The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum and Instruction prepares professionals with educational responsibilities to advance as leaders and innovators. Those who complete the degree will develop a strong foundation for career-long growth as reflective practitioners with concern for equity and social justice. They will demonstrate growth as caring professionals who skillfully apply current theories and research to their pedagogical practice and will develop their capacities to lead in creating effective learning communities among diverse learners.

The M.Ed. satisfies the requirement that K-12 teachers complete a master’s degree in the initial certificate content or related area in order to obtain professional certification. Students may be able to independently pursue certification after completion of the M.Ed.

It is important to note that the M.Ed. does not lead to New York State teacher certification. Teacher certification is possible through the college’s Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) Program.

Program Delivery and Tuition Rate

This master’s program is delivered through online courses and is billed at the non-MBA rate.

Admission

Admission to this program is selective. This program enrolls new students in the fall, spring, and summer terms.

Application

Please see the Graduate Admission section of this catalog for a complete listing of materials required to complete a graduate application.

The graduate fall and spring terms are 15 weeks long, and the summer terms have some offerings for eight weeks and some for 15 weeks. The exact enrollment sequence should be planned between the student and the advisor as part of degree planning.

Program Curriculum

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses		15
CURI 6005	Introduction to Critical Pedagogy
CURI 6010	New Media & New Literacies
CURI 6015	Leading in a Learning Environment
CURI 6020	Contemporary Issues in Learning and Teaching
CURI 7122	Research Design
Electives (4)		12
Capstone		3
CURI 7030	Final Project - Capstone Project: MEd Curriculum and Instruction
Total Credits		30

The suggested sequencing tables below are based on a part-time schedule. Examples of concentration elective courses are listed below the sequencing.

Fall Term Start Course Sequence
 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
First Year
FALL
CURI 6005	Introduction to Critical Pedagogy	3
CURI 6010	New Media & New Literacies	3
SPRING
CURI 6015	Leading in a Learning Environment	3
CURI 6020	Contemporary Issues in Learning and Teaching	3
SUMMER
Approved Concentration Elective		3
Approved Concentration Elective		3
Second Year
FALL
Please Note: You may not enroll for more than 21 credits without an approved degree program in place.
CURI 7122	Research Design	3
Approved Concentration Elective		3
SPRING
Approved Concentration Elective		3
CURI 7030	Final Project - Capstone Project: MEd Curriculum and Instruction	3
Total Credits		30

Spring Term Start Course Sequence
 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
First Year
SPRING
CURI 6015	Leading in a Learning Environment	3
CURI 6020	Contemporary Issues in Learning and Teaching	3
SUMMER
Approved Concentration Elective		3
FALL
CURI 6005	Introduction to Critical Pedagogy	3
CURI 7122	Research Design	3
Second Year
SPRING
CURI 6010	New Media & New Literacies	3
Approved Concentration Elective		3
Please Note: You may not enroll for more than 21 credits without an approved degree program in place.
SUMMER
Approved Concentration Elective		3
FALL
Approved Concentration Elective		3
CURI 7030	Final Project - Capstone Project: MEd Curriculum and Instruction	3
Total Credits		30

Examples of concentration courses:

Literacy

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
CURI 6030	Foundations of Literacy	3
EDUC 6130	Literacy Across the Curriculum	3
CURI 6050	Literacy Assessment	3
CURI 6045	Literacy & Literature	3

Foundations of Teaching

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
CURI 6075	Social Foundations of Education	3
EDUC 6015	Exceptionalities: Individualizing Learning	3
EDUC 6010	Middle Childhood & Adolescent Development	3
CURI 6070	Understanding Diverse Learners	3
CURI 6016	Creating Safe Schools and Communities	3

Electives and Transfer Credit

Some students use electives to broaden their exposure to new areas of knowledge, while others use them to increase their skills or knowledge in a particular area. The information found in the Course Catalog will provide you with a description of electives offered through the School for Graduate Studies and those specific to the M.Ed. program.

After admission, students should discuss the possibility of transfer credit with their academic advisor. To request transfer credit, students complete the Transfer Credit Request Form available through the Quicklinks box of the Graduate Student Center on MySUNYEmpire.

Final Project

For the Final Project of the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction degree, students will be required to take two courses: Research Design and Final Project Capstone. In the design course, students will choose between curriculum design or a community-based project and develop the literature review. The literature review will then be utilized in the last course, the capstone, where the project is completed. Each of the courses will have an individual instructor who will be the sole grader for each. Enrollment in the Final Project Capstone depends on a B or better in Research Design.

For the final project in the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, students should follow APA guidelines and include the following components: An Introduction (Students will identify their topic and research question), A literature review/framework (Students will ground their topic in peer reviewed research), Project Design and Mapping (Students will explain their project content and design and map their project to relevant standards and/or community needs), and Assessment/Evaluation (Students will explain how they will know that their project is having an impact on students and/or the community).  

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Compare and contrast various perspectives and applications of critical pedagogy;
• Collaborate in creating a process for reflection and action in a community of learners;
• Generate ideas for programs and policies that develop effective learning communities;
• Create a learning reform model that takes into account developments in policies, research, technology, employment, and culture;
• Develop learning activities that utilize new media to foster the development of theories and methods that impact creative expression and communication across modalities and genres;
• Develop strategies to effectively infuse social media into the work of communities of learning;
• Adapt instructional strategies in response to institutional and systemic changes while developing students’ capacity to become change agents toward a more just and democratic society;
• Analyze and critique educational research studies including identifying components, methodologies, variables, theoretical frameworks, and ethical issues;
• Design a curricular or community-based project, based on researching best practices that can enhance P-20 learning; and
• Evaluate how the roles of educational researcher and reflective practitioner contribute to students’ identities as educators.