About The Program
Apply leading-edge practices to contemporary classrooms, as program presents restorative practices, technology integration and methods for supporting English learners and students with disabilities Our flexible, cross-disciplinary program allows you to combine core curriculum and instruction courses with 12 credits of electives to build an individualized program to meet emerging needs in your specific areas of career and community development.
Career Paths
- Curriculum Specialist
- Instructional Coordinator
- Curriculum Developer
- Educational Consultant
- Academic Coach
- Director of Curriculum and Instruction
- Professional Development Coordinator
- Instructional Designer
- Education Program Director
- Online Course Developer
- Training and Development Manager
- Learning and Development Specialist
- Teacher Leader/Mentor Teacher
- Higher Education Instructor (e.g., Community College, University)
At a Glance
Degree Earned
Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Credits: 33
Application Semesters and Deadlines
Fall and Summer: February 1
Spring: October 1
Program Modality
Online and in-person*
*A minimum number of students is required to administer an in-person cohort.
Estimated Completion Time
Full-time (9-15 credits): average completion in 3 semesters
Part-time (1-8 credits): average completion in 5 semesters
Current provisional licensed teachers in Virginia can complete core professional requirements along with their masters.
Admission requirements
| Degree: | Semester(s) of entry: | Deadline dates: | Test requirements: |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.Ed. | Fall | Feb 1 | |
| Spring | Oct 1 | ||
| Summer | Feb 1 |
In addition to the general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, the following requirements represent the minimum acceptable standards for admission:
- Bachelor’s degree
- Three letters of recommendation addressing the student’s potential for graduate study in education
- Statement of intent
- Transcripts of all previous college work
Please visit the School of Education website for further information.
Degree requirements
In addition to the VCU Graduate School graduation requirements, students are required to complete course work in core and elective courses.
- Credit hour requirements: Students are required to complete a minimum of 33 credit hours.
- Grade requirements: Receipt of a grade of C or below in two courses constitutes automatic dismissal from the program. Courses with a grade below C cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements.
Curriculum requirements
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core courses | ||
| EDUS 660 EDUS 660. Research Methods in Education. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, hybrid or face-to-face). 3 credits. Designed to provide an introductory understanding of educational research and evaluation studies. Emphasizes fundamental concepts, procedures and processes appropriate for use in basic, applied and developmental research. Includes developing skills in critical analysis of research studies. Analyzes the assumptions, uses and limitations of different research designs. Explores methodological and ethical issues of educational research. Students either conduct or design a study in their area of educational specialization. | Research Methods in Education | 3 |
| EDUS 665 EDUS 665. Assessment Issues and Design for Classroom Practice and Education Policy. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. This course explores all aspects of assessment that a teacher encounters in prek-12 educational settings and in doing so provides a strong foundation for emerging educational researchers and evaluators in the area of assessment. Classroom discussion will focus on current assessment theories, dimensions of assessment literacy and assessment strategies used to monitor and measure student learning in today’s classrooms -- including students with and without disabilities and English language learners, as well as accounting for students’ diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences. Assessments at all stages of instruction (before, during and after), including formal and informal assessments and their applications in, and for, inclusive educational settings will be discussed. Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which teachers can gather and use assessments to make decisions to support effective instruction and intervention to support student growth and learning. Specifically, the course will explore the relationships among content standards, instruction and assessment, as well as ways to use a variety of assessments to monitor student progress. The course emphasizes making valid inferences from assessments in a variety of formats, understanding the legal and policy context of assessment, and the implications for appropriate grading practices and decision-making. | Assessment Issues and Design for Classroom Practice and Education Policy | 3 |
| EDUS 673 EDUS 673. Democracy, Equity and Ethics in Education. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. This course is designed to engage participants in a critical exploration of education issues and inequities within sociocultural, historical and philosophical contexts. Students will examine the relationship between an increasingly diverse society and democracy in education. The course will also develop strategies for participants to understand the ethical obligations of educational professionals and to become active agents for democratic, equity-oriented schools. | Democracy, Equity and Ethics in Education | 3 |
| SEDP 531 SEDP 531. Educational Foundations for Collaboration and Universally Designed Learning. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Focuses on providing candidates with the knowledge of the foundation for educating students with disabilities, as well as the principles and processes for collaboration and consultation with educational colleagues, community professionals and families. Covers the historical, philosophical and sociological foundations underlying the role, development and organization of public education in the U.S. Discussions and readings will focus on creating and maintaining inclusive schools, effective communication strategies for building successful collaborative teams and universally designed instructional strategies to use in co-taught classrooms. | Educational Foundations for Collaboration and Universally Designed Learning | 3 |
| TEDU 552 TEDU 552. Methods for Teaching Multilingual Learners. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Provides students who plan to teach people whose native language is not English with a variety of instructional/learning strategies. Presents and explores current approaches and methodology, as these relate to linguistic features and pedagogy. Crosslisted as: ENGL 552/LING 552. | Methods for Teaching Multilingual Learners | 3 |
| TEDU 615 TEDU 615. Curriculum Development. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. A basic graduate course in curriculum development. Curriculum decision making is examined in relation to foundation areas, content areas and current educational trends. Various conceptions of curriculum are explored. | Curriculum Development | 3 |
| TEDU 681 TEDU 681. Investigations and Trends in Teaching. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 1-3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of nine credits. A course designed to familiarize educational professionals with recent trends and developments in course content, strategies for organizing learning experiences and presenting material. Laboratory experience may be incorporated where appropriate. Students must contact their adviser for information regarding which section to register for based on their program. | Investigations and Trends in Teaching | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select graduate course work with ADLT, CNSE, EDLP, EDUS, READ, SEDP or TEDU prefix or other as approved by the adviser. | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 33 | |
The minimum number of graduate credit hours required for this degree is 33.
The VCU Bulletin is the official source for academic course and program information.