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The Master of Science in Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction requires the completion of a minimum of 32 or 36 hours of course work, depending on the research requirement selected. At least 15 of the required semester hours must be at the 500 level and taken at SIUC. The student must also meet Curriculum and Instruction core course requirements, research requirements, and specialty area requirements. No more than 11 semester hours of credit earned at another NCATE-accredited college or university may be accepted toward this degree.
Each candidate's program is planned in consultation with a faculty adviser from the specialty area selected by the student, with consideration for the student's interests, experience, and specialty area. Nondeclared graduate students are advised to consult with the department chair concerning admission to the master's program.
A student desiring teacher certification (preschool, elementary, secondary, or K-12) must be admitted to the Teacher Education Program and must follow the teacher certification entitlement process established by SIUC in conjunction with the Illinois State Board of Education. An alternative route to certification is available through the College of Education and Human Services for qualified candidates. The department also offers the Master of Arts in Teaching degree program that leads toward secondary certification. Several areas of study offer coursework designed to meet certification or endorsement requirements set by the Illinois State Board of Education. Consultation with an adviser and a carefully determined program of study can lead to the desired certification or endorsement.
Admission to the master's program requires a 2.7 GPA for the last 60 hours of the bachelor's degree as well as the recommendation of the specialty area faculty. A TOEFL score of at least 550 (220 computerized score) is also required for international students. Students must maintain an overall 3.0 graduate GPA to be retained in the master's program. The progress of each student is reviewed periodically. Students who do not make satisfactory progress, or who violate the regulations of the department, college, or university may be dropped from the program.
The Master of Science in Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction requires a nine semester hour professional core and specialty area courses (12 to 15 semester hours). The professional core consists of C&I 500, Research Methods in Education; C&I 503, Introduction to the Curriculum; and C&I 504, Systematic Approaches to Instruction. All professional core courses must be completed with a grade of C or better, and an overall grade point average of 3.0 must be obtained for the professional core. The specialty area program consists of either 23 semester hours of coursework including a thesis or 27 semester hours of coursework. The minimum number of required semester hours is 32 for students completing a thesis or 36 hours for students completing the coursework only option.