Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction

Admission Requirements

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

The M.S. offers two tracks, one is designed for those who are licensed teachers and the other is for those seeking initial licensure at the graduate level.

The M.S. Track 1 is for students who currently have earned a degree in education with a teaching license.

Track 2 is designed for students who have an earned bachelor’s degree with a major or minor in a licensable content area (English, reading and language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, music visual arts, history, civics and government, geography, and economics are considered core academic subjects) and are seeking initial licensure at the graduate level.

Track 1: Licensed Teachers

  1. A four-year bachelor’s degree in Education that leads to licensure at one of the following levels: early childhood education, elementary, middle or secondary education.
  2. Cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 or at least 3.00 GPA for the junior and senior years of undergraduate degree (based on A=4.0).
  3. Applicants must satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as listed in the Graduate Academic Information section of the graduate catalog.  Students who have received a bachelor’s degree or higher from the United States or English-speaking Canada are not required to submit the TOEFL.

Admission Process

  1. Complete the School of Graduate Studies online application.
  2. Submit the application fee of $35.
  3. Identify three individuals who will complete the recommendation form: a) an education supervisor or administrator; b) a professional colleague or university professor; 3) a person of your choosing.
  4. Send official transcripts from each institution attended to the School of Graduate Studies.
  5. Complete the personal statement and attach it in the essay section of the online application.  The personal statement should address three prompts and should be no more than 5 double-spaced pages.
  • Provide a narrative describing your chronological history of all professional teaching and administration experience, as well as academic honors or achievements you have earned.
  • What are the characteristics, attitudes, values, and/or skills that you think will make you a good candidate for your professional role?
  • Describe several personal and professional goals you would like to achieve in the next five years. Include in your description reasons why these goals are important to you.

Degree Requirements

Students must satisfy all general requirements established by the School of Graduate Studies as well as specific requirements established for the major in Curriculum and Instruction.

  1.  A minimum of 32 credits including credits required for the Curriculum and Instruction major for those who have earned a bachelor’s degree and teaching license.
  2. A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours maybe transferred from another institution, depending on the courses and grades.
  3. Two credits of Scholarly Project (T&L 995) or Independent Study (T&L 997) or four credits of Thesis (T&L 998).
  4. Nine credits of core requirements for major in Curriculum and Instruction (T&L 540 Theories and Philosophies of Curriculum, T&L 542 Models of Teaching, T&L 577 Assessment of Learning).
  5. Six credits of electives for the major (e.g., EFR 500 Foundations of Educational Thought, T&L 521 Differentiated Instruction, T&L 590 Special Topics: Technology in the Schools; T&L 524 Reading in the Content Areas, EFR 506 Multicultural Education).
  6. Five to six credits of scholarly tools (e.g., T&L 569 Action Research, T&L 579 Classroom Based Inquiry, EFR 509 Introduction to Educational Research, EFR 515 Statistics I).
  7. Nine credits of course work that complements the major in Curriculum and Instruction (e.g., content courses in a discipline or coursework in another education program).

Track 1 Sample Program of Study

Requirements for the Major Track 1 (Core – 11-13 Credits)

T&L 540Theory and Philosophies of Curriculum in Schools3
T&L 542Models of Teaching3
T&L 577Assessment of Learning3
T&L 995Scholarly Project2
or
T&L 997Independent Study2
or
T&L 998Thesis1-9

Electives for the Major (6 Credits from the following or courses approved by an advisor)

EFR 500Introduction to the Foundations of Education3
EFR 506Multicultural Education3
T&L 521Differentiated Instruction3
T&L 524Reading in the Content Areas2
T&L 590Special Topics1-4

Research (6 credits from the following)

T&L 569Action Research3
T&L 579Classroom Based Inquiry3
EFR 509Introduction to Applied Educational Research3
EFR 515Statistics I3

Electives – Cognate (9 credits)

Choose 9 credits of coursework that complements the major

Track 2: Initial Licensure Option

A four-year bachelor’s degree with a major or minor in a license-able content area for secondary education.

  1. Cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 or at least 3.00 GPA for the junior and senior years of undergraduate degree (based on A=4.0).
  2. Applicants must satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as listed in the Graduate Academic Information section of the graduate catalog.  Students who have received a bachelor’s degree or higher from the United States or English-speaking Canada are not required to submit the TOEFL.

Degree Requirements

Students must satisfy all general requirements established by the School of Graduate Studies as well as specific requirements established for the major in Curriculum and Instruction with preparation for initial licensure.

 A minimum of 32 credits including:

  1. Five credits of Instructional Methods including 3 credits of Methods and Models of Teaching, which includes credits of content specialized methods of instruction.
  2. Six credits of human relations and cultural diversity
  3. Six credits of research
  4. One credit of Field Experience
  5. Six credits in Internship which includes 10 weeks of student teaching in the classroom.
  6. Two credits of Scholarly Project (T&L 995)
  7. Three credits of Technology Integration- Designing Blended Learning
  8. Three credits of inclusive education

Sample Program of Study Requirements for the Major Track 2 (Core - 26 Credits)

Introduction to Teaching and Learning3
T&L 433Multicultural Education (undergraduate and graduate credit)3
T&L 542Models of Teaching (Specialized Instructional Methods)3
T&L 590Special Topics (Specialized Instructional Methods)2
SPED 552Inclusive Methods (Specialized Instructional Methods)3
T&L 580Practicum in Schools (field experience)1
T&L 584Internship in Education (10 weeks)6
T&L 590Special Topics (Technology Integration: Designing Blended Learning)3
T&L 995Scholarly Project2
Total26
Research (6 credits from the following):
T&L 569Action Research3
T&L 577Assessment of Learning3