Through theoretical knowledge, strong faith, and work experience, Azusa Pacific University’s MAEd Credential Combination program emphasizes lifelong learning to create positive change through education. The program’s unique curriculum allows students to simultaneously earn a Masters in Education (MAEd) as well as a credential in a specialized field in just 12 additional units. Credentials can be earned in special education, learning and technology, physical education, single subject, and multiple subject areas and are all tailored to the student’s future career goals and passions. The program has a network of relationships with local districts, including over 200 memorandums with schools that are consistently looking to hire APU graduates leading to a 95 percent hiring rate after graduation.
Besides having a future oriented curriculum, the program also emphasizes exploration into the soul of teaching as a method for making a difference in the classroom and beyond. “Teaching is God’s divine intervention to transform the world,” said HeeKap Lee, PhD, program faculty coordinator and professor. “We equip teacher candidates with skills, faith, and best practices so that they go out into the world to do wonderful things and positively impact students, parents, and communities.”
Program Structure and Curriculum
Full time students can complete the program in just 18 months. Students from any educational background are invited to apply. “Our students have a myriad of backgrounds, ages, and experiences,” said Catherine Hahs Brinkley, MAEd ’04, EdD, chair of the Department of Teacher Education. “The program is made up of students coming directly from undergraduate studies, older students who have dreamt of becoming a teacher for a long time, people looking for a career change, veterans, and even parents who have children in school now.” There are three entry points for the program in fall, spring, and summer. The program is partially funded by the Golden State Teacher Grant from the state of California, and both the Department of Teacher Education and the School of Education offer scholarships to support students in the program.
Teacher candidates take foundational classes for their MAEd and MA emphasis courses. The foundational classes allow students to learn integral aspects of careers in education while building community. As they progress in the program, students enroll in smaller classes that are particular to their credential and emphasis. Classes are offered in a variety of modalities including in person, online synchronous, and online asynchronous to account for schedule flexibility. “I love the hybrid aspect of the program because I am a mom of two and know that I can take some evening classes and do others online so I can still be present for my children,” said current student Marissa Carlson ’25 who is earning her MAEd with a k-8 multiple subject teaching credential. Alumna Sunny Cho ’24 was also drawn to the program’s hybrid course offerings. “What drew me to APU’s MAEd was that it’s an accelerated program, so all of the prerequisites are already part of the program’s curriculum,” she said. “And while many teaching programs are available online, I liked that APU’s was not completely online since being in class with others is a big part of the educational experience.”
In order to provide teacher candidates with an education that will benefit their future
students, the program recently underwent a curriculum revamp. “Faculty in the department
came together to rework the curriculum for relevance and to hold the program to even
higher standards,” Hahs Brinkley said.
The new curriculum was created with four major principles in mind: integration of
theory and practice, faith integration, embedded research, and accessibility.
Faith as the Heart and Soul of Teaching
APU’s faith integration component can be found in every program, but it looks different in the classroom depending on the subject. “We know that teaching is not just a job or profession, but a calling,” Hahs Brinkley said. “That’s why we start with the heart first and focus on the soul of teaching—why our students want to be educators. It’s been inspiring to see how students who grew up as Christians and those who are reading the Bible for the first time in class can all apply God’s principles to be kingdom builders, life givers, and light bringers.” In the classroom, teachers include prayer and devotionals to show the correlation between faith and educational pedagogical styles. “The faith integration aspect is one of my favorite parts of the program,” Carlson said. “I appreciate how we always start the class with prayer and enhance topics through discussions of Scripture.”
Faculty in the program are at the center of inspiring students to teach from the heart. They lead by example in the way they foster supportive relationships with their students. Each student works with program coordinators who have gone through similar programs in order to prepare for interactions with credential analysts. They are also supportive when it comes to the student teaching semester. Besides in-program support, students are also encouraged to use campus resources such as APU Cares, the University Counseling Center, and the Writing, Speaking, and Tutoring Center.
Career Preparation Through Hands-On Experience
Once students recognize that teaching is a calling and not just a profession, they can better understand course material as it applies to real life classroom situations. “As a professor, I’m a facilitator, so I encourage students to bring their challenges, ideas, and needs to class so that we can work together,” Lee said. Each week, he creates an online folder for his classes where teacher candidates can share their concerns, success stories, classroom challenges, and ideas. Then, students work together to support each other through encouragement, brainstorming, and connecting. “Based on the theories we learn in class, students get to explore how they can work in real life situations,” Lee said. “We’re building a learning community where all students are actively participating and sharing their unique perspectives and backstories.”
During their last semester in the program, teacher candidates participate in student teaching in local classrooms where they observe their host teacher, co-teach, and eventually run the class’ daily activities. As a culmination of theory and practice, student teaching is a rewarding opportunity for teacher candidates. “I’m currently teaching kindergarten, and I’ve realized how the challenging nature of the program and student teaching experience prepared me well for having my own classroom,” Sunny Cho said. “It helped me to build my stamina going into my first year of teaching, and it gave me so many tools to work with. Everything I learned at APU has been useful in my time teaching so far.”
Research Promotes Lifelong Learning
Due to the program’s principle of experience, students are constantly seeing how the theories they learn in class work in real life scenarios. “I recommend that students bring their stories and issues to class discussions because it allows us to work together and do better research,” Lee said. One of the first courses that teacher candidates take is Action Research in Education. The course focuses on identifying problems in education and creating solutions through data collection and analysis methods. Of the five courses in the MAEd portion of the program, each incorporates research methods. In the last of their courses, teacher candidates write a paper on a topic of their choice and present their findings.
Embedded into every credential emphasis course is an active research component that is assessed in the California Teacher Performance Assessment Cycles at the end of the program. Each student chooses an area of study or problem to focus on specific to their emphasis and student teaching population. Not only do teacher candidates expand their knowledge and find ways to tailor their teaching skills to best benefit the students they’re teaching, they are also inspired to continue researching and taking the posture of a lifelong learner throughout their professional career.
Accessibility to Mentorship and Support
The Department of Teacher Education fosters tight knit relationships between peers
and with faculty members. “You can tell that the professors are passionate about their
subjects and care about the well being of their students,” Carlson said.
Relationship building starts in the classroom where teachers lead by example through
engaging with students in small groups, encouraging group presentations, and facilitating
class discussions. Professors continue to foster meaningful relationships with their
students through mentorship opportunities and talking with students about how they
can holistically support them as they progress through the program. “While we were
student teaching, everyone had weekly meetings with a mentor coach,” alumnus Charles
Cho ’24 said. “Mine would ask me how things were going and make helpful comments on
my student teaching videos. The coaches have extensive experience in the education
field and helped us all become better teachers.”
Students in the program are also able to create meaningful relationships with each other. The flexibility of the program attracts students of all ages and backgrounds. This diversity in the classroom enhances the student experience and allows for students to support each other at all stages of life. “Being in the teacher’s program, the people you meet want to help and support each other, and you interact with people of different life stages and experiences,” Carlson said. “That only adds richness to the classroom, and it’s been inspiring to see how we all come together with one goal to help and serve others.
APU’s MAEd Credential Combination Program is distinctive in its schedule flexibility, opportunities for one on one mentorship, research experiences, and hand-on learning approach. Through all of the assignments and assessments, at the heart of preparing teacher candidates to run their own classrooms is faith and the encouragement to find the soul of teaching. “Teaching is a calling, mission, and labor of love,” said Lee. “We help our students prepare their hearts with love and compassion, and that is the key to equipping teacher candidates to excel in the field and positively impact future generations.”