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Education Master's Degree Requirements

Program | Faculty | Master's | Doctoral | CAGS | Courses


Master of Education Degree Program

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree program is designed to develop early childhood, elementary, secondary, and other professional educators. In addition, this degree program provides further professional development for educational specialists in the School’s areas of concentration. Within the framework of the Master’s degree requirements of the University Graduate School and with the advice of a faculty adviser, candidates for the M.Ed. must complete a minimum of 33 graduate credits. Eighteen of these credits must be graded, 12 must be at or above the 600 level, and a minimum of 21 credits must be taken in the School of Education. Individual programs may specify a particular course sequence. The School Counselor Education concentration requires 48 credits.

A detailed explanation of procedures to be followed by Master’s candidates may be found on the School of Education’s website under Academics and Advising Guidelines.

Master of Education Site-Based Pathways

The School of Education offers several site-based Pathways for Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education licensure.

Early Childhood and Elementary Education Licensure
Bridges/Elementary
Collaborative Teacher Education Program (C.T.E.P.)

Secondary Education Licensure

Bridges/Secondary
180 Days in Springfield

Bridges to the Future
Bridges to the Future is a collaborative program between the Greenfield, Gill-Montague School, Orange, and Mahar Regional School Districts, and the North Quabbin Community Coalition. It provides a rigorous, intensive, year-long experience in high-need schools leading to a Master of Education degree and Massachusetts Initial Licensure on the Elementary or Secondary levels.

Collaborative Teacher Education Program
The Collaborative Teacher Education Program (C.T.E.P.) is designed as a combined Master of Education degree and early childhood or elementary teacher licensure program providing a rigorous, intensive, year-long experience in multicultural settings. Students receive a Master of Education degree and Massachusetts Initial Licensure upon successful completion.

180 Days in Springfield Program
The 180 Days in Springfield Program is a site-based, collaborative teacher education program between the Springfield Public Schools and the School of Education. It provides a year-long experience for prospective teachers in a diverse, urban school environment. The program is designed for graduating college seniors and college graduates holding baccalaureate degrees in mathematics, the sciences, history, political science/political philosophy, or English.

The program features a year of teaching and curriculum development in a middle or high school along with courses leading to a Master of Education degree and Massachusetts Initial Licensure in the respective subject area.

Science Education Online
The School of Education, in collaboration with the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the College of Natural Resources and the Environment, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, offers a field-based and online graduate degree program in science education for elementary and middle school teachers. Courses are offered onsite at the Springfield High School of Science and Technology and through UMass Online.

This program enhances knowledge of teaching science as well as science content knowledge. The program provides a course of study that leads to an M.Ed. (33 graduate credit hours) or a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (C.A.G.S.), (30 graduate credit hours). In addition, this program has been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Education for Professional Licensure for the following areas:
Teachers of General Science: Grades 5-8
Teachers of Earth Science: Grades 5-8
Elementary Teachers: Grades 1-6
Teachers of General Science: Grades 1-6
Teachers of Students with Moderate Disabilities: PreK-8.

Also, a 12-credit, non-degree program is available for those already holding a master’s degree and who seek an advanced graduate degree or certificate.

The content of each course in the program is based on the National Science Education Standards and Massachusetts Science and Technology Frameworks.
Courses are developed using an inquiry-based, hands-on approach and are taught by experienced and motivated science educators.