Master of Science in Educational Studies
Admission Requirements
The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
- A four-year bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university
- Minimum of 8 undergraduate credit hours of social sciences/humanities
- A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a GPA of at least 3.0 for the junior and senior years of undergraduate work (based on A=4.00)
- Three letters of recommendation that address the academic and professional qualities that support you for graduate work
- Statement of Goals and Objectives (see below)
- Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
Statement of Goals and Objectives
As part of the application process, the applicant must respond to the following questions:
- 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.
- What are the characteristics, attitudes, values, and/or skills that you think will make you a good candidate for your professional role?
- What have you already done professionally or personally of which you are proud? Please include a chronological history of all professional teaching or administration experiences, as well as academic honors or achievements you have earned.
Degree Requirements
A minimum of 30 credits, to include:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses (choose 12 credits with approval from advisor) | ||
| EFR 501 | Psychological Foundations of Education | 3 |
| EFR 502 | Issues and Trends in Education | 3 |
| EFR 503 | History of American Education Policy and Reform | 3 |
| EFR 505 | Educational Equity and Social Change in Schooling | 3 |
| EFR 506 | Multicultural Education | 3 |
| EFR 507 | Gender, Education and the Environment | 3 |
| EFR 525 | International and Comparative Education | 3 |
| EFR 527 | Education Policy: Theories Research | 3 |
| OLEE 562 | Advance Study in Place-Based Environmental Education | 3 |
| EFR 590 | Special Topics in Education | 1-4 |
| Scholarly Tools (choose two from the list below) (6 credits) | ||
| EFR 509 | Introduction to Applied Educational Research | 3 |
| EFR 510 | Becoming a qualitative researcher: techniques, skills and practical methods | 3 |
| EFR 515 | Statistics I | 3 |
| Electives or Internship (6 credits) | ||
| EFR 584 | Internship in Educational Research | 1-8 |
| Choose 3 credits from Teaching & Leadership (TL), Higher Education (HE), Educational Leadership (EDL) | ||
| Thesis or Scholarly Project | ||
| EFR 995 | Scholarly Project | 2 |
| EFR 998 | Thesis | 1-9 |
Required for all students, regardless of thesis or non-thesis:
- A minimum of 30 credits, including both credits required for the major and credits for the independent study, scholarly project or thesis.
- At least one-half of the credits must be at or above the 500-level.
- A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours required for the degree may be transferred from another institution.
Thesis Option
- Three credits for the Thesis (EFR 998 Thesis)
- Preparation of a written thesis is approved by a committee of three faculty. The student’s advisor chairs the committee.
- Presentation and defense of the thesis takes place before the final report is sent to the School of Graduate Studies.
Scholarly Project Option
- Two credits for the Scholarly Project (EFR 995 Scholarly Project).
- Pass a written final comprehensive examination covering the major field and, at the advisor's discretion, any secondary fields.
- Preparation of a written scholarly project must be approved by the faculty advisor.
- Presentation of scholarly project takes place before the final report is sent to the School of Graduate Studies.