Southwestern College Professional Studies

Is a Masters of Education with a Major in Curriculum and Instruction for Me?

The Masters of Education with a major in Curriculum and Instruction is organized through a four-dimensional approach to preparing educators for the 21st century and is grounded in the five core propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Those propositions are that teachers:

• Are committed to students and their learning
• Know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students
• Are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning
• Think systematically about their practice and learn from experience, and
• Are members of learning communities.

This 33 semester hour program is available online worldwide. Classes are offered in 6 and 12-week sessions and the program can be completed in 12 months.

Required Courses

In the Professional Core

EDUC 501 Current Educational Trends
EDUC 518 Educational Practice and Innovation
EDUC 530 Curriculum Development
EDUC 542 Instructional Design
EDUC 549 Race, Class and Power in Schools

Area of Emphasis

EDUC 520 Instruction and English Language Students
EDUC 540 Creating Community in the Classroom
EDUC 560 Investigating Student Work

In Research and Assessment

EDUC 512 Action Research
EDUC 543 Assessments, Tests and Measurements

Portfolio Experience

EDUC 562 Portfolios

All classes are 3 credit hours unless otherwise indicated.

Course Descriptions

EDUC 501 Current Educational Trends

Analysis of issues and trends in terms of their applications to current educational structures and implications for educators and their professional development.

EDUC 512 Action Research

This course will introduce students to action research, a form of self-reflective systematic inquiry by practitioners on their own practice. The primary objective of the course is to prepare students to do action research in schools. There are three other goals: 1) the development of professional community; 2) the illumination of power relationships; and 3) students’ recognition of their own expertise.

EDUC 518 Educational Practice and Innovation

Develops an understanding of the context and nature of educational practice and innovation in schools and classrooms; identifies different forms of innovation in learning and teaching and enables teachers to take a critical approach to integrating innovative practices; enables informed judgments and critical thinking in the context of educational practice.

EDUC 520 Instruction and English Language Students

Students will investigate different educational models for language minority students, and the instructional methods that work for ELL students.

EDUC 530 Curriculum Development

Focus of the course is on the development and implementation of performance-based learning activities throughout the curriculum.

EDUC 540 Creating Community in the Classroom

Students will discuss topics such as the structure and management of the classroom. The curriculum includes: interdependence, cooperation, trust, responsibility, and active participation. Teaching strategies include techniques, and activities that emphasize decision-making, critical thinking, cooperation, responsibility, and empowerment.

EDUC 542 Instructional Design

Students will cover typical instructional design models and learning theories. Students will complete an entire instructional design unit including curriculum, instruction, and assessment of learner learning.

EDUC 543 Assessments, Tests, and Measurement

Provides classroom educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively measure learner achievement and the reflective skills necessary to examine and improve upon practice.

EDUC 549 Race, Class and Power in Schools

Students will explore theoretical frameworks for understanding cultural difference as it impacts teaching and learning in the classroom. They will examine ways to provide equity in education for all students.

EDUC 560 Investigating Student Work

Students will investigate ways in which the things students make in and for school can be studied as evidence of teaching and learning.

EDUC 562 Portfolio

The focus of this course will be the development of a purposeful collection of educational artifacts designed to provide tangible evidence of the candidate’s ability to reflect on and critically examine educational practices that improve instruction and enhance learner learning. It is a capstone experience in the major.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted into the M.Ed., with a major in curriculum and instruction program, candidates must submit the following:

Southwestern College Professional Studies Graduate Program Application form – Application forms are accepted on an ongoing basis. No application admission fee is charged.

Complete and sign the Graduate Program Application form and mail or fax it to:

Graduate Education Program Office
Southwestern College
2040 South Rock Road
Wichita, KS 67207
FAX: 316.688.5218

Official transcripts of all prior college/university coursework - Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a grade point average of 2.5 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).

Print a copy of the transcript request form and mail the request to the institution which awarded your bachelor’s degree.

Two confidential letters of recommendation – using the Graduate Recommendation Form (at least one from a current or former employer).

A one page Admissions Essay – submit your written statement electronically to graduate@sckans.edu or via mail or fax to 316.688.5218.

Resume-

All international learners must show evidence of their English language ability by providing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) report. A score of 550 (paper test) or 213 (computer-based test) on the TOEFL is considered the minimum acceptable for admission to the M.Ed program.

Applicants who hold bachelor’s degrees from a U.S. institution or from an institution in another English-only speaking country will receive a waiver of the TOEFL. Applicants who are from native English speaking countries are not required to take the TOEFL.

In addition to the above, it is recommended that candidates have a working knowledge of word processing and presentation software.

A candidate’s file must be complete before an admissions decision may be made. It is the responsibility of each candidate to provide all of the information requested above. Candidates will receive a letter of admission to the program.

Meta

Southwestern College’s master of education with a major in curriculum and instruction is for 21st Century educators. It is grounded in the core propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).