Secondary Education

The Master of Arts degree in Secondary Curriculum and Instruction is designed to prepare secondary-level teachers of any subject to become more effective teachers, in addition to advancement to mentor teaching, supervision of student teachers, positions as curriculum-development specialists, department chairs and/or doctoral study. School districts frequently award salary increases to teachers holding master’s degrees, and master’s degrees are usually required for part-time teaching at the community college or university level. The program is designed to follow immediately CSUN’s Preliminary Single-Subject Credential Program, but it can also be taken as a stand-alone by teachers who want a broader or more individually tailored program than the department’s other M.A. programs.

During this program, students:

• Examine current national and discipline-based educational issues, in particular those related to secondary-level curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
• Evaluate and apply theory and best practices related to curriculum, instruction and assessment in secondary classrooms.
• Broaden their pedagogical repertoires.
• Learn to develop a classroom research project and write a proposal.
• Form professional ties with other secondary educators and faculty.

A. Requirements for Admission

1. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
2. Employment or experience as a teacher (desirable).
3. Teaching credential (may be waived for private school teachers or college instructors).
4. Submission of a completed department application.
5. Submission of a completed application to CSUN via Cal State Apply.
6. Cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 2.5.

B. Requirements for Classified Status

Must be fulfilled by the end of the first semester of the program:

1. Cumulative undergraduate or graduate GPA of at least 3.0
2. Passing score of 8 or higher on the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam or a score of 3.0 or higher on the GRE Analytic Writing portion.

C. Corequisite

Maintenance of a 3.0 GPA.

D. Degree Program for the Master of Arts in Secondary Curriculum and Instruction

1. Core Courses (15 units)

SED 600 Research in Secondary Education (3)
SED 610CI Educational Issues and Implications for Public Schools (3)
SED 641 Curriculum in Theory and Practice (3)
SED 651 Assessment in Theory and Practice (3)
SED 690CI The Multiple Roles of Secondary Educators (3)

2. Approved Electives (12 units)

Four SED graduate-level courses selected from the list below with the approval of the program advisor and course instructor*:

SED 514 Computers in Instruction (3)**
SED 521 Content Area Literacy and Learning in Multiethnic Secondary Schools (3)**
SED 525XX Methods of Teaching Secondary [Subject]**
SED 529 Teaching English Learners in Multiethnic Secondary Schools (3)**
SED 525BL Bilingual and Bicultural Teaching in Multiethnic Secondary Schools (3)
SED 535MA Teaching Contemporary Mathematics (3)
SED 614 Technology in Teaching and Learning Mathematics (3)
SED 616 Computer Supported Collaborative Science (3)
SED 617 Technology in the Secondary Reading/Language Arts Curriculum (3)
SED 618 Computers in the Secondary School Curriculum: Multimedia (3)
SED 625EN Theory and Research in the Teaching of Secondary School English (3)
SED 625ESL Theory and Research in Teaching ESL in Multilingual Classrooms (3)
SED 625MA Theory and Research in the Teaching of Mathematics (3)
SED 625MM Theory and Research in Multicultural and Multilingual Education in Secondary Schools (3)
SED 625SC Theory and Research in Teaching Secondary School Science (3)
SED 633 The Program in Reading and Literature Instruction in Multiethnic Secondary Schools (3)
SED 642 Educational Website Development (3)
SED 652 Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (3)
SED 653 Issues in the Teaching of Composition and Language (3)
SED 656 Computers in Science Teaching (3)
SED 673 Multicultural Students, Families and Communities (3)
SED 676 Advanced Laboratory Curriculum Development (3)
SED 686 Motivational Strategies in the Classroom (3)

*Candidates may petition to use courses not listed here, via written justification to the program advisor. Up to 6 units of master’s-level coursework from other CSUN departments or other universities may be used as electives.

**Many candidates will be permitted to bring SED 514, 521, 525XX and/or 529 forward from their CSUN credential program.

3. Culminating Experience (3 units)

The Culminating Experience for candidates earning the Master of Arts in Secondary Curriculum and Instruction is the Comprehensive Exam. The three-part Comprehensive Exam requires candidates to write an analytic reflection on a provided written passage, to write a paper about an educational issue, and to write an analysis and critique of an educational-research article. Candidates enroll in SED 697 Directed Comprehensive Studies (3), which supports the M.A. candidate in preparing for the Comprehensive Exam.

Total Units Required for the M.A. Degree: 30