Curriculum & Instruction - Master's Program

Introduction

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) offers the Master of Education (M.Ed.) and the Master of Science (M.S.) degrees. Both degrees require a minimum of 36 semester hours of study. The M.Ed. includes a core of three semester hours in research, three semester hours in foundations (historical, philosophical, ethical, psychological, or sociological disciplines), and three semester hours in either curriculum or instruction. The M.S. includes a core of six semester hours in research and three semester hours in foundations. All master degree programs require a GPA of 3.00 or higher. Students in the M.Ed. program may take a comprehensive examination or complete a professional paper/project as the culminating activity for this degree (Exception: the comprehensive examination is the only option for an emphasis in Elementary Education.). A thesis and its defense is the culminating activity for the M.S.

Students seeking a M.Ed. or M.S. usually hold a bachelor's degree in education and have a teaching license (K-12) or hold a bachelor's degree in a non-education field and wish to teach at the postsecondary level. Students who do not hold a bachelor's degree in education and wish to teach in a K-12 setting must also apply and be accepted to the C&I Department's Graduate Licensure Program while applying to the Graduate College.

In addition to meeting the admission requirements of the Graduate College [the Department does not require letters of recommendation, see #2 below, applicants must also meet Department requirements:

1. A minimum of 18 hours of coursework in professional education taken at the undergraduate or post- baccalaureate level. Three exceptions to this requirement exist: graduate licensure and postsecondary education.
2. A one to two page statement of professional goals mailed directly to C&I (Attention: Graduate Coordinator). The names and phone numbers of two professional references should be included in the statement.

Applications are processed when all credentials required by both the Graduate College and C&I have been received. Once received, materials are forwarded to the Graduate Coordinator of C&I who evaluates the applicant's credentials and recommends either: 1) admission to full or provisional graduate standing, depending on the strength of the applicant's academic credentials, or 2) denial. Students are admitted to the C&I Department twice each year. The deadline for Spring semester admission is September 30 , the deadline for Fall semester is February 15.

Those students who wish to begin studies but who missed the application deadline may enroll in coursework as a graduate special. However, since there is no guarantee that courses taken as a special student will count toward a degree, and since a maximum of 15 hours taken prior to admission to the program may be used to meet degree requirements, special students should only take the core classes listed for the intended area of emphasis (see Possible Program Areas for Emphasis).

1. Transfer courses and courses taken at UNLV, before admission, are accepted in our programs only if:
   • they were taken recently and fall within the six (6) year limit for the completion of the degree (the clock starts ticking with the oldest course on the program);
   • the advisor evaluates the course as meeting our program`s requirements; the advisor may wish to talk to other faculty who teach similar courses, but there are no forms to fill out for their approval;
   • a grade of "B" or better has been earned (no B-).
   • Up to 18 semester hours may be transferred into our program only if the student was enrolled in a degree program at another institution.

2. If a student is admitted on a provisional status, nine (9) hours of designated coursework must be completed during the first year of study and a grade of B or better must be earned. These courses appear on the CERTIFICATE OF ADMISSIONS and are usually core requirements. The student receives a copy of the CERTIFICATE from the Graduate College and another copy is kept in the student's file.

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