M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction with 7-12 Certification

About the Degree

The Master’s in Education degrees offered by the School of Education at Houston Christian University are designed to develop teachers with initial certification in the content area and grade levels of background content.  The degree program is aligned with the Texas Educational Association (TEA) through the HCU EPP (Educator Preparation Program) Office. All M.Ed candidates seeking certification must interview with the EPP Office prior to registering for coursework.

The HCU Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with 7-12 Certification program is field-based and requires that students spend time in secondary schools. If a student is interested in clinical (student) teaching, then it involves working all day for 14 weeks in a secondary school classroom.

In addition to this coursework (with no grade lower than a C) and successful completion of the comprehensive exams, certification requires clinical (student) teaching or an approved equivalent and successful completion of state certification exams.

Program Coordinators

For more information about this program, please reach out to Dr. James McSwain (jmcswain@hc.edu).

Student Learning Outcomes

M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction with 7-12 Certification students acquire the following student learning outcomes:

• Functional knowledge about Pedagogy and Professionalism Standards.
• Demonstration of skills and knowledge in a clinical setting
• Ability to evaluate curriculum
• Ability to evaluate and coach instructional delivery
• Ability to design curriculum and instruction across grade levels and content

What Can I Do With My Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with 7-12 Certification?

The following examples represent career paths graduates with a   M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with Certification may pursue:

• Secondary (7-12) Classroom
  • English Language Arts and Reading 7-12
  • Mathematics 7-12
  • Science 7-12
  • Life Science 7-12
  • Physical Science 6-12
  • Social Studies 7-12
  • History 7-12
• Curriculum Specialist
• Curriculum Development
• Curriculum Consultant
• Community College Instructor

Admission Requirements

For graduate program admission, the student must:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university.
• Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or higher on four-point scale or a 3.0 or higher on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework.
• Provisional admittance is sometimes possible.  It requires that students complete six semester hours during their first semester with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in order to obtain full program admission and continue taking classes.

For graduate students seeking initial certification, demonstrate competency in the chosen teaching field by meeting the following course requirements:

•  Certifications in Core Subjects EC-6 and Special Education must have a minimum of 3 hours undergraduate coursework in each of the following areas: English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.
• Certifications in Grades 4-8 or 7-12 are required to have 12 hours in the content area of the certification field. If the content area is Mathematics or Science, then 15 hours are required.
•  If coursework is missing, students may be advised to take leveling courses or be advised to take a Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT) from the Texas Education Agency to be admitted to the EPP.

A full list of EPP prerequisites for certification can be found online.

Degree Requirements

M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction with 7-12 Certification

EDBI 6304: Children, Adolescents and Learning	3
EDBI 5304: Methods of Teaching ESL	3
EDRE 5330: Content Area Reading	3
EDRE 5351: Emergent Literacy	3
EDSP 5302: Survey of Exceptional Children	3
ETEC 5306: Educational Applications of Technology	3
EDUC 5320: Teaching Methodology of Secondary Teachers	3
EDUC 6301: Classroom Management	3
EDUC 6312: Secondary School Curriculum and Instruction	3
Six (6) hours of approved graduate electives in education	6
EDUC 5101 & 5201: Internship I and II OR EDUC 5371: Clinical Teaching the EC-6 Classroom	3
EDUC 5000: Clinical Teaching Seminar	0
Total Hours	36

View Degree Plan

MEd in Curriculum and Instruction with 7-12 Certification Requirements