Welch College received notification that the Tennessee Department of Education’s Office of Educator Licensing and Preparation has approved Welch’s Special Education licensure program for Pre-K through 5th grade and as an additional endorsement for licensed teachers, according to Dr. Greg Ketteman, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Dean of Graduate Education at Welch.
“This represents a major expansion of teacher education offerings at both the graduate and undergraduate levels at Welch,” Ketteman said. “These new programs combine Welch’s commitment to quality and the desire to meet the needs of Christian schools and local public school systems.”
Welch will now offer special education degrees qualifying graduates to be licensed special education teachers. The licensure program is available to both undergraduate teacher education students and graduate students in the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program. The M.A.T. enrolled its first students in January of this year and anticipates its first master’s graduates in 2020.
The Special Education Track joins accredited M.A.T. tracks in Teaching and in Higher Education Pedagogy as a part of the 33-hour master’s program. Welch Teacher Education faculty are already seeking approval for newly developed M.A.T. tracks in English as a Second Language (ESL) and Instructional Leadership (IL) that will lead to licensure for classroom teachers and school leaders respectively. Enrollment in the M.A. (EL) track opens in the upcoming fall 2019 term followed by M.A. (IL) track enrollment soon thereafter.
Dr. Matthew McAffee, Provost at Welch College, said, “We are excited about this news from the Tennessee Department of Education. Adding special education to our degree programs at Welch, on both the undergraduate and graduate levels, continues our commitment to quality, affordable Christian education in a format easily accessible to full-time students and the working adult.”
For inquiries about enrollment or questions, contact Dr. Greg Ketteman at gketteman@welch.eduor Dr. Etta Patterson at epatterson@welch.edu. More information about the Master of Arts in Teaching is available at https://welch.eduma-teaching/
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TN Department of Education Approves Special Education at Welch College