School of Education

Hawai‘i Pacific University's School of Education develops professional educators and leaders who are reflective practitioners dedicated to the scholarship of teaching, school renewal, and leading positive change. Its degree programs are based on standards-driven, field-based, and inquiry-oriented curricula that employ cutting-edge educational technology to integrate content and pedagogy. Employing an electronic portfolio-based assessment system, university faculty and mentor teachers guide the candidate's progress in achieving professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions.

The School of Education offers the following degree programs:

Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education (BAEED)
Master of Education in Elementary Education (MEDEE)
Master of Education in Secondary Education (MEDSE)
Master of Education in Educational Leadership (MEDEL)
Master of Education in Educational Leadership, Concentration in Instructional Design

The School of Education degree and licensure programs (Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, Master of Education in Elementary Education, and Master of Education in Secondary Education) prepare candidates to become competent, caring, and professional educators through classroom discussions and field experiences. Teacher candidates learn in small classes and enjoy individualized attention by university faculty and mentor teachers. Teacher candidates complete core and field experience courses as well as the capstone clinical practice (student teaching) courses.

The School of Education degree and licensure programs feature:

Hawai‘i State Approved Teacher Education Program (SATEP) through the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board (HTSB)
Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) nationally accredited
Convenient evening course offerings
Small class size
Field experiences courses
Web-enhanced courses and electronic portfolios
Mentorship by teachers in private, public and public charter school settings
450 hours of clinical practice (student teaching) in Hawai‘i schools

The Master of Education in Educational Leadership program prepares graduates to become administrative leaders in classrooms, schools and higher education institutions.  Guided by a profound belief in active, collaborative, experiential, reflective, and transformative learning as well as a deep commitment to diversity and educational technology, this degree program is based on an innovative, inquiry-oriented, standards-driven, and field-based curriculum that integrates content and pedagogy.  The Instructional Design concentration provides an option to become leaders in training, development and innovative teaching. Courses in the instructional design concentration address instructional design, theory and practice of e-learning, and multimedia strategies and tactics as solutions for instructional goals.

The Master of Arts in Organization Development and Leadership program gives you all the flexibility you need by letting you complete the program completely online, in-class or in a hybrid format. Enjoy the best of both worlds by engaging in academic and experiential learning with our experienced faculty and partnerships with businesses and organizations, and learn how to make decisions based on research and behavioral science to introduce solutions and interventions that influence an organization’s strategic objectives and bottom line. Make an impact and become the leader modern businesses need!

Welcome Message

Aloha Future Teacher,

Welcome to the Hawai‘i Pacific University School of Education Website! I am delighted that you are considering a career in teaching! Teaching is indeed a noble profession, and as a teacher, you will have the rare and wondrous opportunity to make an everlasting difference in the life of a child. You will teach and you will inspire; you will make miracles, and you will foster greatness in your students.

I am also so pleased that you are considering Hawai‘i Pacific University as a place to complete your program of professional preparation. In this truly innovative, field-based, inquiry-oriented, and technology-rich program, you will have many opportunities to create meaningful learning experiences for diverse students. You will present them with content in clear, challenging, and compelling ways, and you will collaborate with other teacher candidates, colleagues, and families to forge a learning community at your school.

Our faculty and staff are committed to your growth as a professional educator. We will equip you with all the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to ensure your success. As a first step, we have prepared this website to provide you with some valuable information about our degree programs.

If you have any questions or would like me to provide you with additional information, please stop by my office, call me at (808) 543-8046, or email me at msehgal@hpu.edu.

As your 'ohana, we are committed to your success!

Aloha,

Mani Sehgal

Dean, College of Professional Studies and Director, School of Education

Academic Advising

B.A/B.Ed. Elementary Education

Travis Butler

Coordinator, Downtown Campus

(808) 544-1134

jtbutler@hpu.edu

Please make an appointment by clicking on the link:

CPS AND MCP ADVISING

M.Ed. in Elementary EducatioN and Secondary Education

Mani Sehgal

Dean, College of Professional Studies and Director, School of Education

(808) 543-8046

msehgal@hpu.edu

Travis Butler

Coordinator, Downtown Campus

(808) 544-1134

jtbutler@hpu.edu

M.ED. IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Dr. Han Nee Chong

Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership

(808) 544-1142

hnchong@hpu.edu

Travis Butler

Coordinator, Downtown Campus

(808) 544-1134

jtbutler@hpu.edu

Accreditation

Hawai‘i Pacific University (HPU) is a member in good standing of the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), a national accrediting organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The programs listed below have been awarded full accreditation by AAQEP through June 30, 2028. Full accreditation acknowledges that a program prepares effective educators who continue to grow as professionals and has demonstrated the commitment and capacity to maintain quality.

Bachelor of Education - Elementary Education

Master of Education - Elementary Education

Master of Education - Secondary Education

English (6-12)
Mathematics (6-12)
Science (6-12)
Social Studies (6-12)
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) 6-12
World Languages (6-12)

HPU AAQEP Annual Report 2023

HPU's teacher education undergraduate and graduate licensure programs are approved by the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board.

Candidate Performance Data

EPP Annual Report 2017

Clinical Practice (Student Teaching)

In the School of Education, the Clinical Practice (Student Teaching) is a paramount part of the Teacher Education Program. To prepare effective educators, we offer our teacher candidates a variety of field experiences in public, private and charter elementary, middle and high schools throughout the State of Hawai‘i . All field placements of our teacher candidates are made in which there is a formal agreement between Hawai‘i Pacific University, the school district and the schools.

All students in the undergraduate program will experience two semesters of clinical practice. In the two semesters, teacher candidates will invest 225 hours per semester at a designated school. Graduate students will complete 450 hours of clinical practice in one semester. Placement at a school is determined by various factors: employment of the teacher candidate at the school, proximity of the teacher candidate’s residency to the school, convenience to the teacher candidate’s outside employment, etc. Every effort is made to make the clinical practice meaningful, relevant and challenging to our students.

Clinical Practice is where teacher candidates acquire and refine their knowledge, abilities and skills about what they teach, who they teach and how to help students learn and grow; apply theories and best practice strategies; develop a sense of professional identification with the respective school; learn collaboration and teamwork with school colleagues and parents; evaluate their practice in teaching and ways to grow in an objective manner – individually and collectively – in reflective sessions with their mentor teacher and university professor; and become empowered to assume the roles and responsibilities of a classroom teacher. Teacher candidates will solo teach four full lessons, two while being observed and evaluated by their mentor teachers and two by their faculty instructor. The observation allows for meaningful and immediate feedback that is invaluable for improvement and experience.

A Blue Ribbon feature of the Clinical Practice is our cadre of mentor teachers who are recommended by their school administrators as highly effective educators who can offer their experience and expertise to our teacher candidates. Mentor teachers put in the time and effort to help our teacher candidates to improve their effectiveness in the classroom through their modeling of best practices, classroom observations, day-to-day interactions, and reflective sessions.

We look forward to meeting you and telling you more about the richness of our Clinical Practice experiences, and the success stories of many of our teachers employed at schools throughout Hawai‘i and the world.