University of Phoenix Expands Weeknight Program to Weekend Students

(Salem) - Late in the summer of 2005, the University of Phoenix began offering a Master of Arts in Education (MAED). The program offers students an opportunity to complete a certification to teach early childhood, elementary, middle school or high school. Graduates of the program hold a master`s degree and become eligible for an Oregon teaching license.

The program launched with a traditional weeknight format, typical of the majority of classes at the University of Phoenix. Now, six months after gaining approval for the program, the University announced that it will begin offering a Saturday MAED program at the Oregon campus this winter.

University officials say this is the first time the Oregon campus has offered Saturday classes for this program and says the decision is in response to a need to accommodate the schedules of local students. Student enrollment has already begun for the Saturday program which will is slated to begin in early 2006.

Robert Hamm, who was hired in August 2004 to spearhead the approval effort for the Oregon campus, was instrumental in the decision to offer a program on Saturdays, `This new Saturday schedule, coupled with the FlexNet component, will offer students a greater ability to incorporate their education plans into an already packed schedule."

One of the factors distinguishing the University of Phoenix`s MAED program from others in the state is the delivery system. The program is offered in a combined online and on ground modality called FlexNet. FlexNet is a hybrid delivery system that takes the convenience of online communication and adds a face-to-face component, allowing students to work together in a more personal environment than a strictly online program.

The University of Phoenix`s master`s in education program is designed to provide students with an important theoretical knowledge base that is tied directly to student learning. A key goal of the program is to prepare graduates who can think critically, communicate effectively, advocate for student learning and are dedicated to their own professional development.