Master of Education Curriculum
This 52-credit graduate program combines 10 required/core courses (40 credits) and 3 elective courses with different topics (12 credits). View Course Descriptions.
Required/Core Courses (40 program credits)
AHE 501 Understanding Educational Research (4)
IT 546 Instructional Technology and Digital Literacy (4)
AHE 555 Foundations of Higher Education and Diversity (4)
AHE 571 Research and Evaluation Methods (4)
AHE 576 Leadership and Management of Educational Programs (4)
AHE 577 Learning in Adulthood (4)
AHE 580 Teaching and Instructional Design (4)
AHE 581 Readings in Adult and Higher Education (4)
AHE 588 Portfolio and Applied Research Proposal (4)
AHE 592 Field Experience (4) - NOT eligible on tuition waivers
Recommended Course Sequence for Core Courses
The following core courses have a recommended sequence which you can plan for with your advisor:
AHE 581 Readings in AHE recommended prior to AHE 501 Understanding Educational Research.
AHE 501 Understanding Educational Research recommended prior to AHE 571 Research and Evaluation Methods.
AHE 577 recommended prior to AHE 580 Teaching and Instructional Design.
AHE 588 Portfolio and Applied Research Proposal – all required/core courses needed prior to or permission of instructor. Student should be in final two quarters of their program.
AHE 592 Field Experience (4) - Taken in final two quarters of AHE and after AHE 588 or permission of advisor; NOT eligible on tuition waivers
This is a Non-Thesis program. Students must pass AHE 588 at the end of their program to fulfill the Non-Thesis/Comprehensive Assessment requirement.
Elective Courses (12 program credits)
Electives courses can be selected from the AHE 518 Current Issues rotating topics each quarter or from other relevant courses (other courses require advisor approval):
AHE 518 Current Issues in Education (4) - Rotating topics (repeatable under different topics)
AHE 500 Directed Independent Study (4) - (repeatable under different topics) NOT eligible on tuition waivers
AHE 691 Research Seminar (4) - NOT eligible on tuition waivers
Non-Thesis/Comprehensive Assessment Requirement
The Adult and Higher Education Non-Thesis/Comprehensive Assessment requirement is satisfied when the student successfully completes AHE 588 Portfolio and Applied Research Proposal (4) at the end of their program. Students may register for this course after a) completing all other required (core) courses or b) with permission from the instructor. For details about this, check with your advisor.
Field Experience
What is a Field Experience? A field experience is an experiential learning opportunity in which each student designs and implements a learning experience of value to one's professional and academic goals. The structure of the field experience ranges from a structured internship in an organization, to a focused project such as the development of a manual or curriculum, to an in-depth experiential examination of a topic of special interest. Like an independent study, the field experience is self-directed. The learning experience is given direction and clarity through the development of a learning contract at the outset of the field experience. Students work closely with faculty to plan the field experience which is usually done in the final two quarters of their AHE program.
The field experience has several purposes:
- to learn about education and administration within a work setting,
- to augment and give depth to learning gained from coursework by applying it to an actual project,
- to design and implement a learning project to expand knowledge and skills in a new area, and/or
- to link theory and practice in order to strengthen oneself as an adult educator.
Attend Summer Quarter and Move Through AHE Faster
Attend one of three AHE summer quarter courses and move through the program at a faster pace! Taking a summer course shortens the time students spend in the program and helps them to move through on a continuous basis---keeping skills and knowledge sustained throughout the year--- and moreover, enables them to get to know more students. There are usually three options for AHE summer courses:
AHE 580 or AHE 554 (required)
AHE 592 (required and at the end of the program)
AHE 518 (elective)