About the SOE
Through emphasis on scholarship, diverse clinical experiences, and effective instructional and leadership practice, the School of Education (SOE) promotes the preparation and continuing development of exemplary teachers and administrators. The School of Education serves more than 1,000 students; around 60 percent of whom are undergraduates and 40 percent are graduate or post-baccalaureate students.
Reflecting its ethic of caring and commitment, the SOE seeks to accommodate the complex schedules and priorities of a diverse student body whose members balance work, family, and school commitments. Courses are available year-round, in the evening, and often in on-line contexts.
The SOE offers multiple routes toward initial teacher certification by the state of Michigan's Department of Education. Graduate programs, including five master's degree programs and an Education Specialist program, emphasize opportunities for certified teachers seeking to refine and expand their skills and to augment their credentials or for the administrative preparation for educators interested in moving into leadership positions in the schools. A doctoral program (Ed.D.) offers four distinct emphases all responding to selected applicants' interest in applying research to real-world community challenges.
The members of the SOE's full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty all hold terminal degrees from reputable institutions in the United States and other nations. All are well prepared in both content knowledge and pedagogy and are actively engaged in applied research in support of the education and development of the region's citizens. The full-time faculty is augmented by a capable adjunct faculty, members of which are hired based upon their unique qualifications and their professional experience in instruction and leadership.