Post-Master’s Certificate
in General Education
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Overview
One of the most attractive characteristics of our post-master’s certificate is your ability to tailor your degree and coursework to meet your specific interests and career journey. The Post-Master’s Certificate in General Education allows you to select courses from a broad range of electives to fit your personal and professional goals.
To fulfill your certificate requirements, you must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours with at least four education courses from any of the Education Post-Master’s Certificate programs offered. You may also take up to two courses from Post-Master’s Certificate programs in other fields, i.e., psychology, technology and/or business. With dean approval, you may even consider additional courses (more than two) from other disciplines to fill this requirement.
Admission Requirements
A conferred master’s level or higher degree from a regionally or nationally accredited academic institution.
Courses
For the Post-Master’s Certificate in General Education, you must complete 6 courses (18 credit hours). The estimated time needed to complete this certificate is 13 months.
Course Details
Course Listings
Although most local education authorities have their own legal counsel, all stakeholders benefit from a working knowledge of school law, especially those laws pertaining to the rights and responsibilities of school personnel and students. In this course, you’ll analyze state and federal legislation that impacts a variety of local school policies. Legal foundations for health, safety, attendance, and discipline policies will all be addressed along with policies for the rights of students, teachers, parents, guardians, and other stakeholders.
Because today’s learners differ in gender, sexual orientation, age, cultural background, experiences, and abilities, today’s educators must be able to appraise, assess, and argue the best means to reach such a variety. In this course, you’ll explore different means to address the nature of cultural diversity, its sources, and its importance to educators. You’ll also consider how districts can plan and prepare to meet the needs of diverse students, taking into consideration epistemological and axiological perspectives unique to many cultures.
This course examines the theories, philosophies, and professional standards related to educational leadership. You’ll also study diversity, equity, and inclusion in the context of school leadership. By the end of the course, you’ll develop a personal leadership approach and promote ethical behavior and decision-making in order to become an effective leader within your particular educational setting.
In this course, you’ll explore the organizational structure of schools and school systems, and their relationships to and effects upon school programs, teaching strategies, testing and measurement, and program evaluation. You’ll consider the way schools are organized around time, space, and other resources. Organizational dynamics are explored, and there’ll be an opportunity to engage operational factors that influence the school climate, including human resources, organizational outreach, and capacity. Finally, you’ll investigate ways and benefits of engaging stakeholders in organizational practice.
This course surveys the real world experiences and common challenges encountered by school leaders. You’ll study organizational behavior with an emphasis on the practical relevance of educational leadership in this new era of accountability and high-stakes testing. Topics include development theories and collaborative planning models to enhance distributed leadership, professional learning communities, parental involvement, and sustainable leadership for student growth.
Students in this course will explore the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to manage public service organizations strategically. Using a systems theory perspective, you’ll examine organizational structures and change processes as you prepare for management and leadership roles in public educational organizations.
*Courses listed are examples. Upon acceptance to the program, your initial plan will include these courses. You’re encouraged to choose your General Education certificate courses based on your personal and professional goals, and to work with an advisor to revise your course plan to your interests.
Learning Outcomes
If you’ve earned your Master of Education degree, then our post-master’s certificate may move you past the head of the class. NU’s Post-Master’s Certificate in General Education is designed to help you focus and develop your skill sets and knowledge in a particular area of education beyond the master’s level, without the need for a doctoral commitment or dissertation. You’ll not only enhance your understanding of major theories and practices in your specialty, but you’ll be challenged to think critically about the topics covered with the goal of applying what you learn to your professional objectives—all while gaining a wealth of experience from your mentoring professors.
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We’re proud to be a Veteran-founded, San Diego-based nonprofit. Since 1971, our mission has been to provide accessible, achievable higher education to adult learners. Today, we educate students from across the U.S. and around the globe, with over 240,000 alumni worldwide.
“National University has impacted my career. You can immediately apply what you learn in class to your business.”
-Francisco R., Class of 2016
Program Disclosure
Successful completion and attainment of National University degrees do not lead to automatic or immediate licensure, employment, or certification in any state/country. The University cannot guarantee that any professional organization or business will accept a graduate’s application to sit for any certification, licensure, or related exam for the purpose of professional certification.
Program availability varies by state. Many disciplines, professions, and jobs require disclosure of an individual’s criminal history, and a variety of states require background checks to apply to, or be eligible for, certain certificates, registrations, and licenses. Existence of a criminal history may also subject an individual to denial of an initial application for a certificate, registration, or license and/or result in the revocation or suspension of an existing certificate, registration, or license. Requirements can vary by state, occupation, and/or licensing authority.
NU graduates will be subject to additional requirements on a program, certification/licensure, employment, and state-by-state basis that can include one or more of the following items: internships, practicum experience, additional coursework, exams, tests, drug testing, earning an additional degree, and/or other training/education requirements.
All prospective students are advised to review employment, certification, and/or licensure requirements in their state, and to contact the certification/licensing body of the state and/or country where they intend to obtain certification/licensure to verify that these courses/programs qualify in that state/country, prior to enrolling. Prospective students are also advised to regularly review the state’s/country’s policies and procedures relating to certification/licensure, as those policies are subject to change.
National University degrees do not guarantee employment or salary of any kind. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to review desired job positions to review degrees, education, and/or training required to apply for desired positions. Prospective students should monitor these positions as requirements, salary, and other relevant factors can change over time.