Imagine being an elementary school teacher. You’re ready to further your education, but you don’t want to leave your day job teaching. What do you do?

Initially established as a teacher’s college in 1905, Missouri State University still has a strong commitment to educate future teachers of all kinds. Recently ranked No. 4 on CollegeChoice.net’s list of the “25 Best Online Master’s in Elementary Education Degrees for 2017,” the program at Missouri State is no exception to this commitment.

“It really doesn’t surprise me that our master’s degree in elementary education was ranked so highly, simply because we have been on the forefront of teacher preparation since our inception in 1905,” said Dr. Denise Cunningham, head of the MSU childhood education and family studies department where the program is housed. “The fact that students can enhance their skills and knowledge base through a very flexible online program just fits right in with everything that we do.”

Educating tomorrow’s teachers

CollegeChoice.net ranked the programs based on “…standard academic reputation rankings, program tuition rates, early career earnings of graduates and school acceptance rates.”

Cunningham believes the program at Missouri State stands out in several ways.

“We offer the curriculum and instruction pathway that provides individualized course work for students. It’s very unique,” said Cunningham. “We also have a wide variety of certificate programs at the graduate level.”

For example, there’s conservation education, gifted and talented education and elementary curriculum and instruction certificates.

“We also have an elementary mathematics specialist certification, which is through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education,” said Cunningham. “They aren’t teacher certifications, but graduate certificates that students can get. They are very popular with our students.”

For more information, contact Cunningham at 417-836-4492.