Education Degrees Available at Western New Mexico University
Western New Mexico University appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Best MATs in Elementary Education Online.
The School of Education at Western New Mexico University offers certificates and degrees for teachers and students who want to earn their teaching licenses. An Associate of Arts (AA) in Early Childhood Education and Family Support teaches students how to work with kids and their loved ones. It includes concentrations in infant family studies and early childhood teaching. Both concentrations feature the same education core, which includes Introduction to Early Childhood Education, Guiding Young Children and Child Growth, Development, and Learning. They will take at least five classes from their concentrations too.
In the Bachelor of Science (BS) program, students can choose between general education and early childhood education. The early childhood education program prepares them for working with kids through the third grade. They will need to take and pass an assessment test to stay in the program and pass a subject test and a competency exam before they can graduate. Both programs include a practice teaching class in which students work as teachers. They can only take this class if they maintain a grade point average of 2.75 or higher. Taking this class is one of the requirements they need to meet to earn their degrees.
At the graduate level, Western New Mexico University offers a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) with an initial licensure option for students who do not have a teaching license. This program offers concentrations in elementary education, secondary education, and special education. Students take 19 credits of core and foundation classes that include Methods of Research, History, and Philosophy of Education, Foundations of Education, Multicultural Education and Student Growth and Development. All concentrations include a final exam and a practice teaching session that serves as a capstone. The MAT Specialization program allows students to choose what they want to teach and study. It features the same requirements as the main MAT program but includes options for students to focus on art, psychology, reading, English, history and other subjects.
The university now offers a MAT in Reading too, which it designed for students who want to teach those with dyslexia and other disorders and teachers who want to focus on literacy education. Students need to take 24 credits of core reading and education classes that may include Teaching of Reading, Phonetics, Early Childhood Reading, Dyslexia, Remedial Reading and Reading Skills in Secondary Education. Majors can do practicums too.
About Western New Mexico University
Western New Mexico University is a private university that opened when the state was still the Territory of New Mexico. Established in 1833, it opened as one of the first teaching schools in the west called the New Mexico Normal School. The Town of Silver City donated land to the school, which led to the state opening it there. During the three years it took to finish construction on Old Main, students attended classes in an old church. As a comprehensive university, Western New Mexico University now offers more than 60 associate and bachelor’s degree programs along with 12 graduate degree programs and a few certificates. Also known as WNMU, it still offers many teaching programs through its School of Education, which has an enrollment of several hundred students.
Western New Mexico University Accreditation Details
WNMU encourages students to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) when they apply to the university to see what type of financial aid they can get. Students have access to this form because WNMU has regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). If they want to transfer credits, they can because of that accreditation. Education majors also enroll in programs with specialty accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
Western New Mexico University Application Requirements
Both the associate and bachelor’s education programs at WNMU have the same admissions requirements. Students will fill out the university’s online application and then send either a high school transcript, college transcript or GED score. The university asks for an ACT or SAT score that is up to five years old. Students who do not submit a score need to take the WNMU placement test. Once the university receives all the required documents and processes the application, it asks students to review their financial aid packages and sign up for housing if they want to live on-campus. They also need to complete the WNMU orientation.
WNMU offers full and conditional acceptance for graduate students. Full acceptance goes to those who meet all admissions requirements and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students receive conditional acceptance if they have a lower GPA or do not meet all requirements. The university allows those students to take one semester of classes and complete their requirements to receive full acceptance. Students applying to the School of Education need to submit an application that includes three letters of recommendation, an essay, an autobiography and proof that the student passed the National Evaluation Test. They will also need to complete an assessment form and show that they passed an FBI background check.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Undergrads who take at least 30 credits every year and graduate students who take a minimum of 18 credits qualify for the university’s guaranteed tuition rate, which freezes their rates. Full-time undergrads who are New Mexico residents pay $3,153 each semester. Undergrads who are not from New Mexico pay $6,796.44 every semester. Graduate students can take nine credits every semester and pay $2,480.85 as a resident and $5,167.08 as a nonresident. WNMU charges similar rates for students who take online classes. Tuition discounts are available for students who live anywhere in the western region of the country.
New Mexico students who graduated from a high school in the state can get scholarships from the Legislative Lottery. The university has foundation scholarships that go to many students every year and a bridge program that students get for their first semesters. Part-time jobs are available for all students who qualify for work-study too. To get access to that program and other types of federal and state aid, students must use the FAFSA. This is also what helps graduate students qualify for university jobs and federal loans. Western New Mexico University offers financial aid that students can use as they do internships in the education degree programs too.
