Program Requirements: M.A. (Fall 2013)

The master’s program in Education prepares master’s students within 7 broad research areas:

Culture and Development
Language and Literacy
Learning, Culture and Technology Studies
Policy, Leadership and Research Methods
Science and Mathematics Education
Special Education, Disabilities and Risk Studies

Course Requirements

Beginning in Fall 2013, master’s students entering the program will have the choice of pursuing two tracks-the research master’s track and the professional master’s track. The research master’s is intended for students who plan to do a doctoral degree in Education, either at UCSB or at another institution. Doctoral students who do not already have a master’s degree in education will be required to fulfill these requirements, which are a subset of the doctoral requirements. The professional master’s is a master’s degree for students who do not plan to obtain a doctorate. The research master’s degree requirements are 3 research methodology courses, 3 breadth courses and 3 electives. The professional master’s requirements are 1 research methodology course, 3 breadth courses and 4 electives, and 4 additional units that can be through independent study or one more elective. The minimum number of units for both master’s degrees is 36. After fulfilling the course requirements, master’s students will take independent study units to conduct research or prepare for the comprehensive examination. The breadth course requirements for both tracks are listed on the table below.

Milestone Requirements

In addition to courses, master’s students must complete additional milestones as noted below.

Research Master’s

Research Apprenticeship: During the first year, each student is required to participate in a research apprenticeship under the guidance of his or her faculty advisor or another qualified faculty member. The purpose of the apprenticeship is to acquaint students with the hands-on conduct of research by having them participate in the research activities of a faculty mentor.

Research Project: The Independent Research Project should involve a topic of interest to the student and the student should assume major responsibility for all aspects of the project from research review through data collection and analysis. Completion of the project should result in a paper that is appropriate for submission for publication. There is an oral defense of the project.

Professional Master’s

Research Project or Comprehensive Exam: The professional master’s gives the choice of either a Research Project (described above) or a comprehensive exam designed by the student’s faculty committee.

BREADTH REQUIREMENTS FOR MASTER’S STUDENTS (3 courses)
Choose one course from 3 of the 4 breadth menus below

(1) Language, Culture and Society
ED 202 Bilingual Language Development 4.0
ED 205 Anthropological Studies in Education 4.0
ED 210E Foundations of Sociocultural Theory 4.0
ED 210F Contemporary Sociocultural Theory 4.0
ED 270H Language, Culture, and Learning 4.0
ED 272 Cultural Studies in Education 4.0

(2) Learning and Teaching
ED 210A Advances in the Learning Sciences and Education 4.0
ED 219B Research on Classroom Teaching 4.0
ED 256 Technology and Learning Contexts 4.0
Ed 282 Research Along the Learning to Teach Continuum: Teacher Education, Induction, and Professional Development 4.0
ED XXX General Course on Curriculum (New course to be developed) 4.0

(3) Policy, Organization, and Leadership
ED 240A Educational Policy 4.0
ED 242A Organizational Theories 4.0

(4) Development
ED 211B Development: Infancy and Early Childhood 4.0
ED 211C Development: Middle Childhood to Adolescence 4.0
ED 211G Theories in Human Development 4.0
ED 210B Children’s Thinking 4.0
ED 222A Introduction to Exceptional Children 4.0
ED 228E Families and Disabilities 4.0

updated 8/24/12

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Program Requirements: M.A. (Fall 2013)