Education Programs Offered at the University of the Cumberlands
The University of the Cumberlands appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Best MATs in Elementary Education Online.
At the University of the Cumberlands, students can choose from a range of education programs based on their needs and experience levels. The elementary education major includes certification for those who want to teach P-5 students. P-12 certification is available with the university’s majors in art education, music education, and Spanish education. In the chemistry, biology, social studies, physics and English programs, students can get certified to teach in secondary schools. The university also offers a major in middle grades education.
The online elementary education program at the university offers concentrations in English, interdisciplinary studies, social studies, and special education. Majors take 72 units of general courses, 48 units of P-5 professional classes and 21 units of electives. Their electives must relate to their concentrations. Some of the professional courses they take will include Studies in Education: Special Topics in Literacy, P-5 Teaching of Science, Classroom Management and Behavior, P-5 Teaching of Math and Reading and Language Arts I and II. A second online undergraduate degree is available in early childhood education.
Graduate students can start the Online Rank 1 Certification Program at the university to meet the standards for educators in Kentucky. The online program can help students become certified in different fields, including special education and pupil personnel. Through the Master’s in Education at the university, students can focus on school counseling, literacy or teacher leadership. The last program includes concentrations in English, math, social studies, English as a second language and business and marketing.
All of the education programs at the University of the Cumberlands are online programs that include eight-week terms that are available six times during the standard school year and summer. Some of the programs include options for students who need teaching certificates in other states. Through the university’s evaluation program, students can get endorsements and certification in one or more subject areas on their Kentucky teaching licenses. Those fields include elementary, middle grades or secondary education and all grades education in art, physical education and other subjects.
In the Master’s in Teaching (MAT) program, students can choose one or more concentrations, including all grades, middle grade, and special education. The special education concentration looks at both learning and behavior disorders. Students take a minimum of 33 credits to earn an MAT degree. Those credits include courses such as Research Methods in Education and Reading and Writing Foundations as well as three clinical practicums. The university also offers a Master’s in Education (MAED) and an education specialist program.
About the University of the Cumberlands
The University of the Cumberlands is a private university once affiliated with the Baptist Church. Baptist ministers met at the Mount Zion Association meeting and drew up plans for a new college. It opened in 1889 as the Williamsburg Institute named for the Kentucky city they selected for the campus. After acquiring part of an old college campus in 1907, the institute changed its curriculum and became Cumberland College.
It would later become the University of the Cumberlands to show that it welcomed students from across the region and state. This would lead to a surge in enrollment as students came from other states. Enrollment also grew after the university added graduate degree programs in education in the 1980s. Students can now enter more than 10 graduate programs and choose from more than 40 majors. The University of the Cumberlands offers liberal arts programs today and has an enrollment of more than 13,000 students.
University of the Cumberlands Accreditation Details
With accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the University of the Cumberlands can award financial aid packages to students after it receives their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Education majors enroll in programs accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) too.
University of the Cumberlands Application Requirements
The University of the Cumberlands has the same application requirements for undergrads applying to any program, online or on-campus. Once they apply online, students will submit official transcripts that show they have a minimum grade point average of 2.0. Students who have more than 12 college credits must provide college transcripts that show the same GPA. The university asks for an ACT score from any student who is under the age of 22 unless the applicant also submits a college transcript. Students need a minimum score of 20 on the reading section and 19 on the math portion of the exam.
Most of the university’s graduate programs in education require a $30 application fee and a graduate application. Students must send in official transcripts from the colleges they attended, but they can submit unofficial transcripts if they’re still in a degree program. The university requires an official transcript that shows a GPA of 2.75 or higher before the student starts a program. It also accepts those with a GPA of 3.0 in the last two semesters of classes taken. Several of the education programs require a copy of a valid teaching license and three letters of recommendation. Those applying to the school counseling program also need to submit an official GRE score.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Online undergrads attending the University of the Cumberlands pay $199 and a fee of $50 for a total of $249 per credit hour. Graduate students in an online program pay the same fee and $315 per credit hour. Students in a traditional education program pay $23,000 a year for full-time enrollment, including their fees and tuition. They also pay another $9,300 each year for a dorm room and a meal plan.
The Financial Aid Office at the University of the Cumberlands can answer any questions that students have about financial aid. Undergraduate financial aid packages often include work-study opportunities that provide students with jobs on the campus and grants that come from the federal government or the state government. The federal government can provide undergrads with subsidized loans too. A $1,000 scholarship is available for students who come from eastern Kentucky, and another scholarship goes to students who held leadership roles in a Christian church. Students need to apply for a scholarship and meet the requirements of the program to get those funds. The University of the Cumberlands can help graduate students in its education degree programs get financial aid such as student loans too.
