Curriculum and Instruction, Master of Education
Admission Overview
Admission to the Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction program is selective. This program enrolls new students in the Fall, Spring, and Summer terms. Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and demonstrate readiness for advanced study in curriculum development, instructional improvement, and educational leadership.
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit the following materials for admission consideration:
- Official transcripts from all previously attended colleges and universities
- Personal Statement
- Resume
- One (1) Letter of recommendation
- $50 nonrefundable orientation fee
Applications are reviewed only when all required materials have been received, including all official transcripts.
How Applications Are Evaluated
Admission decisions are based on a holistic review of:
- Academic history and GPA
- Quality and clarity of the Personal Statement
- Strength of required recommendation letter
- Alignment with program goals, including the capacity for reflective, equity-minded practice
Start Terms
This program admits new students in the:
- Fall
- Spring
- Summer
Deadlines
Applications are reviewed regularly throughout the year, but only when all required materials—including all previous college transcripts—have been received. To guarantee review for the term of your choice, all application materials must be submitted before the posted general deadline.
Applications submitted by the priority deadline will be reviewed first. Applicants who complete their materials early may receive an admission decision sooner and have a better chance of securing a seat in their preferred term.
If an application becomes complete but space is no longer available, the applicant will be considered for the next available term.
Application deadlines do change from term to term. For specific deadlines, please see the Graduate Admissions Deadline page.
How to Apply
To apply, visit the SUNY Empire application portal and select Graduate: https://www.sunyempire.edu/application.html
Complete the online application, upload required documents and arrange for all official transcripts to be sent to SUNY Empire. Applications are reviewed only when all required materials have been received.
SUNY Empire alumni and current students do not need to request their Empire transcript.
International Applicants
This program may be completed 100% online. In addition to the listed above, international applicants must submit:
- A NACES‑member course‑by‑course evaluation (e.g., WES) for all non‑U.S. transcripts
- Proof of English language proficiency (TOEFL or IELTS), unless exempt
Additional Information
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
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | 15 | |
| Introduction to Critical Pedagogy | ||
| New Media & New Literacies | ||
| Leading in a Learning Environment | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Learning and Teaching | ||
| Research Design | ||
| Electives (4) | 12 | |
| Capstone | 3 | |
| 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
| 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 | |
| Approved Concentration Elective | 3 | |
| FALL | ||
| CURI 6005 | Introduction to Critical Pedagogy | 3 |
| CURI 6010 | New Media & New Literacies | 3 |
| Second Year | ||
| SPRING | ||
| CURI 7122 | Research Design | 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 | |
| CURI 7030 | Final Project - Capstone Project: MEd Curriculum and Instruction | 3 |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
EXAMPLES OF CONCENTRATION COURSES:
LITERACY
| 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 (CHOOSE 4 OF 5)
| 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 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.