Program Objectives

Students who complete the Professional Educator option of the Curriculum & Instruction Master’s degree are expected to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of a Master Teacher.

Graduates will exhibit:

1. Deep understanding of student development, diversity, and learning processes
2. Content mastery of the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students
3. Skill in managing, monitoring, and assessing student learning
4. Systematic reflection regarding their professional practice and experience
5. Commitment to membership in a community of learners.

Program of Study

Signature Content ~ 12 credits

• EDCI 531 Contemporary Issues in Education
• EDCI 504 Assessment & Evaluation in Education
• EDCI 514 Mentoring New Teachers
• EDCI 506 Applied Educational Research

Core Content ~ 15 credits Choose 5 from the following:

• EDCI 534 Literacy Assessment & Instruction
• EDCI 510 Issues & Trends in Social Studies Instruction
• EDCI 525 Improvement of Instruction in Science
• EDEL 533 Improvement of Mathematics Instruction
• EDCI 520 Visual Arts & Learning
• EDCI 551 Educational Technology: Creative Integration
• EDCI 540 American Indian Studies for Educators
• Electives relevant to licensure area

Master’s Capstone ~ 3 credits

• EDCI 575 Professional Paper/Project

Admissions

The Professional Educator Option for K-8 teachers has been carefully designed to meet the professional needs of teachers who are currently working in school settings as teachers of record. Admission priority will be given to those applicants who provide evidence that they are actively seeking professional development in their field and advancement toward Master Teacher status. Our goal is to limit admission to applicants who will be able to contribute to their cohort on the basis of current work experience, knowledge, and understanding the realities of the classroom. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The admissions process is administered by the Department of Education C&I Graduate Admissions Committee. Every attempt is made to ensure that qualified applicants are accurately identified; program admission will be based on a combination of the following:

Application Form Submitted to the Graduate School
The Montana State University online graduate application form can be found at www.montana.edu/wwwdg/apply.shtml. A nonrefundable $50 application fee must accompany the online application. The application fee may be paid online using a debit card, credit card, or a personal check from a financial institution in the United States. Applications will not be processed without receipt of the application fee.

Application Materials Submitted to the Department of Education
Submit the required Departmental Application Materials either e-mailed as attachments to edgrad@montana.edu or mailed to:
Department of Education
Reid 215
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59717-2880

View Required Departmental Application Materials

Admission Process
Complete applications will be reviewed and rated by members of the Graduate Admissions Committee who then convene to make final admission decisions. Once applicants are accepted, their applications will be forwarded to the Graduate School for final administrative processing.

Application Deadlines
You may enter the graduate program fall, spring, or summer semesters. The Department of Education deadlines for applications are:

• Fall Semester - April 15
• Spring Semester - November 1
• Summer Semester - March 2

Please note that the application review process will begin on the application deadline dates and not before.

All PDF files require the most current version of Adobe Reader to view. Other documents can be read using Microsoft Office.

The Master’s Capstone ~ Comprehensive Examinations

The Capstone Experience of the Master of Education degree is composed of two Comprehensive Examinations. These are the major final academic examinations during Master’s degree study that assure the graduate faculty the student has attained sufficient mastery of a program of study. Through this Capstone experience, students will demonstrate mastery in: knowledge of pertinent literature, academic and theoretical grounding, development of professional skills, and the ability to conduct effective educational research.

As M.Ed. students in the Professional Educator Option approach the end of their coursework (approximately 21 credits completed), they will contact their Committee Chair to discuss the content, format, and time frame for their Master’s Capstone.

The Master’s Capstone in the Professional Educator Option is composed of two elements:

1. the Written Comprehensive Exam which entails the completion of EDCI 575 - Professional Paper/Project and
2. the Oral Comprehensive Exam which entails formal presentation of the findings from the Professional Paper/Project.

Written Comprehensive Exam
The content and design of the Professional Paper/Project for EDCI 575 will be determined by consultation between the chair and the student and must be approved by the members of the student’s Master’s Committee. The Professional Paper/Project will be designed to most appropriately meet the professional growth and learning needs of the individual student. Students are required to complete the Professional Paper/Project using APA format.

The completed Professional Paper/Project will be submitted to the Master’s Committee for evaluation. Committee members should receive approximately two weeks to read and evaluate the Professional Paper/Project for written competency (quality, thoroughness, depth, and professionalism) as well as the student’s mastery of: pertinent literature, academic and theoretical underpinnings, development of professional skills, and the ability to conduct effective educational research.

Oral Comprehensive Exam
At the end of the two week period, the student will give a 1 hour oral presentation of the Professional Paper/Project to the Master’s Committee. Students can be queried about their research as well as all areas of program content during the oral presentation. The presentation will be evaluated for oral competency and mastery of: knowledge of pertinent literature, academic and theoretical grounding, development of professional skills, and the ability to conduct effective educational research.

Professional Paper Guidelines
Download Professional Paper Guidelines

• Front Matter
  • Title Page
  • Table Of Contents
  • List of Figures

• Chapter 1 - Introduction (~ 5 pages)
  • Problem Needing Investigation
  • Purpose Statement
  • Research Questions
    

• Chapter 2 - Review of the Literature (~ 10 pages)
  • Introduce the background themes/topics for your study
  • Title of Theme/Topic #1
  • Title of Theme/Topic #2
  • Title of Theme/ Topic#3

• Chapter 3 – Method (~ 5 pages)
  • Context of the Study
  • Research Questions
  • Participants
    • Who are they? How many participants will you study? Describe the selection process
  • Data Collection Techniques
    • Describe the techniques such as testing instruments, interview protocols, questionnaires, observations, journals, field notes, audio or videotapes and documents.
    • Where will you use them? When will you use them? How many times will you use them? Explain how they address the research questions

• Chapter 4 – Results (~ 5 pages)
  • Data Analysis and Interpretation
  • Validity
  • Ethical Concerns
  • Discussion of Analysis of Data
  • Discussion of Interpretation of Data

• Chapter 5 – Discussion (~ 5 pages)
  • Summary – Restate research questions
  • Report results / outcomes / findings / conclusions
  • Recommendations for Action

• References ~ List all resources, journal articles and books you discussed in the literature review, analysis and summary. For all formatting questions, consult the Publication Manual for the American Psychological Association, 5th ed.

• Appendices ~ Include all copies of questionnaires, documents, interview protocols and supplementary resources.