Pete Rose completed the Supervision Essentials Series through Management Development. “As a new supervisor, I found that Penn State’s Supervision Essentials program gave me some very useful tools that I could put to work right away at my job with Restek. I recommend this program for anyone moving into a management role.”
If your job involves directing, guiding, or teaching adults, Penn State’s blended, online and continuing education M.Ed. program in adult education can help you do it better. This master of education degree program can give you the knowledge and skills you need for working more effectively with adult learners and is designed for busy, working professionals.
Teach in Higher Education or Adult Basic Education
The master’s degree program in adult education can enhance your career in areas such as:
Recognized, Accredited, and Approved
Penn State’s College of Education is regularly ranked among the nation’s best graduate schools by U.S. News & World Report, and this online program is taught by the same nationally recognized faculty.
Penn State is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). In addition, the M.Ed. in adult education carries the Pennsylvania State Education Association’s (PSEA) Seal of Recognition, the highest level of endorsement that the association awards to graduate and professional development programs.
Penn State is an Act 48-approved provider for Pennsylvania educators, so the courses in the master’s degree program in adult education count toward professional development hours.
Learn Alongside Other Adult Educators
You’ll interact with dedicated, goal-oriented peers in an atmosphere of high expectations and great cooperation. As you communicate daily with other adult education professionals, you’ll gain insights that you can apply to your job immediately.
Admission Requirements
If you are applying for a graduate course and have never enrolled as a graduate student, you need to fill out the “Graduate Nondegree Application” form. If you are a current graduate student who has taken a semester off (excluding the summer), you need to fill out the “Resume Study” form. Call the Williamsport office for a form, or download the PDF online at http://forms.gradsch.psu.edu.
ADTED 460 Introduction to Adult Education (3 credits)
History, methods, agencies, program areas, and problems of adult education in the United States.
ADTED 470 Introduction to Distance Education (3 credits)
An introduction to the history, philosophy, organizations, learning theories, and instructional procedures used in American and international distance education.
ADTED 498 Teaching Adults Responsibly (3 credits)
Virtues operating in particular teaching situations are examined. Also examined are opportunities and challenges enabling and constraining those virtues.
Prerequisite: ADTED 460 3 credits
ADTED 506 Program Planning in Adult Education (3 credits)
Intensive study of theoretical foundations, policies, evaluation models, methods, and materials in program planning in adult education.
Prerequisites: ADTED 460 and 505
ADTED 507 Research and Evaluation in Adult Education (3 credits)
Guided discussion and reading in selected research and evaluation methods and trends as applied in adult education settings.
Prerequisite: ADTED 460
ADTED 510 Historical and Social Issues in Adult Education (3 credits)
Social and historical foundations of adult education in the United States and selected nations.
Prerequisite: ADTED 460
Note: It is strongly recommended (required) that students have completed at least 12 credits of related course work prior to taking this course.
ADTED 588 Professional Seminar: Research and Adult Education (3 credits)
A seminar designed for surveying research methods, and the writing of a master’s paper. This is the capstone course — all other required courses must be taken prior to ADTED 588.
A 3-credit basic statistics course (400 level or above) is required. You may enroll in STAT 500 or STAT 897, available through the World Campus, or transfer in a statistics course from another accredited institution. You may transfer in up to 10 credits from an accredited institution.
The elective credits can be taken at any time during your degree progression. You can choose your elective credits from various 3-credit courses in different programs available through the World Campus, or you may transfer credits into the program, in consultation with your academic adviser. The following courses are approved electives for this program:
ADTED 456 Introduction to Family Literacy (3 credits)
Explores comprehensive family literacy models, focusing upon families, services, outcomes, and roles and responsibilities of individuals, organizations, and communities.
Prerequisites: EDPSY 014, associate degree or 60 undergraduate credits
ADTED 457 Adult Literacy (3 credits)
Surveys adult basic and literacy education programs and best practices; applies recent research on adult and family literacy.
Prerequisites: EDPSY 014, associate degree or 60 undergraduate credits
ADTED 458 Early Literacy Development and Parental Involvement (3 credits)
Focuses on young children’s language and literacy development, including parental and staff support; grounded in scientifically-based reading research.
Prerequisites: EDPSY 014, associate degree or 60 undergraduate credits
ADTED 459 Interactive Literacy: Parents and Children (3 credits)
Focuses on literacy and language interactions between parents and their young children (including English language learners), implementing intentional/planned learning.
Prerequisites: EDPSY 014, associate degree or 60 undergraduate credits
ADTED 531 Course Design and Development in Distance Education (3 credits)
In-depth study of the practices of designing courses taught by print, broadcast, and telecommunications media to adult distance learners.
Prerequisites: ADTED 470, INSYS 415
ADTED 532 Research and Evaluation in Distance Education (3 credits)
Study of previous, current, and needed research, and of strategies and issues concerning evaluation, in distance education.
Prerequisites: ADTED 460 and 470
EDTEC 448 Using the Internet in the Classroom (3 credits)
This course introduces methods and models of using the Internet effectively in the classroom.
Prerequisite: EDTEC 400 or demonstrated Internet awareness
EDTEC 449 Video and Hypermedia in the Classroom (3 credits)
Skills and knowledge needed to direct the use of learning technologies in educational settings.
Prerequisite: INSYS 415
EDTEC 462 Coordinating Technology Use in Education (3 credits)
Skills and knowledge needed to direct the use of learning technologies in educational settings.
Prerequisite: EDTEC 448
EDTEC 566 Computers as Learning Tools (3 credits)
Using software to support learning, including databases, spreadsheets, semantic networks, expert systems, hypermedia construction, modeling tools, and computer conferencing.
INSYS 415 The Design, Development, and Evaluation of Instruction (3 credits)
Preparation in the use of a nine-step model for systematically analyzing instructional problems and developing validated, practical solutions.
Prerequisites as listed may be waived by the course instructor if you can demonstrate the required level of competency.