What is a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction?
There came a day early on in my teaching career when I was given the opportunity to work on revising curriculum in a subcommittee. I was so excited to have been chosen to contribute to the process of changing aspects of an ancient language arts curriculum in order to meet the needs of a variety of students in today’s 21st-century climate.
However, upon arriving at the meeting, I realized that I had very little understanding of how to develop curriculum from scratch. I had strong knowledge of features of curriculum, and I knew how to interpret this information as a teacher and implement it for my students, but writing essential questions? Developing performance tasks to address content standards? What was Understanding by Design vs. Backwards Design anyway, and why were we using one particular framework over another?
These questions would be answered over the course of my two year program at the University of Saint Joseph while pursuing the curriculum and instruction program for my master’s degree. My professors indulged my endless questions as we explored not just frameworks of education, but also policies and practices that are applicable in the field today.
What Will You Learn in a Curriculum and Instruction Program?
Although the title of the degree suggests only two areas of learning, the program extends far beyond those parameters. Enrollment in the curriculum and instruction program means you will engage in disciplines relating to the historical development of education and understanding how the system has become what it is today, as well as changing your role to advocacy for what you believe education should be.
You will develop your skills as a researcher and analyze data relating to your field of expertise in order to interpret and apply new theories in practice. You will discuss what obstacles exist in today’s field, and what you can do to break barriers. You will dig deeper into understanding the needs of all students, including special populations such as English language learners and students with disabilities. You also have the opportunity to evaluate different teaching tools that are available to enhance curriculum utilizing technology.
Another course teaches you to design and evaluate several types of assessments in order to interpret results for informing instruction. One of my favorite courses included exploring Multiple Intelligence Theory and designing tasks around student interest and choice, recognizing that not all students want to engage in the same performance tasks to show their understanding and application of knowledge.
All of these courses were able to combine independent learning with partner/group projects to present findings and new understandings to the class. Learning about the process of developing curriculum with a group of peers really helped to bring different perspectives and analytical reasoning to the discipline of study.
Advantages of a Curriculum and Instruction Degree
Upon receipt of your degree in curriculum and instruction, the career opportunities available to you may take you outside of the four walls of your classroom. While the obvious field available includes curriculum development or design, you might consider pursuing consulting, coaching, or even advocacy.
Developing curriculum in the virtual setting is our reality at the moment, and while we are considering this temporary in the public sector, private companies are seizing the opportunity to expand their content offerings through new hires.
You may also consider pursuing a change from the K-12 classroom to teaching at the college level, preparing future young educators for the field that awaits them. Another opportunity that is available to you is designing professional development for educators in the public school systems. Businesses in the private sector may also consider hiring you as a corporate trainer or developer. Public or private, the opportunity you seek will be well prepared with the offerings available from the curriculum and instruction program at the University of Saint Joseph.
Why wait any longer to start the next step in your educational career? Explore our M.A. Curriculum and Instruction program and enroll today!