School of Education

Master of Science in Education

The Master of Science in Education is a 2-year degree program that provides graduate-level study to P-12 classroom teachers. M.S. in Education candidates are admitted into the program in a cohort beginning Fall semester and continue through the program for six semesters, including Summer semesters. The M.S. in Education degree is a 36-credit hour advanced teacher education program, composed of four broad areas of coursework:

Foundations (12 cr.)
  • EDUC-P 514 Life Span Development: Birth to Death (3 cr.)
  • EDUC-K 505 Intro to Special Education for Graduate Students (3 cr.)
  • EDUC-P 507 Assessment in the Schools (3 cr.)
  • EDUC-H 520 Education and Social Issues (3 cr.)
Technology (6 cr.)
  • EDUC-W 505 Professional Development Workshop: Multimedia in the Classroom (3 cr.)
  • EDUC-W 505 Professional Development Workshop: Electronic Portfolios Part 1 (1 cr.)
  • EDUC-W 505 Professional Development Workshop: Electronic Portfolios Part 2 (1 cr.)
  • EDUC-W 505 Professional Development Workshop: Electronic Portfolios Part 3 (1 cr.)
Inquiry (6 cr.)
  • EDUC-Y 520 Strategies for Educational Inquiry (3 cr.)
  • EDUC-Y 595 Educational Inquiry: Authentic Application (3 cr.)
Area Concentration (12 cr.)
  • EDUC-J 500 Instruction in the Context of Curriculum (3 cr.)
  • *500-level Content Pedagogy or 400- and 500-level Content Course (3 cr.)
  • *500-level Content Pedagogy or 400- and 500-level Content Course (3 cr.)
  • *500-level Content Pedagogy or 400- and 500-level Content Course (3 cr.)

*subject to approval from the Graduate Advisor


The M.S. in Education degree program is intended to provide graduate study in teacher education and is aligned with the National Board for Professional Teacher Standards (NBPTS) Besides the course work outlined above, the program offers candidates a range of program experiences including: 1) evaluating undergraduate teacher education portfolios, 2) leading undergraduate teacher education candidates in field and clinical experiences, 3) implementing teacher-developed curriculum at field sites, and 4) conducting action research within classroom/ school parameters. All candidates are monitored for progression through the program with use of a five benchmark sequence. Benchmark I includes admission into the program, Benchmarks II through Benchmark IV include course work as well as program experiences, and Benchmark V is a check of successful completion. At the completion of each Benchmark, faculty review and approval are required as conditions for program continuation.

Year One
Fall Semester – Benchmark 2
  • EDUC-W 505 Multimedia in the Classroom (3 cr.)
  • EDUC-W 505 Electronic Portfolio Development Part 1 (1 cr.)
Spring Semester – Benchmark 2
  • EDUC-Y 520 Strategies for Educational Inquiry (3 cr.)
  • EDUC-J 500 Instruction in the Context of Curriculum (3 cr.)
Summer Semester – Benchmark 3
  • EDUC-K 505 Special Education for Graduate Students (3 cr.)
  • EDUC-W 505 Electronic Portfolio Development Part 2 (1 cr.)
  • Content Pedagogy or Content Course (3 cr.)
Year Two
Fall Semester – Benchmark 3
  • EDUC-P 514 Life Span Development: Birth to Death (3 cr.)
  • EDUC-H 520 Education and Social Issues (3 cr.)
Spring Semester – Benchmark 4
  • EDUC-Y 595 Educational Inquiry: Authentic Application (3 cr.)
  • Content Pedagogy or Content Course (3 cr.)
Summer Semester – Benchmark 4
  • EDUC-P 507 Assessment in the Schools (3 cr.)
  • Content Pedagogy or Content Course (3 cr.)
  • EDUC-W 505 Electronic Portfolio Development Part 3 (1 cr.)
The following policies govern the application of graduate courses into the M.S. degree program:
  • The School of Education determines the credit that may be accepted from other institutions and applied toward the M.S. degree.
  • Courses applied to program requirements must have been completed at an accredited institution within 36 months of M.S. program admission.
  • A maximum of 6 credit hours may be transferred from other institutions and applied to M.S. 
  • No undergraduate courses may be used to satisfy M.S. program requirements.
  • Coursework applied to M.S. program requirements must carry a grade of “C” or better.

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