Education: Curriculum and Instruction (EDCI)

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Abstract

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction merged with the Department of Education Policy Studies and the program in Organizational Leadership and Policy Studies to form the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership (TLPL). Individual program descriptions will be replaced by a single description of the new department and shared programs by 2014. For more detailed and up-to-date information about programs and resources see the TLPL website at http://education.umd.edu/TLPL/index.html.

The programs related to Curriculum and Instruction offer graduate study leading to the following degrees and certificates: Master of Arts (thesis and non-thesis), Master of Education, Advanced Graduate Specialist, Doctor of Education, and Doctor of Philosophy. The Department offers a variety of programs individually designed to meet graduate students' personal and professional goals which may include educational research, teaching, supervising, providing leadership as curriculum specialists within the disciplines, teacher education or consulting at all levels of instruction: elementary, secondary and higher education. Full-time study is preferred for those pursuing the Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction.

Areas of concentration include art education (M.Ed. only), elementary/middle school education, history/social studies education, English education, Second Language Education (SLEC) - foreign language education and teaching English as a second language (TESOL), mathematics education, minority and urban education, music education (doctoral only), teacher education/professional development (doctoral only), reading education, and science education. The Department also supports three master's degree programs for candidates who have a bachelor's degree in fields other than education and wish to become certified teachers. In addition, there is a six-course Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in literacy coaching designed to prepare experienced, highly qualified middle and high school teachers to serve as literacy coaches in low performing middle and high schools. For graduate programs related to Education Policy Studies or Organizational Leadership please see Education: Policy Studies and Organizational Leadership (EDPS) in the graduate catalog.

NOTE: Admission to the Ed.D. program has been temporarily suspended. At the doctoral level, we are currently admitting to the Ph.D. program only. All things being equal, preference will be given to full-time applicants who apply by December 1, 2012.

Admissions Information

To be recommended for full admission to a doctoral or master's program, a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 is required. A minimum graduate grade point average of 3.5 is required for applicants who have completed a graduate program. The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is required of applicants to all EDCI doctoral and MA programs but they are not required for M.Ed. programs. Certification-track programs may require passing Praxis scores. Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (verbal, quantitative, writing) should be at the 50th percentile or higher. Because graduate programs are highly competitive, successful applicants often score considerably higher. Students who do not meet one of these requirements, but show other evidence of outstanding potential, may be considered for provisional admission. Admission of qualified applicants is based on their competitive ranking to limit enrollments to available faculty resources. See the description of the EDCI programs and admissions overview on the TLPL website for more detailed information: http://www.education.umd.edu/TLPL/.

NOTE: Applications for the doctoral program are accepted for the Fall only. Applicants for the master's program are accepted for the fall or spring.

TLPL has limited doctoral admissions; therefore, candidates are encouraged to apply by the High Priority Deadline of December 1st for best consideration. Spaces may be filled prior to Final Deadline. Please note the decisions may take several months.

Application Deadlines

Type of Applicant	Fall	Spring
Domestic Applicants; US Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials; International Applicants seeking admissions under A, E, G, H, I and L visas and immigrants	Deadline: February 15 Preferred: December 1	Deadline: September 1
International Applicants seeking admission under F (student) or J (exchange visitor) visas	Deadline: February 1	Deadline: February 1

Application Requirements

1. GRE General (Required for the AGS, Ph.D. and MA programs. GRE is NOT required for EDCI M.Ed. programs. Please check the TLPL website for specific requirement)
2. Official transcript from all previously attended institutions
3. 3 Letters of Recommendation from persons competent to judge the applicant's probable success in graduate school
4. Statement of Goals, Experiences, and Research Interests
5. Writing sample (doctoral applicants)

Degree Requirements

Advanced Graduate Specialist Certificate (A.G.S. Certificate)
Please contact the program for more information.

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Literacy Coaching (PBC)
The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Literacy Coaching is a six week program designed to prepare experienced, highly qualified middle and high school teachers to serve as literacy coaches in low performing middle and high schools. It is a joint program between the University of Maryland (UM)/Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS City Schools)/Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)/Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) serving cohorts of selected middle and high school teachers.

Master of Arts or Master of Education (M.A. or M.Ed.)

Master's degree requirements vary according to the area of concentration and the type of degree. Typically, programs require 30 to 33 credit hours, which includes a core research requirement; a three to six-hour comprehensive examination and research thesis, a professional portfolio (requirement varies by specialization) or a seminar paper. Certification-track M.Ed. programs typically require 42 credit hours.

Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Education (Ph.D. or Ed.D.)

The doctorate requires a planned sequence of approximately 60 credit hours beyond the master's degree. Doctoral students are required to take a comprehensive examination prior to approval of their doctoral dissertation committee. An oral examination in defense of the dissertation is required.

NOTE: Admission to the Ed.D. program has been temporarily suspended. At the doctoral level, we are currently admitting to the Ph.D. program only. All things being equal, preference will be given to full-time applicants who apply by December 1, 2012.