Curriculum and Instruction, Master of Education
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 NYS teacher certification. Teacher certification is possible through the college’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program.
Program Delivery
This master’s program is delivered through online courses.
Admission to the M.Ed. program is selective. The M.Ed. program enrolls new students in the fall and spring terms only.
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. 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
| 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
| 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 are as follows:
Literacy (secondary education Focus)
| 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 |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Foundations of Teaching (secondary education focus)
| 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 |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
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 term registration information found in the Term Guide and the Course Catalog will provide you with a listing and description of electives offered through the School for Graduate Studies and those specific to the M.Ed. program.
A request for transfer credit may be submitted to the School for Graduate Studies through your academic advisor. Nine credits are acceptable as transfer credits subject to the Transfer Credit Policy (located elsewhere in this catalog). In addition to approval by your academic advisor, the chair of your program also must approve these credits.
Degree Program
To begin planning your degree program, think about your long- and short-range goals and your area of concentration. Your academic advisor can assist you in thinking through these goals/interest and the ways in which they can fit into appropriate concentration electives. If you are considering doctoral study, you also should investigate the requirements of programs that interest you so that you can incorporate their requirements into your Master of Education degree. Degree program planning should begin before you enroll in electives. You cannot graduate without an approved degree program on file.
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.
Final Project
For the Final Project of the Master of Education 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.
The project must follow APA guidelines and include the following components: An Introduction (what is your topic and what do you intend to explore), Framework (ground it in some literature, research, current ideas and happenings), Mapping (map your topic to standards and/or community needs that are relevant to your design), Outcomes (what do you hope is the result of your effort) and Evaluation (explain the evaluation process you will use for your design).