Master of Arts in Education
Are you ready to increase your capabilities and expand your career?
Our Master of Arts in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) is designed specifically for certified teachers who wish to take their career to the next level.
You'll gain the latest skills in classroom instruction as well as student support and
achievement. Your core courses will give you insight in meeting the needs of today's ever-evolving,
multicultural educational setting. You'll study current trends in such areas as assessment,
curriculum, and learning technology, giving you thte professional knowledge needed to help reach
every student reach his or her full potential.
In addition to the core curriculum, candidates choose a specialty area of concentration. Suggested concentrations include: Bilingual Education, English as a Second Language, Early Childhood Education, Educational Leadership and Children and Youth with Disabilities.
If you want to concentrate more on the developmental and remedial areas of reading, leadership in reading curriculum design, or staff development in the area of reading, we offer the Master of Arts in Education with Reading Specialist Certification program as well as a Reading Teacher Endorsement program. If you are a certified classroom teacher with a master's degree in education, we can design an individual focused program to help you complete the Reading Specialist or Reading Teacher endorsement program requirements.
- Core Curriculum
- Specialty Areas
- Master of Arts in Education with Reading Specialist Certification
- Requirements for Reading Teacher Endorsement
Core Curriculum
Requirements for MAED
Satisfactory completion of 36 to 39 graduate semester credit hours: 21 graduate semester credit
hours in the core curriculum and 15-18 graduate credit hours in a single perspective area.
A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Core Curriculum for MAED (Curriculum and Instruction)
The candidate completes 21 graduate semester hours in core course work as follows| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| SPED 656 | Collaboration and Adaptation in General Education Settings | 2 |
| EDU 523 | Teaching in Diverse Classrooms | 3 |
| EDU 528 | Learning Theories, Motivation and Technology | 3 |
| EDU 530 | Rethinking Curriculum | 3 |
| EDU 532 | Tools and Techniques in Assessment | 3 |
| EDU 606 | Research | 3 |
| EDU 669 | Applied Field Research | 4 |
Perspective Areas
Bilingual Education
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| EDU 651 | Methods and Materials for Teaching English as a Second Language | 3 |
| EDU 652 | Historical Foundations of Bilingual Education | 3 |
| EDU 653 | Methods and Materials for Teaching in Bilingual Education Programs | 3 |
| EDU 654 | Assessment of English Language Learners | 3 |
| EDU 655 | Language and Culture | 3 |
| EDU 661 | Literacy Development for English Language Learners | 3 |
Note: Candidates who complete the above courses are eligible for an endorsement in bilingual education.
English as a Second Language
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| EDU 650 | Theoretical Foundations of Teaching English as a Second Language | 3 |
| EDU 651 | Methods and Materials for Teaching English as a Second Language | 3 |
| EDU 654 | Assessment of English Language Learners | 3 |
| EDU 655 | Language and Culture | 3 |
| EDU 656 | Linguistics and Language Development | 3 |
| EDU 661 | Literacy Development for English Language Learners | 3 |
NOTE: Candidates who complete the above courses are eligible for an endorsement in English as a Second Language.
Early Childhood Education
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| ECE 500 | Child Growth and Development | 3 |
| ECE 501 | History and Philosophy of Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| ECE 503 | Child, Family and Community Relations | 3 |
| ECE 581 | Methods of Teaching Reading for the Young Child | 3 |
| ECE 582 | Theory of Play | 2 |
| ECE 584 | Techniques and Methodologies in the Early Childhood Education Classroom | 3 |
Educational Leadership
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| EDU 600 | Instructional Leadership | 3 |
| EDU 602 | Curriculum for Administrators and Supervisors | 3 |
| EDU 604 | Personnel and Program Development for Administrators and Supervisors | 3 |
| EDU 605 | Interpersonal Communication for Administrators and Supervisors | 3 |
| EDU 608 | School Law | 3 |
| EDU 610 | Strategic Planning | 3 |
Children and Youth with Disabilities
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| SPED 643 | History, Philosophy and Legal Foundations in Special Education | 3 |
| SPED 649 | Psychology and Characteristics of Students with Disabilities | 3 |
| SPED 654 | Academic Methods for Early Childhood–Elementary Students with Disabilities | 3 |
| SPED 655 | Academic Methods for Middle and Secondary Level Students with Disabilities | 2 |
| SPED 658 | Fostering Development of Prosocial Behavior | 2 |
| SPED 659 | Managing Challenging Behavior | 3 |
Master of Arts in Education with Reading Specialist Certification
Requirements
Candidates must satisfactorily complete 24 graduate semester hours in areas of reading
instruction specified by the State of Illinois. The first eight courses listed below fulfill these
requirements. An additional 11 to 14 hours of coursework is required to complete the master's
degree.
