Education Degree Programs at the University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is also featured in our ranking of the Top 20 Best Master’s in Reading and Literacy Online.
Through the College of Education at the University of Memphis, students can get the experience and education needed to become licensed Tennessee teachers and advance their teaching careers. Students in the university’s Bachelor of Science in Education program can choose an emphasis area in visual art, physical or music education. A fourth program features a concentration in teaching English as a second language. Students can also focus on early childhood education and human development and learning to get a license to teach kids through the third grade. Other programs are available for those who want to teach in elementary schools or secondary schools. The University of Memphis also offers an undergraduate education major for students who do not want to get their teaching licenses.
Also available are programs for those who want to complete a Master of Science in Education or a Master of Arts in Teaching. The university offers art, early childhood, special, secondary and elementary education programs that include a licensure option. Graduate students can also major in instruction and curriculum or instructional technology. A school psychology program at the graduate level includes an internship and helps students become professional counselors. Some leadership programs are also available.
The University of Memphis launched a global initiative program that now allows education majors to study online too. Though it doesn’t offer any online bachelor’s program, it does offer some certificate options for graduate students, including certificates in autism studies and college and career counseling. Full degree programs allow students to major in physical education, teaching secondary education, special education, literacy, research, instruction and curriculum technology or instruction and curriculum leadership. The University of Memphis also offers doctoral programs in adult education, higher education and curriculum leadership with an emphasis in instructional design and technology.
About the University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is a public university in the Tennessee city of the same name. Founded in 1912 as the West Tennessee Normal School, it became the main university in the city. Though several schools operated prior to that date under the University of Memphis name, those schools all became part of this new university in later years. It would later become the West Tennessee State Teachers College and then Memphis State College before becoming the University of Memphis in the late 1950s. It also uses the U of M name.
U of M now sits in a neighborhood called the University District, which is only five miles away from the heart of Memphis. This neighborhood has a welcoming feel for students and puts them close to a number of restaurants and stores. The School of Law at U of M is roughly 80 miles away from the main campus and in the city of Jackson. Both Forbes and U.S. News and World Report rank U of M as a top American college, and Washington Monthly ranks the university as the 40th best in the country.
University of Memphis Accreditation Details
The College of Education at U of M and all the degree programs it offers have accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). This accreditation also applies to the teaching fieldwork that students do in many of those programs. U of M holds regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) too. This is the accreditation that allows incoming students to get financial aid when they need it and get credit for any college classes they already took.
University of Memphis Application Requirements
Undergrads applying to U of M have the option of declaring an education major on their applications or leaving this section blank. This allows them to enter without declaring a major and gives them the chance to take classes from different departments during their first years. Students have until July first to submit an application and August first to complete their files. They need to pay a $25 application fee and submit both a standardized test score and a transcript that shows at least three years of high school classes taken and the grades earned in each one. Students’ transcripts should also show that they took a minimum of 14 units of classes in math, social studies, life sciences, English, visual or performing arts and at least one foreign language. U of M also offers guaranteed acceptance of students who finished in the top 10% of their high school classes.
Some of the graduate programs in education offered by the university will only accept students who have a valid teaching license in Tennessee. As part of the application process, they will submit copies of those licenses. All prospective grad students need to submit an application to the College of Education and send their transcripts. Those transcripts should show the degrees they earned and the dates they completed their undergraduate programs as well as all the classes they took. Certain programs will also ask for writing samples or examples of the research the student did in an education field or class and letters of recommendation too.
Tuition and Financial Aid
At U of M, undergrads pay $413 per credit hour for both their fees and tuition but only if they can prove that they are Tennessee residents. The cost for nonresidents taking classes in Memphis is $573 per credit hour. Students in the U of M global program pay $463 per credit hour for their classes whether they live in Tennessee or any other part of the world. Graduate and doctoral students also pay rates based on where they live. These rates start at $597 per credit hour for Tennessee residents and reach $789 per credit hour for nonresidents. All graduate and doctoral students in a U of M global program will pay $647 per credit hour.
The regional accreditation that U of M has is what lets students use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and see if they can get loans and any other types of aid. While all students can get direct federal loans, there are subsidized loans for undergrads and unsubsidized loans for older students. Students may also qualify for PLUS loans, Pell grants, work-study, and state grants. All of the education programs available at the University of Memphis have some scholarship opportunities too.
