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The Department of Education is not accepting applications or matriculating new graduate students for the 2018-2019 academic year. The information provided regarding admission criteria for individual tracks is for reference purposes only and does not constitute an intent to consider or admit new students for the 2018-2019 academic year.
The Master of Arts (M.A.) program in education may be completed with or without a thesis component.
The M.A. program in education is designed to enable students to engage thoughtfully and critically with questions of perennial importance in education, broadly conceived. The faculty makes every effort to help students integrate research and theory with educational policy and practice. In so doing, students master central concepts in the field of education as well as develop the ability to analyze empirically, think critically, and speak and write professionally in the appropriate genre for their educational field.
The graduate program in education is flexible by design in order to encourage students’ personal growth and specialization within the discipline. To achieve this level of flexibility, each student works closely with the Graduate Program Advisor as well as specific faculty whose research aligns with the students’ particular interests and professional goals. Specific fields of study that carry the advantage of faculty depth and the potential for original research are: language acquisition, human development, math education, early literacy development, the history of educational thought, the philosophy of education, the sociocultural foundations of education, and educational policy.
Learning Objectives/Program Goals
Master of Arts. The M.A. program in education will enable students to engage thoughtfully and critically with questions of perennial importance in education, broadly conceived. The student who completes the M.A. program will be able to:
- Analyze, interpret, and critique a range of classic and contemporary scholarship in the field of Education and demonstrate a developed understanding of qualitative, quantitative, humanistic, and mixed research methodologies; and
- Identify a scholarly topic of significance to the field, demonstrate command of the relevant scholarship, and formulate a well-considered, research-based position on the topic.
Student Profile
The M.A. program attracts intellectually curious and highly motivated individuals who have various professional aspirations including:
- Those considering doctoral study or a future as an educational researcher, scholar, or policymaker; and
- Current teachers and administrators seeking to enhance their knowledge of educational theory and research.