College of EducationMaster of Education in TeachingPrograms Overview

Master of Education in Teaching

Multiple Specialization Tracks Available

Now Accepting Applications

Typical Length 2 years

Delivery Varies

Nationally Accredited

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Licensure

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Stipends Available

About MEdT

The Master of Education in Teaching (MEdT) program is a State Approved Teacher Education Program (SATEP) that allows candidates to earn their master’s degree in addition to a state license through the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, which allows the licensee to teach in public and charter schools in the State of Hawaii.

Let us help you teach what you love.

The MEdT program is a two-year, field-based program designed for those pursuing a career in teaching who have earned baccalaureate degrees in fields other than education.

  • Longstanding Success: We have been preparing teachers since 1991 and our program envisions confident, well-prepared educators who have a critical role in creating and implementing quality experiences for all children. Our alumni include three Hawai‘i State Teachers of the Year, a National Teacher of the Year finalist, a Milken Award winner, and a National Milken Educators of Hawai‘i Teacher of Promise. MEdT graduates are employed in a variety of educational institutions, both public and private, at all levels: K through 12, postsecondary (community colleges and universities).
  • Strong Local Partnerships: The program works in collaboration with public, charter, and private school partners to offer both a high-quality K–12 teacher licensure program and graduate education that supports the simultaneous renewal of K–12 schools and teacher education. The MEdT program has long standing partnerships with the Waipahu complex, Stevenson Middle, Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Pūʻōhala, Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Ānuenue, and many other schools across the state. 
  • Committed to Equity and Excellence: MEdT candidates are Agents of Change who:
    • who are independent, critical thinkers that are active and responsible for their own professional learning;
    • who plan, reflect, co-construct, and learn about teaching in collaboration with others,
    • who utilize an inquiry mode of problem solving;
    • and who are thoughtful, self-critical, and have reflective attitudes toward their professional practice.
Career & Licensure Information

Upon completion of this program, qualified candidates will be recommended for initial teacher licensure in one or more of the following fields:

  • Elementary (K–6)
    • + dual Hawaiian Language Immersion option
    • + dual Special Education option
  • Secondary (6–12), Content areas include:
    • English/Language Arts
    • Math
    • Science
    • Social Studies
    • World Languages
    • + dual Hawaiian Language Immersion option
    • + dual Special Education option

Once completing an initial teacher licensure program, graduates are eligible to apply for a state license through the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, which will allow the licensee to teach in public and charter schools in the State of Hawaii.

Hawai’i also participates in the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement which facilitates the mobility of educators among the states that are members of NASDTEC. UHM recommends you contact the office of certification in any state to which you may be relocating to get the most current information. See the NASDTEC website for more information.

Eligibility, Prerequisites, & Deadlines

Eligibility Requirements

  • An undergraduate degree awarded by an accredited college or university in a field other than an educational licensure program.
  • A minimum GPA of 3.0 (GPAs of at least 2.7 will be considered only after those who meet the minimum requirement)
  • Prior teaching experience is not required
  • International Students:
    • For applicants who graduated from institutions outside of the U.S – an evaluation of your transcripts from a NACES member is required.
    • International students requiring a student visa may only enroll in campus-based program offerings. Additional application materials may be required, please refer to the Graduate Division International Student website for more information. 

Prerequisite Requirements

Please refer to specific tracks for prerequisite details.

Enrollment Deadlines

This program begins a new cohort each Fall semester*. Applications typically open up in November each year.

STARTING SEMESTER PRIORITY ADMISSION Deadline FINAL ADMISSION Deadline
Fall Admission Only February 1 March 1

*The programs will be offered contingent upon sufficient enrollment.

Note: If interested in beginning a licensure program for Spring Admission, refer to our Post Baccalaureate Certificate (Elementary, Secondary, Special Education) options. 


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Tuition & Funding

MEdT candidates pay general graduate tuition. The approximate cost of in-state tuition for 46 credits is $30,000. See the UH Mānoa Outreach College website for the current general graduate tuition rate.

