M.S.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction

ci-msed-banner

If you're a teacher ready to advance your career while developing a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of education, our M.S.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction will prepare you to succeed and lead in schools, classrooms and wherever else learning takes place. As you complete your degree, we'll empower you to clarify your professional purpose, and to improve the academic environments where you work.

Our program’s two specializations — Curriculum and Cultural Pedagogies for Social Justice or Teacher Leadership — will develop you as a more knowledgeable and reflective practitioner.

Choose Your Specialization

Curriculum and Cultural Pedagogies in Social Justice equips teachers with the perspectives and skills to view students for who they are and to embrace the individual variation of contextual factors that influence learning and the learning environment. You’ll understand personalized learning approaches that consider the complex interplay among learners’ and teachers’ experiences, and cultural influences.

Teacher Leadership empowers teachers to transform their educational communities by becoming a master trainer for relationship-building, school climate, curriculum development and peer supervisors. They also excel in serving as instructional coaches and peer mentors. Unprecedented and prolonged shifts in the delivery of education require effective teacher leadership for success, not only in the moment by assisting colleagues in their work but in helping schools and districts to develop and enact agendas for the future.

You can apply to the NIU Graduate School as a degree-seeking student or as a Student-at-Large, which allows you to take a course while waiting for official admission to the program. Your complete application packet will require:

  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Your career goal statement
  • Your college transcripts

Apply Online

During your program of study, you will:

  • Identify best (research-based) practices in curriculum and instruction.
  • Compare/contrast various models of curriculum and instruction.
  • Incorporate best practices in the design of curriculum for diverse learners in school or community educational settings.
  • Analyze the influences of social, political, historical, environmental and ideological contexts on decision making in curriculum and instruction.
  • Support positions on issues in curriculum and instruction with scholarly literature.
  • Demonstrate effective communication skills orally and in writing.
  • Reflect on professional roles and activities.
  • Synthesize principles from coursework in a master's project.

Core Coursework (15 credits)

Curriculum and Instruction (9 credits)

  • TLCI 500 Curriculum, Instruction and the Community
  • TLIC 510 Critical Practices in Curriculum and Instruction
  • TLCI 598 Master’s Culminating Project (3 credits)
    OR TLCI 699 Master’s Thesis Credits (1-6 credits)

Educational Research (3 credits)

  • ETR 528 Educational Assessment

Educational Psychology (3 credits)

  • EPS 518 Motivation in the Classroom

Specialization Coursework (18 credits)

Additional coursework is required for your chosen specialization. Please refer to the graduate catalog or discuss course requirements and options with your graduate advisor.

Contact Us

Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Nick Slicer, Graduate Advisor
815-753-7948
nslicer@niu.edu

Request Information

Complete this short contact form and our advisor will follow-up with specific program information. 

Follow Us On