USC Upstate offers teachers a new master’s program

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The University of South Carolina Upstate is offering a master’s degree in applied learning and instruction to help teachers advance their career and “meet the changing needs of increasingly diverse classrooms, which will facilitate professional and economic advancement in Spartanburg, Union, and Cherokee counties,” according to a news release.

Clif Flynn, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at USC Upstate, said the program was created “to establish a regional and flexible pathway for pursuit of a master’s degree that meets the needs of the teachers we serve and at the request of nine partner school districts.”

“Our goal is to serve adults in the region who wish to combine credits earned through their districts with flexible master’s level study,” he said, in the release.

The 36-hour online degree program offers educators the opportunity to pursue an advanced degree online while also adding endorsements to a teaching certificate. Aimed at equipping teachers to meet the needs of students in their diverse classrooms, this program emphasizes the application of theory and evolving practices in classrooms. Students complete a series of core courses and then select a concentration in one of four areas: Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Literacy, or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, the release said.

“This innovative degree provides an academic opportunity for participants to positively impact their school and community as they apply what they are learning throughout the degree program,” said Laura Reynolds, dean of the School of Education, Human Performance and Health at USC Upstate, in the release. “It is designed for those who are interested in advancing and applying psychological principles to improve learning and instruction in a wide variety of settings and content areas and allows students to concentrate on areas of interest and expertise.”