MASTER'S PROGRAMS
Students who wish to pursue Master's degrees in Teacher Education may select from the following programs:
Downloadable TED Master’s Program Brochure:
Master of Arts in Education
The Master of Arts degree in Education is a 30 credit hour degree designed for students who wish to pursue advanced studies in education. Students can pursue the MA in Education in any of three academic departments in the College of Education:
- Educational Leadership and Foundations
- Educational Psychology and Special Services
- Teacher Education
There are two pathways within the MA in Education:: Thesis or Capstone Project.
- Thesis - A thesis and an oral defense, both satisfactory to the Graduate Studies Committee of the academic department.
- Capstone Project – An applied research project conducted in an educational setting. The capstone project must meet the standards established by the program in order to satisfy degree requirements.
Students pursuing the capstone pathway can combine the MA with Alternative Certification for teaching. This degree, when started as part of the summer ACP cohort, can be completed on an accelerated basis in a 12-month timeframe. Please contact the ACP program at acp@utep.edu for more details.
Sample Degree Plans:
Master of Arts (Thesis) in Education
Please contact the ACP Program Coordinator at acp@utep.edu for more information about the MA (Capstone) in Education with Teacher Certification degree plan.
Master of Education - Curriculum and Instruction
This program requires 36 semester hours. Students may choose to concentrate coursework in the areas of bilingual education, early childhood education, educational technology, dual credit teaching and learning, engineering education, math education, and science education. Students who wish to focus on other subject areas may select courses from other UTEP departments with graduate faculty approval. Each student will have a Graduate Faculty Adviser to assist in developing the degree plan.
All Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction plans include the following:
- Professional Development Core: TED 5300, 5301, 5313 and 5304
- Specialization Area: At least 12 semester hours of graduate-level courses in a concentration area (e.g. Bilingual Education, Early Childhood Education, Educational Technology, Dual Credit, Engineering Education, Science/Math Education)
- Resource Area: Six semester hours in courses approved for graduate credit, which provide support for the academic specialization area or for professional development
- Electives: Six semester hours in courses approved for graduate credit
Degree Plans:
Master of Education – Curriculum and Instruction
Master of Education – Curriculum and Instruction in Bilingual Education
Master of Education – Curriculum and Instruction in Early Childhood
Master of Education – Curriculum and Instruction in Educational Technology
Master of Education – Curriculum and Instruction in Mathematics Education
Master of Education – Curriculum and Instruction in Science Education
Master of Education – Curriculum and Instruction in Dual Credit Teaching and Learning
We also offer two fully online concentrations through UTEP Connect:
Concentration in Early Childhood Education (online)
Concentration in Bilingual Education (online)
Master of Education in Literacy Education
The M.Ed. in Literacy Education prepares teachers, instructional coaches and other professionals to become specialists and leaders in K-12 literacy education. The plan of study follows State Board of Educator Certification guidelines for the All-Levels Reading Specialist Certificate. The program includes the following:
- Professional Development: TED 5300, 5301, 5313, and 5304
- Reading Specialization: At least 12 semester credit hours in literacy, including RED 5300 (Foundations of Literacy Education)
- Resource Area: Six semester credit hours in courses that support the specialization
- Electives: Three additional semester credit hours
- Practicum in final semester: RED 5349
Degree plan:
Master of Education – Literacy Education
Graduate Certificates
Reading Specialist Certification
Reading specialists are professionals who work to improve reading instruction and achievement at the school or district level by serving as literacy coaches, reading specialists, or leaders of school literacy programs. Primary responsibilities may include working with struggling readers, supporting teacher learning, and providing professional development to teachers and administrators.
To earn the All Levels (EC-12) Reading Specialist Certification as part of the M.Ed. in Literacy Education, the following are required:
- Two creditable years of teaching experience as a classroom teacher
- Literacy Specialization Coursework (12 hours)
- RED 5350 – Mentoring for Literacy Educators (which includes a mentoring practicum)
- RED 5355 – Literacies in the 21st Century
- For those currently holding a Secondary-level certificate:
- ECED 5353 (Early Language and Literacy Development, Birth-8) in your Resource Area.
- For those currently holding an Elementary-level certificate:
- RED 5342 (Content Area Literacy) in your Resource Area.
- RED 5349 – Literacy Education Practicum (which includes a fieldwork component with supervision)
Master’s students in Literacy Education who are seeking state certification for Reading Specialist (All Levels) need to apply separately for certification through the UTEP Certification Office.
For more information, please click here.
Initial Teacher Certification
Please note that a degree program is not the same as an initial certification program for teaching. This catalog does not include information on teacher certification requirements. The College of Education Certification Office and the Graduate Adviser of the department can provide more information in this area.
Courses included in a program for an initial teaching certificate typically are not applied toward a graduate degree. Courses included in a program for advanced certificates may be applied toward a graduate degree, and most can be combined with a graduate degree program.
For information on undergraduate degree plans that lead to certification, go to the program website.
For information on our Alternative Certification program, go to the program website.
