M.A. IN EDUCATION CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

---

The Master of Arts degree in Education is offered in two options:

• Plan A, which requires writing a thesis 
• Plan B, which requires a written paper based on a scholarly project. Learn more about Plan B requirements.

A minimum of 32 semester hours beyond the Bachelor’s degree is required.  All course work and degree requirements must be approved by the student’s graduate committee.

The Master of Arts degree in Education curriculum and instruction concentration requires all students to complete the core courses and courses in one of the three emphases areas. Learn more about the areas of emphasis below.

  

---

Core Courses:

(16-20 credit hours) students are required to take core courses:

• Assessment (3 credit hours): EDCI 5500 – Classroom Assessment
• Curriculum (3): EDCI 5000 – Principles of Curriculum
• Diversity (3): EDCI 5450 – Issues in Multicultural Education
• Instruction (3): EDCI 5790 – Advanced Instructional Strategies (Learning Theories & Instructional Principles as of Fall 2017)
• Research (3): EDRE 5530 – Intro to Research or EDRE 5550 – Action Research
• Midpoint Review (1): EDCI 5400 – Portfolio Reflection (1) (EDCI 5400 represents a midpoint evaluation and must be taken no later than 2 semesters [may include a summer semester] before graduation).
• Capstone Experience (1-4): Plan A thesis (4) OR Plan B project (2) OR National Board Certification (1-3). Students, as guided by an academic advisor, may pursue a Plan A thesis or a Plan B non-thesis. Generally, one can think of the Plan A thesis as a research project that emerges when a student finds that a problem of interest has not been addressed in the research literature. A Plan B non-thesis is a research project that emerges from practice, typically involving a problem of interest within a student’s school, classroom, or work site.

---

Emphases:

(12-18 credit hours with approval from Committee)

Certificates/Endorsements

• Early Childhood/ECSE (25-26 hours required-18 may be applied to elective credit)
• English as a Second Language (15 credit hours)
• Literacy (18-21 credit hours)

Content Studies (15 to 18 hours)

This specialization is intended for those practicing teachers who are pursuing the “highly qualified” status.  Coursework will primarily be taken in students’ content areas (e.g., History, English, etc. 4000 and 5000 level courses).

 

Curriculum Studies (15 to 18 hours)

This specialization is intended for those who are interested in focusing on issues of curriculum and instruction.

• Potential coursework:
  National Board Certification (See below for more information) 
  EDCI 5800 – Curriculum Development
  Research Methods
  Educational Leadership
  Counseling
  Instructional Technology
  Special Education
  Literacy
  English as a Second Language (ESL)
  Diversity
  Teachers of American Indian Children
  Graduate level content courses

literacy (15 to 18 hours)

This specialization is intended for those who are interested in focusing on K-6 OR 6-12 literacy.

• EDCI 5320: Writing Instruction for K-5 EDCI 5740: Capstone Course
• EDCI 5710: Genre-Based, Discipline Based Literacies
• EDCI 5720: Literacy Difficulties: Assessment and Instruction
• EDCI 5750: Research in Literacy Learning, Teaching, and Assessment in Classrooms, Part 1 (K-6)
• EDCI 5755: Research in Literacy Learning, Teaching, and Assessment in Classrooms, Part 2 (K-6)
• EDCI 5770: Research in Literacy Learning, Teaching, and Assessment in Classrooms, Part 1 (6-12)
• EDCI 5775: Research in Literacy Learning, Teaching, and Assessment in Classrooms, Part 2 (6-12)
• EDCI 5760: Sociolinguistics & Social Literacies EDCI 5380:Literacy Leadership

Students can also take EDRE 5500: Action Research. This course is currently only offered in the fall. Students who prefer this option should work with their advisor on creating a schedule for taking it.

 

Capstone Experience

• EDCI 5960 Thesis/Plan A (4 credit hours)
• EDCI 5090 Plan B Research/Plan B project (2 credit hours) (EDCI 5890 Directed Professional Study prior to Summer 2017)
• EDCI 5890 Directed Professional Study/National Board Certification (1 credit hour)

TOTAL: 32 minimum semester hours

 

---

Course Descriptions    Course Schedule