Federal Financial Aid

For more information about applying for financial aid, visit the Financial Aid website. Upon completion and eligibility for financial aid, additional funding opportunities for teachers are available, which include:

  • TEACH GRANT: The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant provides up to $8,000 to candidates who can commit to teaching full time in a high-need field at a low-income (Title I) school for at least four years.
  • FEDERAL TEACHER LOAN FORGIVENESS: Candidates can qualify for up to $17,500.00 in loan forgiveness after completing a 5-year service commitment teaching in a high-need field at a low-income (Title I) school.

Note: High-need fields as of SY 2023-2024 include: English, Math, Science, Special Education, and World Languages. For an example of Title I schools in Hawai‘i, please refer to the 2023-2024 Title I School Listing.

State Tuition Stipend Opportunities

A partnership between the College of Education of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and Hawai‘i Department of Education provides tuition stipend opportunities to enrolled candidates who can commit to teaching in a Hawaii public school for at least 3 years upon graduation. Stipends are subject to availability of funds and are renewed annually. The stipend is given directly to the student while enrolled, therefore, the stipend is considered taxable and may impact financial aid award.

  • Grow Our Own (GOO) Stipends: For candidates pursuing elementary, secondary, or dual Hawaiian Language Immersion, the Grow Our Own Teacher Initiative (GOO) stipends may cover 34-46 credits of tuition, depending on the selected track. Applicants must apply and be accepted for the GOO stipend. Priority criteria are used for selection; please refer to the Grow Our Own website for more details and a link to the application.
  • Someone Special Stipends: For candidates pursuing the dual special education track, the Someone Special Stipends cover 31-credits of tuition in return for teaching in a special education position upon graduation. No separate application is required; upon annual renewal of funds, all admitted candidates in this track would be offered the opportunity to accept the stipend.

Note: Prior to accepting a stipend, Non-U.S. citizens need to inquire with the Hawaii DOE to determine eligibility for employment upon graduation.

College of Education Scholarships

The College of Education offers over 50 different scholarships available for those interested in becoming licensed teachers. To learn more about the various scholarships available, and a link to the application, please visit: https://coe.hawaii.edu/funding/

Delivery Format

Our MEdT Programs are offered in both a face-to-face and statewide hybrid (online and face-to-face) format to accommodate learner preferences, those living across neighboring islands, and those who are teaching full-time. All MEdT candidates attend a mandatory orientation in early August.

The face-to-face cohort will typically meet face-to-face on weekdays or weekday evenings, and have a few courses offered in the evenings and weekends in a hybrid format. Schedules vary from cohort to cohort and are determined by the faculty teaching in those cohorts. This cohort option is ideal for candidates living on Oahu who prefer to have weekly in-person opportunities throughout their program.

The hybrid statewide cohort will meet for class online in the evenings from 4:30pm – 7:00pm with approximately three face-to-face weekend sessions each semester. The program will provide a flat rate stipend subsidy for neighbor island candidates traveling to weekend face-to-face meetings. This cohort option is ideal for candidates not living on Oahu or those who prefer to have all their weekly classes online.

Note: The Dual Hawaiian Language Immersion and Dual Special Education program tracks are only available in the hybrid statewide cohort format. 

Field-Based Courses:

In addition to coursework held in the early evenings, the MEdT program is a field-based program with candidates beginning field experiences in schools during their first semester of the program. Candidates will complete two semesters of field experience, followed by a semester of full-time student teaching in the third semester, and a full-time internship placement in the final semester. Those enrolled in a dual licensure program would complete a second semester of student teaching in their dual licensure area, which is in place of the internship placement.

Field experiences (practicum & student teaching) will be completed at an assigned MEdT partner school on the island they reside. Candidates may not choose the location or grade level of their placement and must be willing to cover all transportation costs to the assigned school sites anywhere on the island. However, individuals who are already hired and are working at a school may submit an On the Job Training (OJT) application to determine if their current position will meet field requirements and can be used for fulfilling field experience requirements and hours.

Coursework

To earn their degree, MEdT candidates are required to complete 46 credits.