Candidates who do not have a middle level endorsement on their teaching certificate will also need to take EDU 570, Philosophy and Psychology of Middle Level Education, and EDU 571, Curriculum Design and Instructional Strategies for Middle Level Teachers to fulfill the middle grades requirement.
Candidates must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 out of 4.0.
Several classes require field experience work. At times, requirements may be met in the candidate's own school. Others may be met during out-of-school hours; however, the candidate will need to take two personal days to fulfill the field experience requirements.
A candidate seeking Illinois Type 10 K–12 Reading Specialist Certification must pass the Reading Specialist Examination and the Assessment of Professional Teaching (APT K–12)
To apply for certification, candidates must have two years of full-time teaching experience.
Curriculum
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| EDU 533 | Reading and Writing Instruction and Improvement | 3 |
| EDU 535 | Reading in the Content Areas for Middle Level and Secondary Teachers | 3 |
| EDU 537 | Diagnosis and Assessment in Reading | 3 |
| EDU 541 | Developmental and Remedial Materials and Resources in Reading | 3 |
| EDU 542 | Developmental and Remedial Instruction and Support in Reading | 3 |
| EDU 555 | Reading Clinic | 3 |
| EDU 661 | Literacy Development for English Language Learners | 3 |
| EDU 582 | Children's Literature | 3 |
| EDU 606 | Research | 3 |
| SPED 656 | Collaboration and Adaptation in General Education | 2 |
| EDU 754 | Coaching and Supervision for Reading Specialists | 3 |
| EDU 755 | Reading Practicum | 3 |
Requirements for the Reading Teacher Endorsement
Candidates for the preschool to Grade 3, Elementary K–4, Middle Level 5–8 and Secondary 9–12 Endorsement must satisfactorily complete the 24 graduate semester hours in areas of reading instruction specified by the State of Illinois that are listed below. Candidates for the middle level 5–8 endorsement must also complete the six semester hours required for the endorsement.
Candidates must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Several classes require field experience work. At times, requirements may be met in the candidate's own school. Others may be met during out-of-school hours. However, the candidate will need to take one personal day to fulfill the field experience requirements.
A candidate seeking an Illinois reading teacher endorsement must pass the Reading Teacher
Examination. Go to www.icts.nesinc.com for information on Illinois State Board of Education testing
procedures. Candidates apply directly to the State for endorsement.
Courses for Reading Teacher Endorsement (All Levels)
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| EDU 533 | Reading and Writing Instruction and Improvement | 3 |
| EDU 535 | Reading in the Content Areas for Middle Level and Secondary Teachers | 3 |
| EDU 537 | Diagnosis and Assessment in Reading | 3 |
| EDU 541 | Developmental and Remedial Materials and Resources in Reading | 3 |
| EDU 542 | Developmental and Remedial Instruction and Support in Reading | 3 |
| EDU 555 | Reading Clinic | 3 |
| EDU 661 | Literacy Development for English Language Learners | 3 |
| EDU 582 | Children's Literature | 3 |
Courses specific to Middle Schools for the Reading Teacher Endorsement
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| EDU 570 | Philosophy and Psychology of Middle Level Education | 3 |
| EDU 571 | Curriculum Design and Instructional Strategies for Middle Level Teachers | 3 |