Academic Areas & Divisions

Curriculum & Instruction

Master of Education: Social Studies Education

This option provides an opportunity to develop in-depth knowledge of social studies education by combining graduate work in education and the social sciences. Intended to strengthen the subject matter knowledge and pedagogical knowledge of social studies teachers and to prepare them for additional professional roles in education (e.g., social studies curriculum specialist). Teaching experience and prior college work in social studies education required.

Course of Study

In brief, the M.Ed. in C&I requires 45 credits:

9 credits in Foundations of Education

18 credits in Social Studies education (the area of specialization)
9 credits in a Supporting Area of study, and
9 credits in Culminating Experience

All course choices are to be negotiated with advisors. Advisors have the discretion to recommend or require certain courses depending on the student’s background.

This document describes below what is required in the Social Studies Education area of specialization and guides for selecting courses in a supporting area of study. Students should carefully review the Core Requirements for details about all four components of the M.Ed. course of study. Students must also follow the general requirements of the graduate school; among these are that a course of study should include at least 18 credits at the 500-level or above and 18 graded credits.

Coursework in Social Studies, History and Social Sciences (18 credits)

Core Social Studies Education (Minimum 9 credits)

* EDC&I 465/6 Social Studies Education: Programs & Practices (3)

* EDC&I 565/6 Seminar in Social Studies Education (3)

* EDC&I 567 Current Issues in Social Studies Education (3-6)

*EDC&I 601 Clinical Experience (e.g., action research; program development; supervised teaching) (3-6)

History/Social Sciences: Courses related to teaching interests, e.g., History, International Studies, Anthropology, Classics, American Ethnic Studies, Women’s Studies, Political Science, Sociology, Economics, Philosophy, Public Affairs

Coursework in Supporting Area (9 credits minimum)

Students select a supporting area of study. This can be chosen from one of the specializations offered in C&I, or it can be a thematic description negotiated between the student and the advisor. The courses taken in the supporting area should all relate to this theme. See the Core Requirements for more detail on this.

Culminating Experience (9 credits)

Students select an action research project, a curriculum development project, or a social studies topic related to their academic area of interest.

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