The MEdT program consists of the following:

  • Core Courses (31 credits) –  With a focus on inquiry, the core coursework (Professional Studies, Field Observations, Student Teaching & Internship) involves one field course and one seminar each semester. This combination of coursework and structured time in partner schools gives MEdT candidates opportunities to integrate theory and practice.
  • Professional Specialization (15 credits) – The professional specialization coursework differs based on cohort and content area. These courses are meant to help candidates further develop their knowledge of teaching in their content area and their strengths as teacher leaders.
  • A Plan B Paper/Project – The Plan B is an inquiry project relevant to the candidate’s professional content area, educational community, or professional practice, and is meant to demonstrate graduate-level expertise and mastery in this aspect of their graduate studies. The Plan B project results in a paper that is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of their Master’s degree.

Please see the following specialization tracks for track-specific details and courses.

Tracks

Prerequisites

    • None

Note: Although not required at the time of application, admitted candidates will need to submit their Content Knowledge Verification prior to enrolling in the student teaching semester. For Elementary, there are two options for meeting this requirement:

  • Test Option – Applicants may choose to verify their content knowledge by submitting a passing score on the licensure test adopted by the Board in the content field. Submit official scores to University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, institution code 4867.
  • Coursework Option – A minimum of thirty-six semester hours of coursework from an accredited institution of higher education with at least nine (9) semester hours in each of the following four core content areas: language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.  At least three (3) semester hours in each of the core content areas must be upper division (300 or 400 level). Submit an elementary content coursework inventory worksheet: http://tiny.cc/inventory-elementary

Course Sequence (46 credits)

  • Fall I (13 credits)
    • STE 600: MEdT Program Seminar – a one credit professional development course required for MEdT candidates to introduce them to program requirements & technologies used in the program
    • STE 601B: Professional Studies I: Candidates explore educational theory, practice and pedagogy to develop the skills needed to understand, analyze, and respond to teaching issues and to develop skills in planning and implementing instruction.
    • Elementary Teaching Methods I: Topics may include Reading, Writing, Social Studies, English Language Learner (ELL), Science Technology Engineering & Math (STEM).
    • Special Education 444: Educating Exceptional Students in Regular Classrooms – Elementary
    • STE 602B: Clinical Partnership & Practice I: The nature of the field experience is determined collaboratively by faculty and school partners, and is intended to integrate theories covered in seminar into practice.
  • Spring I (12 credits)
    • STE 603B: Professional Studies II: Development of pedagogical skills in planning and implementing instruction for target subject area/grade level.
    • Elementary Teaching Methods II
    • Research Methods
    • STE 604B: Clinical Partnership & Practice II: Team collaboration on responding to identified school need; supervised experience in mini-teaching.
  • Fall II (9 credits)
    • STE 610B: Clinical Partnership & Practice III (Student Teaching): Candidates are assigned a mentor teacher at a partner school and work in that teacher’s classroom every day (typically 7:30am – 3:00pm) in accordance with the school’s academic calendar. Candidates gradually assume more responsibilities culminating with a “solo” teaching experience. The program makes all placements.
    • STE 611B: Professional Studies III: Planning and methods seminar in conjunction with practice teaching.
    • Licensure Recommendation earned following successful completion of 3rd semester
  • Spring II (9 credits)
    • STE 612B: Clinical Partnership & Practice IV (Internship) – Candidates broaden their experience in the area of licensure while developing their own voice as an educator. Internships are full-time experiences (every day 7:30am – 3:00pm). Paid internships are competitive and not guaranteed.
    • STE 613B: Professional Studies IV: Collaborative problem solving of issues and concerns encountered in current teaching experiences.

Prerequisite

  • Content Knowledge Verification
    • Test Option – Applicants may choose to verify their content knowledge by submitting a passing score on the licensure test adopted by the Board in the content field. Submit official scores to University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, institution code 4867.
    • Coursework/Major Option – Applicants have three options for demonstrating content knowledge using their coursework:
      • Content major consisting of a minimum of thirty semester hours in the content field for a bachelor’s degree awarded by an accredited institution of higher education; OR
      • A minimum of thirty semester hours in the content field from an accredited institution of higher education, at least fifteen of which must be upper division level; OR
      • A master’s, specialist, or doctoral degree in the license field awarded by an accredited institution of higher education.

