International Education Degrees

International Education offers programs leading to master’s (MEd) - also online - and doctoral (PhD) degrees. Students study the role of education from a social justice perspective in the context of the two-thirds world. Their individualized course of study incorporates theoretical, practical, and contextual study. The theoretical work may investigate, for example, the relationship between education and socioeconomic or political change or gender issues in education. The practical study allows students to develop skills, such as research and evaluation design and methods, planning and policy analysis, curriculum and materials development, training, and management. In their contextual work, students focus on specific sectors, such as literacy, health or agriculture, as well as different sociocultural settings. In addition, most students will strengthen their knowledge of current conditions in a particular country or region of the world.

The UMass graduate certificate in Early Grade Reading is a five-course, 15-credit, fully online program for practitioners and policymakers working on early grade reading reform projects in developing countries. The program allows those in governmental and non-governmental organizations to build their capacity to develop, monitor, and improve early grade reading programs. It is also an opportunity for practitioners and policymakers to enroll in a university-accredited professional development program if they cannot attend on-campus classes. Lastly, the program is a stepping-stone for International Education professionals interested in eventually applying to the master’s degree program in international education.

The Early Grade Reading certificate program is asynchronous, allowing students to take the courses at any time and in any order. If they later choose to pursue a master’s degree, students can apply the credits they earn to a program at UMass Amherst.