MEd in Curriculum and Instruction

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum and Instruction is designed for students with a background in educational theory and practice. The program follows the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) guidelines for advanced programs and provides an opportunity for students to earn National Board for the Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification. Students select a focus within the program including literacy, global literacy, educational leadership, and educational technology. The literacy focus prepares practicing teachers to become literacy specialists by providing a thorough grounding in theory, principles, and practices of literacy education as well as a critical understanding of key contemporary issues in relation to the teaching and learning of literacy and language. Global literacy provides practicing teachers the opportunity to incorporate global perspectives on literacy teaching and learning into their existing curricula and pedagogies. Educational leadership prepares teachers to develop effective professional development programs, provide mentoring and instruction for new teachers, and develop assessment and evaluation programs for schools and other educational organizations. The technology focus with specializations in mathematics or science is designed for teacher leaders with particular interest in integrating technology into the curriculum, specifically how math and science instruction is presented in schools and other educational organizations. 

Admission to the Program

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for graduate study, applicants must earn a satisfactory score on the  Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The GRE is required for applicants whose highest earned degree is a baccalaureate and for students who have completed a master’s degree with less than a 3.5 GPA, and may be required for those with master’s degrees and GPAs above 3.5. 

Degree Requirements

Up to 6 credit hours may be transferred from work completed at other institutions and approved by the program director at time of admission 

• A program of study approved by the program director and the dean of the school must be submitted by the end of the first semester of enrollment in the program 
• Comprehensive examination requirement satisfied through specified course work: 3 credit hours of EDU-629 or EDU-691 

Course Requirements

Core

• EDU-525 Principles of Educational Assessment and Evaluation (3) 
• EDU-609 Effective Teaching for Diverse Learners (3) 
• EDU-683 Curriculum Design for the Classroom (3) 
• EDU-687 Analysis of Instruction and Supervision (3) 

Comprehensive Examination (3 credit hours)

• 3 credit hours from the following:

• EDU-629 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Preparation (1-3)
• EDU-691 Internship (3) in an area of focus 
• EDU-797 Masters Thesis Seminar (3)

Social Science Methodology (3 credit hours)

• EDU-610 Overview of Qualitative & Quantitative Research Strategies (3) 
• EDU-621 Topics in Social Science Research (1) 

Area of Focus (18 credit hours)

Literacy 

• EDU-619 Children’s Literature: A Critical Literacy Approach (3) 
• EDU-622 Language and Literacy Learning (3) 
• EDU-623 Topics in Literacy Education (3) 
• EDU-644 Language Development and Remediation (3) or EDU-671 Foundations of Reading: Diagnosis and Remediation (3) 
• 6 credit hours from the following: 

• ANTH-537 Topics in Language and Culture (3) 
• ANTH-635 Race, Gender and Social Justice (3) 
• ANTH-637 Discourse, Text, and Voice (3) 
• EDU-565 Gender and Cultural Diversity in School (3) 
• EDU-623 Topics in Literacy Education (3) 
• EDU-644 Language Development and Remediation (3) or EDU-671 Foundations of Reading: Diagnosis and Remediation (3) 
• EDU-647 Global and Multicultural Education (3) 
• SOCY-553 Intersectionality: Theory and Research (3) 
• TESL-527 Cultural Issues in the ESL/EFL Classroom (3) 

 

Educational Policy and Leadership 

• EDU-631 Fundamentals of Management in Educational Organizations (3) 
• EDU-632 Case Studies in Educational Management (3) 
• EDU-633 Financing Educational Systems (3) 
• EDU-634 Education and Public Policy (3) 
• EDU-639 Effective Leadership Skills (3) 
• EDU-666 Legal Issues in Education (3) 

 

Educational Technology 

• EDU-519 The Uses of Technology in Education (3) 
• EDU-560 Advanced Technology in Education (3) 
• 6 credit hours from the following: 

• COMM-652 Web Studio (3) 
• CSC-510 Legal Issues in Computing (3) 
• CSC-535 User Interface Analysis and Design (3) 
• CSC-589 Topics in Computer Science (3) 

• 6 credit hours from the following: 

• BIO-650 Developmental Biology 
• CSC-589 Topics in Computer Science (3) 
• EDU-603 Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary School (3) 
• EDU-604 Teaching Science in the Elementary School (3) 
• EDU-606 Theories and Methods in Diagnostic and Prescriptive Mathematics (3) 
• ENVS-580 Environmental Science I: A Quantitative Approach (3) 
• MATH-580 Topics in Mathematics (3) 
• MATH-585 Mathematics Education (3) 
• Science content area elective