2009-2010 Catalog
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CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
Master of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers the Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. Support areas within the degree are designed to permit educators to develop new skills and acquire in-depth knowledge which prepare individuals to assume roles of increased responsibility and leadership.
The degree prepares educators who aspire to attain positions such as curriculum coordinator, academic department head, reading specialist, educational diagnostician, technology director, mentor teacher, teacher of the gifted and talented, community college faculty or clinical adjunct faculty in higher education. High school teachers who teach dual enrollment courses or advanced placement courses may also choose to pursue this degree.
Support areas within the degree include Teacher Leadership, Reading Specialist, Educational Diagnostician, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Special Education, Gifted and Talented, Technology Director and Technology Applications.
Persons obtaining initial certification through TMATE (Tarleton Model for Accelerated Teacher Education) may apply a portion of the credits earned through TMATE to the Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with support areas in Elementary Education, Secondary Education or Special Education.
Course requirements for the Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, including each support area, may be viewed at www.tarleton.edu/~edulab/GHandbook.pdf.
Application and Admission Procedures
Admission to the College of Graduate Studies.
Application for admission should be made to the College of Graduate Studies at least one month prior to the beginning of the semester in which one intends to enroll. The application form may be obtained from www.tarleton.edu/~graduate or by calling the College of Graduate Studies at 254-968-9104.
An application fee is required, and applicants must submit official transcripts of previous college work, official scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and an essay addressing professional and career goals. Refer to the College of Graduate Studies section of the catalog for a more complete description of application and admission procedures.
Admission to the Degree Program in Curriculum and Instruction.
After gaining admission to the College of Graduate Studies, applicants must contact an advisor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction for guidance regarding initial course selection and additional admission criteria. The following advisors are available for consultation:
Stephenville & Fort Worth Campus: Dr. Susan Erwin, erwin@tarleton.edu
Applicants for the Master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction are initially granted Conditional Admission, pending the completion of course and grade point requirements toward the appropriate degree. Students must maintain a 3.25 GPA on the first 12 semester hour of graduate work to continue Conditional Admission status. Advisors will provide guidance regarding specific course selection.
After completing 12-18 hours of graduate courses, applicants will meet with an advisor to file a degree plan and appoint the Graduate Committee. The Committee typically consists of a chair and two members of the graduate faculty. At this point applicants will be recommended for Full Admission to the Master of Education degree in Curriculum & Instruction.
The Graduate Committee chair will assume responsibility for guiding the graduate student through the remainder of the degree requirements, including course selection to satisfy specific support areas of the degree and completion of the culminating graduate experience.
Maintaining Good Standing.
To remain in good standing, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA on all courses required for the degree. Only courses listed on the degree plan will count in the calculation of grade point average for the purpose of determining good standing. Failure to meet the standard for good standing will result in actions as described in the section, “Graduate Student Performance” in the College of Graduate Studies portion of the catalog.
Transfer Credits.
Transfer credits will be considered only after a student has obtained Full Admission to the degree program. Credits transferred from an approved institution must meet the guidelines outlined in Limitations on Transfer and Correspondence Courses in General Requirements for the Master’s Degree.
Time Limitations.
Degree requirements must be completed within a six year span of time.
Comprehensive Examination Equivalent
The faculty of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction has designed a Culminating Graduate Experience to take the place of the traditional Comprehensive Examination. The purpose of the Culminating Graduate Experience for the Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction is for students to apply the knowledge and concepts acquired throughout the course of study and to demonstrate the proficiencies established within the degree.
Under the guidance of the Graduate Committee students will compose a proposal describing the research problem to be studied. The proposal will consist of a literature review, statement of the problem, the research questions, description of the research methodology and a projected timeline. Upon approval by the Graduate Committee, the student will proceed to conduct the study.
Results of the research will be presented orally to the faculty in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction or to another specified group of educators. A written report will be presented to the student’s Graduate Committee. The written and oral presentations must be completed at a satisfactory level in order to meet the requirements for the equivalent of a comprehensive examination. A rubric describing the standards for satisfactory performance is displayed in the Graduate Handbook for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (www.tarleton.edu/~edulab/GHandbook.pdf).
