Curriculum and Instruction, Master of Education

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

Required Courses15
Introduction to Critical Pedagogy
New Media & New Literacies
Leading in a Learning Environment
Contemporary Issues in Learning and Teaching
Research Design
Electives (4)12
Capstone3
Final Project - Capstone Project: MEd Curriculum and Instruction
Total Credits30

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
 

First Year
FALL
CURI 6005Introduction to Critical Pedagogy3
CURI 6010New Media & New Literacies3
SPRING
CURI 6015Leading in a Learning Environment3
CURI 6020Contemporary Issues in Learning and Teaching3
SUMMER
Approved Concentration Elective3
Approved Concentration Elective3
Second Year
FALL
Please Note: You may not enroll for more than 21 credits without an approved degree program in place.
CURI 7122Research Design3
Approved Concentration Elective3
SPRING
Approved Concentration Elective3
CURI 7030Final Project - Capstone Project: MEd Curriculum and Instruction3
Total Credits30

SPRING TERM START COURSE SEQUENCE
 

First Year
SPRING
CURI 6015Leading in a Learning Environment3
CURI 6020Contemporary Issues in Learning and Teaching3
SUMMER
Approved Concentration Elective3
Approved Concentration Elective3
FALL
CURI 6005Introduction to Critical Pedagogy3
CURI 7122Research Design3
Second Year
SPRING
CURI 6010New Media & New Literacies3
Approved Concentration Elective3
Please Note: You may not enroll for more than 21 credits without an approved degree program in place.
SUMMER
Approved Concentration Elective3
CURI 7030Final Project - Capstone Project: MEd Curriculum and Instruction3
Total Credits30


EXAMPLES OF CONCENTRATION COURSES:

LITERACY

CURI 6030Foundations of Literacy3
EDUC 6130Literacy Across the Curriculum3
CURI 6050Literacy Assessment3
CURI 6045Literacy & Literature3

FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING (CHOOSE 4 OF 5)

CURI 6075Social Foundations of Education3
EDUC 6015Exceptionalities: Individualizing Learning3
EDUC 6010Middle Childhood & Adolescent Development3
CURI 6070Understanding Diverse Learners3
CURI 6016Creating Safe Schools and Communities3

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 a curriculum project, a professional development project 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.