Course Sequence (46 credits)

  • Fall I (13 credits)
    • STE 600: MEdT Program Seminar – a one credit professional development course required for MEdT candidates to introduce them to program requirements & technologies used in the program
    • STE 601B: Professional Studies I: Candidates explore educational theory, practice and pedagogy to develop the skills needed to understand, analyze, and respond to teaching issues and to develop skills in planning and implementing instruction.
    • Secondary Teaching Methods I
    • Special Education 445: Educating Exceptional Students in Regular Classrooms – Secondary
    • STE 602B: Clinical Partnership & Practice I: The nature of the field experience is determined collaboratively by faculty and school partners, and is intended to integrate theories covered in seminar into practice.
  • Spring I (12 credits)
    • STE 603B: Professional Studies II: Development of pedagogical skills in planning and implementing instruction for target subject area/grade level.
    • Secondary Teaching Methods II
    • Research Methods
    • STE 604B: Clinical Partnership & Practice II: Team collaboration on responding to identified school need; supervised experience in mini-teaching.
  • Fall II (9 credits)
    • STE 610B: Clinical Partnership & Practice III (Student Teaching): Candidates are assigned a mentor teacher at a partner school and work in that teacher’s classroom every day (typically 7:30am – 3:00pm) in accordance with the school’s academic calendar. Candidates gradually assume more responsibilities culminating with a “solo” teaching experience. The program makes all placements.
    • STE 611B: Professional Studies III: Planning and methods seminar in conjunction with practice teaching.
    • Licensure Recommendation earned following successful completion of 3rd semester
  • Spring II (9 credits)
    • STE 612B: Clinical Partnership & Practice IV (Internship) – Candidates broaden their experience in the area of licensure while developing their own voice as an educator. Internships are full-time experiences (every day 7:30am – 3:00pm). Paid internships are competitive and not guaranteed.
    • STE 613B: Professional Studies IV: Collaborative problem solving of issues and concerns encountered in current teaching experiences.

Prerequisite

  • Content Knowledge Verification
    • There is no Praxis exam available for Hawaiian Language. Therefore, Hawaiian Language Immersion applicants must be fluent speakers of Hawaiian as demonstrated by a B or better in HAW 402 (UHM) or KHAW 404 (UHH) and have 30 credits of content knowledge.
    • In addition, refer to either Elementary or Secondary Track details regarding track-specific prerequisites for your chosen licensure level

Professional Specialization Coursework

The Dual Hawaiian Language Immersion coursework will include the same coursework as those pursuing the Elementary or Secondary track option, although some program seminars are taught in ‘olelo Hawai‘i. Dual Immersion candidates also have the option to pursue K-12 licensure, which would include completing two semesters of student teaching, one in each of the licensure levels.

Prerequisite

Note: Enrolled candidates will need to take and pass the Special Education Praxis exam prior to beginning their final semester of student teaching. More information will be shared after enrollment.

Course Sequence (46 credits)

  • Fall I (13 credits)
    • STE 600: MEdT Program Seminar – a one credit professional development course required for MEdT candidates to introduce them to program requirements & technologies used in the program
    • STE 404: Content Methods (Elem = Math, Secondary = Field of Licensure)
    • SPED 611: Methods & Strategies for Students w/Disabilities
    • SPED 485: Classroom Organization and Management
    • STE 602B: Clinical Partnership & Practice I
  • Spring I (12 credits)
    • STE 603B: Professional Studies II
    • SPED 613: Assessment and Data-based Decision Making
    • EDUC 615: Action Research in Education
    • SPED 626: Field Experience in Special Education
  • Summer I (3 credits)
    • SPED 621 – Language Arts Strategies/Students with Disabilities (Elem/Sec)
  • Fall II (9 credits)
    • SPED 620: Strategies Across Content Areas (Elem/Sec)
    • STE 610D (6 cr): Clinical Partnership & Practice III (Student Teaching – Elem/Sec)
  • Spring II (9 credits)
    • STE 613B: Professional Studies IV
    • SPED 627 (6 cr): Student Teaching in Special Education

Contact Information

Each MEdT cohort has cohort coordinators who provide guidance and resources to support candidate success from beginning to end.

Prospective students should complete our contact form: http://tiny.cc/medtinfo to get in touch with an advisor.