Students must complete the Culminating Graduate Experience, including the written research report and the oral presentation, according to the following schedule:
| Spring Semester | March 1 |
| Summer | June 5 |
| Fall Semester | October 1 |
Thesis Option
Students may elect to pursue the Thesis Option for the Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. The thesis option will be of value to persons considering advanced academic study leading to a doctoral degree. Consult with an advisor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction about specific requirements for the thesis option.
Curriculum
The Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction is a 36-hour program designed to provide educators with advanced professional development in pedagogy, subject matter, or leadership. New options designed with the Department of Computer Information Systems support the role of Technology Director or Instructional Technology Specialist. Certification programs may have other requirements in addition to degree course work.
The Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction includes a 15-hour core requirement:
| Core Courses Required for Major | |
| EDU 598 (semester prior to enrollment in EDU 586 or EDU 585) | 3 |
| EDU 501, 502, 586 or 585 (enroll for 3 semesters) | 9 |
| Additional Courses Required for Support Areas | |
| For Support Area in Elementary Education - TMATE | |
| EDU 512, 520, 522, 538, RDG 570, 571 or EDU 511, EDU 545 or 514, EDTC 549 | 24 |
| For Support Area in Secondary Education - TMATE | |
| EDU 511, 514, 521, 538, 545, 599, RDG 570, EDTC 549 | 24 |
| For Support Area in Special Education - TMATE | |
| EDU 514, 538, EDSP 505, 511, 513, 515, RDG 570, 575 | 24 |
| For Support Area in Elementary Education – TMATE | |
| EDU 504, 538, 550, 522 or 512, 545; RDG 573, 574; EDTC 549 | 24 |
| For Support Area in Secondary Education – TMATE 6 hours from the following courses: EDU 504, 538, 550, EDTC 549 18 hours graduate coursework in one of the following content areas of English, History, Biology, Math. | |
| For Support Area in Educational Diagnostician – TMATE | |
| EDSP 528, 505, 525, 515, 529, 599; PSY 581, RDG 575 | 24 |
| For Support Area in Teacher Leadership | |
| EDTC 549, EDAD 507, 516, 539, EDU 545 | 15 |
| Electives as advised | 6 |
| For Support Area, Professional Reading Specialist1 | |
| RDG 573 or 572 | 3 |
| RDG 574, 575, 576 | 9 |
| From EDSP 505, EDU 512, 522, 545, RDG 572 | 9 |
| For Gifted and Talented Support Area | |
| EDU 560, 562, 564, 566, 569 | 15 |
| Electives as advised | 6 |
| For Technology Director Support Area | |
| EDTC 549, 559, CIS 501, 504, 560, 510, 578 | 21 |
| For Technology Applications Support Area | |
| EDTC 549, 559, CIS 560 | 9 |
|
CIS 561, 562, 563, 565 |
12 |
1Other requirements for Reading Specialist Certificate include valid Texas Teaching Certificate, 3 years classroom teaching, and EDU 320 or ENGL 370 or PSY 320.
2Other requirements for Educational Diagnostician Certificate include PSY 303; EDSP 463; valid Texas Teaching Certificate; 3 years’ classroom teaching, and a master’s degree.
3Does not require EDU 538 as part of the core.
Non-Degree Options: Certification
The Master Reading Teacher Certificate may be obtained in two ways:
- Teachers holding a valid Texas professional Reading Specialist Certificate (NOT an Elementary Certificate with a specialization in reading) will need to complete a modified program which includes modules on the topics of Dyslexia, Coaching and mentoring, and Second Language Leaner’s. Any additional program requirements will be determined on an individual basis following an analysis of the applicant’s strengths.
- Individuals holding a valid teaching certificate with at least three years of teaching experience must complete Tarleton’s MRT preparation program and pass the MRT certification test.
The MRT program requirements follow:
Course Requirements:
Summer I:
RDG 573 Foundations of reading 3 hours
PSY 590 Special topics, Psycholinguistics 3 hours (This is an online course that spans both summer sessions.)
Summer II:
RDG 575 Reading Research & Assessment 3 hours
These courses may be counted toward a Masters of Curriculum and Instruction at Tarleton State University and toward the Professional Reading Specialist Certificate.
Module Requirements;
Coaching and Mentoring Module
Second Language Leaner’s Module
A Master Reading teacher may be eligible for a state stipend if serving as a MRT on a designated “high-need” campus. Details about the MRT program can be found on the website for the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC).
For more information, contact:
Dr. Rebecca Miller, rmiller@tarleton.edu, (254) 968-9903