Curriculum and Instruction: New Literacies and Global Learning

The Master of Education in New Literacies and Global Learning (NLGL) program is a distance education program designed for experienced licensed teachers. As a hybrid program, about half the required courses are offered online. The program increases teachers' capacity for teaching and learning in a rapidly changing world and focuses on improving the teaching of reading, social studies and English language arts within the context of contemporary education. Concentration areas are K-12 reading, English language arts (middle and high school), and social studies (middle and high school).

Both M.Ed. (Master of Education) and M.S. (Master of Science) options are offered.

The key features of the NLGL program are:

• Online course offerings: The program offers approximately 50% of the courses online. Some concentration areas have fully online options.
• 30-credit-hour M.Ed. cohort: Students will enter the program as part of a cohort and complete 30 credit hours of coursework in order to obtain a master of education degree.
• Core and concentrations: All students will complete the same 4 core courses (12 credit hours) and an additional 18 credit hours in their concentration area: reading, English language arts or social studies.
• Project-based inquiry: When students enter the program they will pose a compelling question related to their concentration area that they will answer through their project-based inquiry process during the program. The NLGL program culminates with a showcase and celebration of students’ projects.
• 36-credit-hour M.S. cohort: Students who opt for the master of science degree will take an extra six hours of credit, which includes completing a written thesis. All students will complete ECI 695 Master’s Thesis Research (3 hours) and one research methodology course (3 hours).

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be a licensed teacher
• Submit three letters of recommendation
• Submit a 500-800 word goals statement

Plan of Study

The program consists of 30 (M.Ed.) or 36 (M.S.) credit hours of study. A full-time graduate student may take nine credit hours of coursework per semester; part-time students typically take three or six credit hours of coursework per semester.

All teachers enrolled in the 30-hour NLGL concentration in the M.Ed. program will take 4 core courses along with an additional 6 courses (18 credits) in a specific certification area of their choice.

Career Prospects

The New Literacies & Global Learning (NLGL) master’s program is designed to provide career advancement for experienced social studies, reading/language arts, history and English teachers who wish to deepen their expertise. The K-12 reading concentration is ideal for teachers who wish to become a literacy specialist at any grade level.