Four new degree programs are being offered by Coastal Carolina University's College of Education. The programs include a bachelor of arts in middle grades education, a bachelor of arts in special education, a master of arts in teaching (MAT) and a master of education (M.Ed.) in educational technology.

"These new programs were developed to address the professional education needs of our students and to respond to the needs of our community and state," said Gilbert Hunt, dean of Coastal's College of Education.

The middle grades program prepares teachers specifically for the unique demands of educating middle school-age students. Coastal is one of the first institutions in the state to offer the middle grades education program. Students in middle schools are typically between the ages of 11 to 14 and are in fifth- through eighth-grade.

The special education program prepares K-12 teachers to teach learning disabled students. The program includes the study of diagnostic, instructional and assessment skills. The program also addresses related issues of the learning disabled student and the student's family as well as study of teacher collaboration and current trends in the field. Learning disabilities are identified as difficulties in acquiring listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or mathematical abilities. Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is also addressed.

The MAT provides an additional avenue of entry into the teaching profession for teaching candidates within the fields of art, English, foreign languages, mathematics, music, social studies and science. The program allows students to pursue teacher certification by entering the profession through a graduate-level training program.

The M.Ed. program prepares students for careers in school settings as specialists, instructors, coordinators or classroom teachers skilled in technology applications. State-of-the-art course work and field experiences prepare candidates to design, develop and manage instructional systems and products.