Curriculum Studies, MEd

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The Master of Education in Curriculum Studies (MEdCS) degree is a 30-credit program designed to serve licensed teachers and other educators who wish to explore, research, and apply innovative ideas in K-12 education. Students may attend part-time, and the average completion time is about two years.

The MEd-CS equips teachers to fill a variety of teaching and resource roles at an advanced level. The program also prepares students for doctoral programs and other advanced study options.

MEd-CS is a K-12 program that offers content areas and interdisciplinary cohorted tracks. Content areas include: (a) Art Education, (b) Language Arts/Literacy, (c) Mathematics Education, (d) Multicultural Education, and (e) Social Studies Education. Interdisciplinary tracks include: (a) Aloha ʻĀina Education & Leadership, (b) Interdisciplinary, (c) Literacy Specialist, (d) National Board Certification Teacher Leader, (e) PACMED, (f) Place-based and Sustainability Education, (g) Progressive Philosophy & Pedagogy, and (h) STEMS² . All tracks emphasize teacher leadership and place-based education.

Students may Add-a-Field to an existing Hawaiʻi teacher license in Ethnomathematics, Literacy Specialist, STEMS², Teacher Leader, and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Students may also earn graduate certificates in Ethnomathematics, Literacy Leader, Multilingual Multicultural Professional Practice, Philosophy for Children Hawaiʻi (P4C), Sustainability & Resilience Education, and Teacher Leader with or without the MEd-CS degree. If students want to double count Master’s and graduate certificate courses, they must be concurrently enrolled at least one semester. Students in STE Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Secondary Education (PBCSE) may also double count a maximum of 12 credits for the MEd-CS program.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the requirements of Graduate Division, applicants for the MEd in the curriculum studies program must provide the following:

Evidence of adequate successful course work and/or experience related to the track selected.
Evidence of student teaching, teaching, or experience designing and/or implementing curriculum in educational settings.
Three (3) professional references from people who are able to comment on the quality of the applicant’s experience, ability to pursue graduate study, and character.

Some tracks may have additional prerequisites, so please check our website.

Program Requirements

MEd-CS courses are scheduled to meet the needs of educators, and some programs are completely online.

Additional details about the program are available at coe.hawaii.edu/cs/programs. Please download coe.hawaii.edu/cs/handbooks/med-cs-handbook/.

Plan A (Thesis) Requirements

The Plan A program is designed primarily for students interested in research and in writing a thesis. It requires a minimum of 30 credit hours with at least 12 credit hours in curriculum studies, not counting EDCS 699 V or EDCS 799V. Of the 30 credit hours, 24 credit hours must be approved course work. Required courses are EDCS 622 , EDCS 667 , and two research methods courses. A minimum of 12 credit hours is to be taken in a related field, which may be in a concentration area within the Department of Curriculum Studies, in other departments in the College of Education, or in a discipline in one or more of the other colleges/schools at UH Mānoa. Of the approved courses, 18 credit hours must be at the 600 to 700 level (excluding EDCS 699 and EDCS 799). Six credit hours (EDCS 700 ) are required for the thesis.

Plan B (Non-thesis) Requirements

The Plan B program is designed primarily for students who wish to strengthen their teaching and leadership. It requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of approved course work, with a minimum of 12 credit hours in curriculum studies (excluding EDCS 699 ). Required courses are EDCS 622 , EDCS 667 , and two research methods courses. A minimum of 18 credit hours is to be taken in a school level or track. Of the approved courses, 18 credit hours must be at the 600 to 700 level, excluding EDCS 699 . A maximum of 6 credit hours of EDCS 699 may be applied to the degree program.

The Plan B program also requires a culminating project.