Find out more about Hamline University

The online Graduate Certificate in Adult Basic Education program prepares educators to provide adults with the instruction needed to transition into educational or career opportunities and to thrive in their communities, allowing them to participate fully in community and economic life.  Educators provide GED/high school equivalency, ESL, basic skills improvement, digital literacy, career readiness, or other adult educational programming.  They will understand the field of adult education and its essential components: effective communication, numeracy, and literacy, and gain insight into the needs of adults for whom English is not their primary language and its implications on instruction.  Educators also learn how to design courses to meet a variety of learner backgrounds and needs and develop authentic assessment tools for academic and workplace settings.

The online Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in Natural Science and Environmental Education program prepares well-qualified environmental educators who are environmental leaders with an understanding of natural history, earth systems science, and environmental change.  In the program, educators will affirm, clarify, and build upon their commitments to the environment and deepen their knowledge with engaging content and innovative ideas.  They will demonstrate understanding of the goals, theory, practice, and history of the field of environmental education and combine the fundamentals of education with the unique features of environmental education to design and implement effective instruction.  When choosing electives, educators may select concentration areas, including:

• Early childhood environmental education
• Sustainability
• Place-based education
• Other area with approval of the program chair/coordinator

The online Master of Arts in Literacy Education program provides educators with a current curriculum, preparing them to teach students the literacy skills necessary to learn, communicate, and problem-solve in the modern world.  Educators will learn gain a foundation in the theoretical and practical bases of effective 21st-century literacy instruction, including critical and digital literacy, and develop the expertise needed to enrich the literacy learning of diverse students across developmental levels, academic disciplines, and social and cultural contexts.  Graduates become advocates for literacy through a comprehensive understanding of literacy development, process, and instruction.  Courses include:

• Essentials in Literacy
• Understanding Learning 
• Investigating Contemporary and Critical Issues in Education 
• Critical Literacy 
• Policy, Leadership, and Advocacy for Educators

The online Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program prepares educators to enhance skills in English that promote social and economic access and equity while also sustaining the linguistic and cultural diversity that enriches the community.  The program helps educators understand the relationship between language and culture and its implications for learning and society and helps them gain foundational knowledge in language systems and how they relate to instruction.  Educators develop the expertise to effectively motivate English language learners in a variety of settings and establish the research skills needed to be informed, active, and collaborative practitioners while they are prepared to become advocates and leaders in the TESOL field.  Two concentrations are available, Teaching Adults or Teaching K-12, which allow educators to prepare to work locally or internationally with the learners of their choice.