)

Spring Semester (9 credits)

Mini 3

EDSE 610 or elective
EDSE 676 (semester-long course)

Mini 4

Elective
EDSE 676 (semester-long course)

Flexible Scheduling and Online Courses

Teachers have a lot of demands on their time, and when you consider family and other personal responsibilities, it might seem like there’s not much time for grad school. That’s why our master’s in Teaching Excellence offers flexible scheduling for graduate coursework—in addition to credit for work you’ve already completed and the chance to simultaneously satisfy ACT 48 requirements.

You can enroll in the program at the start of summer, and complete the majority of your credits during the summer months. All coursework is offered fully online during half-semester Minis (approximately eight weeks). Even better, you never need to complete more than one course at a time, making it easier to balance your graduate coursework with your teaching responsibilities and life demands.