Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Secondary Education
The Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree program provides options to focus in a variety of fields including science. This advanced professional coursework is designed for educators who already hold teaching credentials for service in PK-12 environments and for educators who do not require formal licensure such as those working in community colleges, informal educational settings such as zoos, nature centers and museums; private schools; or business-based educational enterprises.
The M.Ed. is primarily designed as a non-thesis program but for students who have had prior experience in the design of a research study, a thesis option exists. M.Ed. students will take an additional 6 credits of education courses in the College of Education and Health Professions or science content courses from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.
Presently, all students – including those with interests in elementary and postsecondary education – should apply for the M.Ed. in Secondary Education (SEED) and note an interest in science education on the application.
We are now developing a unified M.Ed. with a focus in curriculum and instruction and hope to have this in place very soon. We anticipate that the new program will follow the plan outlined below (this plan is acceptable even now within the M.Ed. in Secondary Education).
Proposed New M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction (33 hours minimum)
Required Core Courses (18 credits)
- Research Foundations and Tools (9 credits required)
- CIED 5013 Research Methods in Education or CIED 5273 Research in Curriculum and Instruction
- CIED 5983 Practicum in Curriculum and Instruction (Research Seminar)
- ESRM 5653 Educational Assessment or CIED 5453 Evaluation Techniques
- CIED 5013 Introduction to Statistics (Optional, but highly recommended)
- Psychological Foundations (3 credits) (Choose one)
- EDFD 5373 Psychological Foundations of Teaching and Learning or
- EDFD NEW Motivation: Theory and Practice or
- EDFD 5573 Life-Span Human Development
- Pedagogical Foundations (3 credits)
- CIED 5623 The School Curriculum or CIED 5423 Curriculum Reconstruction
Concentration in Science Education (9 credits)
- CIED 6313 Issues, History and Rationale of Science Education
- CIED 6343 Advanced Science Teaching Methods
- CIED 6333 Nature of Science: Philosophy of Science for Science Educators
Electives: The M.Ed. must include at least 33 graduate credits. Once core and concentration classes have been selected, students may, in consultation with their advisor, select classes from other concentrations or from outside the department to develop a supporting cognate area within the M.Ed. degree.
Transfer Credits: The UA Graduate School and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction will accept limited transfers of graduate courses from other accredited institutions, but please keep the following in mind. First, there is no guarantee that any course takes elsewhere will transfer. Second, no more than 6 credits may be considered for transfer. Third, courses considered for transfer must have been completed within the past 5-7 years.
Completion of the M.Ed. will enable educators to:
- Engage in a range of professional development opportunities through completion of a general core or educational studies along with focused experience in science education.
- Enter the professional network of science education in research and practice both at the statewide and national levels.
- Gain enhanced ability and practice skills both as a teacher and educational leader.
- Acquire a broad and deep knowledge of curriculum models, education programs, educational standards, human growth and development and learning theories.
- Understand and impact science teaching by gaining knowledge of its history, nature and trends.
- Expand content knowledge with courses in the discipline (where appropriate and practical).
- Integrate theory and practice.
- Demonstrate leadership in the application of research and inquiry skills to analyze and evaluate trends, problems and practices in science teaching and learning.
- Expand knowledge of the diversity of learners and plan instructional experiences responsive to the intellectual, psychological, social and physical needs of individual students.
- Use the M.Ed. degree as a gateway to the Ph.D. (for service in research or higher education positions) or the Ed.D. (for service in educational administrative roles).