Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction (M.Ed.)

The M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction, designed for students with a background in educational theory and practice, offers extended study in the field and in areas of elementary education, secondary education and educational technology. The program follows the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) guidelines for advanced programs and offers the opportunity for students to earn National Board for the Professional Teaching Standards Certification. Students select a focus within the program of either a Literacy or Global Literacy concentration.

The Literacy focus prepares practicing teachers to become literacy specialists by providing both a thorough grounding in theory, principles and practice of literacy education as well as a critical understanding of key contemporary issues in relation to the teaching and learning of literacy and language in schooling.

The Global Literacy focus provides practicing teachers an opportunity to incorporate global perspectives on literacy teaching and learning into their existing curricula and pedagogies. The program also offers them an opportunity to experience literacy teaching and learning in other countries as a way of informing their practice. This is especially important given we live in a world that is becoming increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse.

For more information, please email the program staff at curriculum@american.edu.

Admission to the Program

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for graduate study, applicants must earn a satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The GRE is required for applicants whose highest earned degree is a baccalaureate and for students who have completed a master’s degree with less than a 3.5 GPA, and may be required for those with master’s degrees and GPAs above 3.5. Applicants should have had at least three years of full-time teaching experience at the time of enrollment, and should have a standard teaching license. Applicants whose teaching experience occurred more than ten years ago are encouraged to apply.

Degree Requirements

• 36 Credit hours of approved graduate work, 6 of which may be from relevant graduate level credit hours completed at other institutions, and approved by the program director at the time of admission.
• A Program of Study approved by the program director and the dean of the School of Education, Teaching and Health submitted by the end of the first semester of enrollment in the program.
• Required courses in Education Core, Social Science Research Methodology, and one of the approved focus areas: Literacy or Global Literacy.
• Comprehensive examination (satisfied through specified coursework).
• 3 credit hours of EDU-629 or EDU-691.
• Approved area of concentration.

Course Requirements

Education Core (18 credit hours)

• EDU 525 (3 credits) Principles of Educational Assessment and Evaluation
• EDU 609 (3 credits) Effective Teaching for Diverse Learners
• EDU 683 (3 credits) Curriculum Design for the Classroom
• EDU 687 (3 credits) Analysis of Instruction and Supervision
• Social Science Research Methodology (3 Credit Hours) including:
  • EDU 610 (2 credits) Methods of Inquiry
  • EDU 621 (1 credit) Topics in Social Science Research
• Comprehensive Examination (3 credit hours)
  • EDU 691 (3 credits) Internship in Area of Focus or
  • EDU 629 (3 credits total) NBPTS Preparation 1 Credit Modules

Program Tracks

Literacy Focus (18 credit hours)

The Literacy focus prepares practicing teachers to become literacy specialists by providing both a thorough grounding in theory, principles and practice of literacy education as well as a critical understanding of key contemporary issues in relation to the teaching and learning of literacy and language in schooling.

• EDU 619 (3 Credits) Children’s Literature: A Critical Literacy Approach
• EDU 622 (3 Credits) Language and Literacy Learning
• EDU 623 (3-6 Credits) Topics in Literacy Education
• EDU 644 (3 Credits) Language Development and Remediation
  or
  EDU 671 (3 Credits) Foundations of Reading Diagnosis and Remediation
• 6 credit hours from the following:

  TESL 527 (3 Credits) Cultural Issues in the ESL/EFL Classroom
  ANTH 537 (3 Credits) Topics in Language and Culture
  SOCY 553 (3 Credits) Multiculturalism
  EDU 565 (3 Credits) Gender and Cultural Diversity in School
  ANTH 635 (3 Credits) Race, Gender and Social Justice
  ANTH 637 (3 Credits) Discourse, Narrative and Voice
  EDU 644 (3 Credits) Language Development and Remediation
  EDU 647 (3 Credits) Global and Multicultural Education
  EDU 671 (3 Credits) Foundations of Reading Diagnosis and Remediation
  EDU 623 (3-6 Credits) Topics in Literacy Education

Global Literacy Focus (18 credit hours)

We live in a world that is becoming increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse, reminding us, on a daily basis, of the interconnectedness and interdependence of our world. Given this new reality, teachers need to better understand the changing contexts within which education takes place. The Global Literacy focus provides practicing teachers an opportunity to incorporate global perspectives into their existing curricula and pedagogies. The program also offers them an opportunity to experience literacy teaching and learning in other countries.

• EDU 622 (3 Credits) Language and Literacy Learning
• EDU 623 (3-6 Credits) Topics in Literacy Education (e.g. multiliteracies and information communication technologies)
• EDU 624 (3 Credits) Language, Schooling, and Nation Building
• EDU 647 (3 Credits) Global Multicultural Education
  
• 6 credit hours from the following:
  
  SOCY 553 (3 Credits) Multiculturalism
  SIS 546 (3 Credits) Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Identity
  EDU 627 (3 Credits) Skills Institutes in Literacy Education:
  ANTH 635 (3 Credits) Race, Gender and Social Justice
  EDU 792 (3 Credits) Internship in Literacy