The Master of Arts degree is designed to develop a scholarly understanding of educational thought and practice. It seeks to prepare students for continued graduate study in a research program.

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree requires a total of thirty-three semester hours, including the completion and defense of a thesis. The degree program constitutes a twenty-one hour major in Curriculum and Instruction and a twelve-hour cognate specialization approved by the Curriculum and Instruction Graduate Faculty Committee. The cognate may be completed in graduate programs offered by the School of Education (such as Educational Studies, Instructional Technology, Language and Literacy, Social Studies Education, Urban Education, Informal Education, Media Literacy, Science Education, or Mathematics Education) or by other Baylor University academic units.

Admission (M.A.)

The general requirements for admission to the Master of Arts degree in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction follow the requirements outlined earlier in this catalog for the Master’s degree. All applicants must submit an official transcript to indicate completion of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution, scores from within the last five years for the General Test of the GRE, a curriculum vita/resume, a professional goals statement, and three letters of recommendation. Admission is competitive and based on a review of the application materials. The Department of Curriculum and Instruction Graduate Program Director and the Graduate Faculty Committee conduct the review. The review may include an on-campus interview and/or an on-site writing sample.

M.A. Degree Plan

M.A. students follow the M.S.Ed. Degree plan with three exceptions:

1. 15 hours rather than 18 hours in the Curriculum and Instruction Core,
2. the required cognate is 12 hours, and
3. the six hours of electives are dedicated to thesis preparation and defense.