Mars Hill University

In your first year, you will complete general education courses that provide a foundation in the liberal arts and critical thinking. You will also take ED 105 Introduction to Education to begin your exploration of education as a profession, as well as complete field work and reflection in the public schools.

In your second year, you will take ED 205 Introduction to Teacher Education and prepare for admission to the selective teacher education program. You will also begin to take educator preparation courses in teaching methods as you continue to complete field work in the public schools.

In year three, you will continue educator preparation courses, including educational foundations, educational psychology and teaching methods. Your public school field experiences will expand to include teaching opportunities under the supervision of university faculty and public school veteran teachers.

Most of your final year consists of a two-part student teaching experience. In Student Teaching Practicum I, you will work one-on-one with an experienced, highly qualified mentor teacher and familiarize yourself with the community, school and students in order to plan, teach and assess a unit while completing educator preparation coursework. In Student Teaching Practicum II, you will have a full-time teaching experience with the support of a veteran teacher, university supervisor and a cohort of student colleagues to assist in reflecting on your experiences. You will also complete state mandated licensure requirements.

We believe that hands-on learning and consistent experience in public schools is vital to effective teacher preparation. As students move through the program, they gradually move from observation to instruction. Students in all undergraduate programs complete field experience hours in each year of the program. The freshman and sophomore level field experiences are observational. In junior year, students assess and develop lesson plans under close teacher and/or professor supervision. Students also assess a public school student, create lessons for them, and then develop formative assessments to determine rates of student improvement. Students complete a year-long student teaching experience their senior year. 

The MHU Teacher Education Program includes a variety of courses to prepare students to serve the needs of public school children, including Introduction to Special Education, Diversity in the US Schools and Second Language and Literacy Development. We also provide field experience opportunities in a variety of public school settings, including differences in socioeconomic background, special education services, English language support, geographic location and student demographics.

During Mars Hill University's Teacher Education Program, each student will have the opportunity to work with a number of public school mentor teachers, university faculty and field experience supervisors who represent a range of educational perspectives. These mentors help students develop their own ideas and understandings of effective teaching and also enable opportunities for students, with support and feedback, to experiment with instructional strategies that best serve public school students.

The Mars Hill University Teacher Education Program is committed to fostering a culture of excellence. This approach to continuous improvement is evident in our ongoing partnerships with local school districts as well as our accreditation at both the state and national levels. We continuously evaluate our programs to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all students, as well as the needs of local public schools. We regularly survey students, graduates and employers about their satisfaction so that we can provide the best program possible for future teachers.