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Admission Requirements

• For U.S. Citizens or Residents, a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of 2.8 or higher is required. Along with the application, please submit 2 letters of recommendation and transcripts from all former institutions (required).
• For non-U.S. Citizens, you will need to have a Bachelor's or Master's degree that is recognized by the Ministry of Education (your transcripts will also be evaluated by World Education Services). You will also need official score reports for TOEFL (iBT score of 80 or better; PBT score of 550 or better) and TWE (score of 5 or better).

Degree Overview

M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction

The M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction core courses and capstone experience are the foundation for this master’s degree program of study. Candidates will participate in individualized learning that supports professional and personal goals toward their continuing development as a professional educator.

M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction: Science (K-8)

The M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction: Science (K-8) is designed for teachers in the elementary and middle school grades who want to enhance their content knowledge and skills in science in order to increase student learning and understanding of fundamental science concepts. An emphasis is placed on effective teaching strategies and practices that are aligned with the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and the standards of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), and that address inquiry methods for teaching science. The integration of technology to enrich science learning in the elementary and middle school science core curriculum and virtual laboratory experiences are included in this course of study.

Course Descriptions

C & I Core Courses

EDU 502w Developing Character through the Curriculum (3)

This course will provide teachers with the resources and skills necessary to integrate character themes and character development into their school curriculum. It provides a forum in which to discuss and develop one’s own moral perspectives on the basis of generally accepted criteria.

EDU 535w Theories of Teaching and Learning (3)

This course is designed to provide leaders with the latest psychological research findings and guide them in exploring ways to directly apply these precepts to their current work setting. Topics will include the functions and anatomy of the brain and the fascinating arena of multiple intelligences. The course will fuse the latest biological and psychological understanding of how the brain works so candidates can harness this knowledge and apply it directly to enhancing their current work environment.

EDU 595w Community of Learners (3)

Relationships constructed on trust are critical for an efficient, collegial, collaborative workplace. This course challenges candidates to confront the tremendous diversity in their current environment and develop strategies to build community in the midst of the social, ethnic, economic and alternative lifestyle differences that permeate today’s 21st century workplace. In sum, this course stresses the critical importance of creating community in the workplace and illustrates how that community, once established, can generate an efficient, supportive, and positive work place.

EDU 601w Educational Research (3)

This course provides students with the basic competencies necessary to understand and evaluate the research of others, and to plan and conduct their own research with a minimum of assistance. This course includes the basics of both qualitative and quantitative research.

EDU 602w Contemporary Educational Thought (3)*

Candidates identify, review, and analyze major trends and issues impacting the contemporary state and national educational scenes. Each class session provides students with an opportunity to evaluate the advantages and liabilities of current educational reforms and issues from the perspective of prevailing educational research as well as from their own personal beliefs and current work environment. Candidates will also consider how they can impact and influence change in their own workplace.

Science Courses

The Nature of Science (3)*

This course focuses on a view of science as a framework for understanding the natural world. Participants learn about the sciences as a systematic gathering of information through various forms of direct and indirect observation and the testing of this information through building and applying investigation skills. Participants also discuss the principal product of science as knowledge in the form of naturalistic concepts and the laws and theories related to those concepts. Emphasis is placed on transformational learning based in a developmental, inquiry-based approach. As teachers of science, this course also encourages active participation in the community of science and the furthering of science education.

Planning for an Inquiry-Based Classroom (3)*

This course emphasizes the need for children to view themselves as scientists and, as such, to engage in raising questions, carrying out investigations, communicating methods, proposing explanations and solutions, using observation, and analyzing science practices. Emphasis is placed on the teacher as a scientist working alongside students using transformational learning steeped in a developmental, inquiry-based approach. The course will address planning for instruction, setting goals, teaching to standards, meeting curricular requirements, and teaching developmentally with a focus on student inquiry and knowledge construction as the basis for learning and teaching.

Transformative Science in the Differentiated Classroom (3)*

The focus of this course is transformational learning and teaching that meets the needs of all learners through a developmental, constructivist approach. There will be an emphasis on setting up the classroom, getting to know learners, assessing learning styles and needs, differentiated teaching strategies, and providing anchor activities to solidify learning. The course will provide a plethora of practical ideas for making science a positive and transformational experience for learners and teachers alike.

The Technology-Based Science Classroom (3)*

The inquiry-based science classroom is enhanced through the use of innovative technology tools and resources that are available to classroom teachers. This course will focus on the use of educational technology as a vital means to transform science education through enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills in children using technology as inquiry-based learning tools in ways similar to those of practicing scientists. The use of Internet images, virtual science labs and field trips, simulations, digital microscopes and digital cameras, multimedia packages, global information systems, science computer databases and computer-based laboratories are examples of the resources studied and applied in this class.

Capstone

EDU 698w Action Research (3)

Action research is the capstone project for the M.Ed program. It involves the identification of a specific issue in the candidate’s work setting, researching the literature regarding the issue, designing a proposal to solve the issue, implementing the solution (after the proposal has been approved), and reporting the results. Candidates will create their proposal in EDU 601 then receive the majority of their guidance from their faculty advisor. The implementation phase of the course will last from 12 to 18 weeks at the student’s work setting. Final concentration for report writing will occur during the final three weeks of the program to meet the completion date.

* Class is taken simultaneously with EDU 698 Action Research. Students receive guidance for the implementation of their capstone project
  within EDU 698, beginning six months prior to their graduation, and receive ongoing support until their program completion.

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A national university system with 10 campuses throughout the United States, Concordia University Portland was founded more than 100 years ago and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.