SED MASTERS OF ARTS IN EDUCATION
Master of Arts in Education: Secondary Education
Admission to the program
Master of Arts in Education: Concentration in Secondary Education Program Course Load
Master of Arts in Education: Concentration in Secondary Education Program Course Load
Frequently Asked Questions
Master of Arts in Education: Secondary Education
The Master of Arts is uniquely designed to provide experienced teachers with new perspectives and challenges that will result in practical pedagogic outcomes. The program affords teachers the opportunity to pursue the study of teaching and learning in their subject area and special interests such as urban education, multi-cultural education, implications of social and technological change for teaching, adolescent values, middle school education, mathematics education, science education, and alternative education. One aim of this program is to improve educators' effectiveness as teachers, leaders, and educational scholars and to contribute to the knowledge base for teaching and learning.
Flexibility in the selection of courses from secondary education and related fields allows for a wide range of individual interests. The program offers each candidate a thorough grounding in responsive education that is sensitive to the needs of the working professional. Evening and summer courses are offered.
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Master of Arts in Education: Concentration in Secondary Education
Program Course Load
Course Number
Course Description
Units
ISED 797 Seminar in Educational Research
3
SED 850 or
SED 865Advanced Seminar in Curriculum and Instruction in the Secondary School
NOTE: (Pre-requisiteISED 797)
3
SED 895
or
SED 898Culminating Experience:
Field Study (895)
Masters Thesis (850)
NOTE: (Pre-requisiteSED 850)
3
Electives in Secondary Education approved by faculty advisor 9
Related or distributed field Selected with approval of faculty advisor 12
Total:
30
Culminating Experience
Prior to enrolling in SED 895 or SED 898, students must submit a Graduate Approved Program (GAP) form, a Proposal for Culminating Experience, and the Human Subjects Approval forms. Enrollment in the culminating experience course (SED 895 or 898) is contingent upon approval.
Courses taken in the Single Subject Credential Program
Up to 18 units of course work in Secondary Education, completed to satisfy the requirements of the Single Subject Credential program, may be used to fulfill the requirements for the Master of Arts degree. Courses that may be counted include SED 701, 720, 753, 759, 769, 778, 780, 781, 785, 790, 800. Student teaching and the associated seminars, SED 710, 751, and 752 may not be counted. Curriculum and instruction courses taken in other departments may be counted as related field courses.
Master of Arts in Education: Concentration in Mathematics Education
Program Course Load
Course Number
Course Description
Units
Mathematics Courses
Math 300 History of Mathematics
3
Math 301 Exploration and Proof
4
Math 324 Probability and Statistics 3
Math 325
Linear Algebra 3
Math 350 Geometry 3
Math 575 Mathematics in the Middle School Classroom I 3
Math 576 Mathematics in Middle Schools II 3
Math 577 Mathematics in Middle Schools III 4
Math 578 Mathematics in the High School 3
For a total of:
12
Education Courses
SED 761 School Mathematics: Problem Solving 3
SED 796 Analyzing Cases of Mathematics Teaching 3
SED 856 Assessing Mathematical Thinking 3
SED 807 Leadership Development Seminar in Mathematics Education 3
Total:
12
Core Courses
ISED 797 Seminar in Educational Research 3
SED 898
or
SED 895Master's Thesis
or
Field Study3
Total:
6
Overall Total:
30
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are there prerequisites to get into the program?
Each candidate must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college and hold a valid single-subject teaching credential. Candidates must have a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted. Candidates must also have at least two years of successful, full-time teaching experience at the time they apply to the program.
2. How long does the program take?
Since secondary education master’s degree candidates are often working teachers, the number of courses they can take each semester is limited. Moreover, the three required courses must be taken in a three-semester sequence. Since collecting data for a field study, analyzing the data and then writing up the results of the study can take time, MA candidates typically find that the degree requirements (course work and culminating experience) take about four full semesters to fulfill.
3. What courses comprise a "Related Field"?
Related field courses are typically taken BEFORE ISED 797 and SED 850 and should lay conceptual groundwork for the candidate's field study or thesis project. These courses should be chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor in the Secondary Education Department. For example, a candidate whose subject area background is English might be interested in students’ psychological responses to a particular literary genre, so the nine units of "Related Field" course work might be from either the English or Psychology Departments.
4. Do courses for the "Related Field" have to be taken in the same department?
No. For example, some of the courses might be taken in the English Department and some in the Psychology Department.
5. Do these courses in the "Related Field" have to be graduate-level courses?
Not necessarily. Undergraduate courses can be used as "Related Field" courses, but they must be at the upper division level (at SFSU, courses numbered 300 level or above).
6. Is there a recommended sequence in which the courses should be taken?
Yes. The "Related Field" courses should precede ISED 797 and SED 850, since it is during these courses that students narrow their research areas and develop their research questions. ISED 797 must be taken before SED 850, and SED 850 must precede SED 895 or 898. ISED 797, SED 850,. and SED 895 or SED 898 may not be taken concurrently.
7. I received my single-subject credential from SFSU. Can any of the courses I took as part of the credential program count towards my master’s degree?
Up to 18 units of course work in Secondary Education, completed to satisfy the requirements of the Single Subject Credential program, may be used to fulfill the requirements for the Master of Arts degree. Courses that may be courted as electives or as “related or distributed field” courses include SED 701, 720, 753, 759, 769, 778, 780, 781, 785, 790, 800. Student teaching and the associated seminars, SED 710, 751, and 752 may not be counted. Curriculum and instruction courses taken in other departments may be counted.
8. I received my single-subject credential from an institution other than SFSU. Can any of the courses I took as part of my previous credential program count towards my master’s degree?
The Graduate Coordinator makes that decision in consultation with your faculty advisor. Six units of course work taken as part of another graduate credential program can be counted towards the secondary education master’s degree.
9. Can I substitute courses I have taken previously at another institution while I was an undergraduate?
No. Additionally, no graduate-level courses taken at any institution can be substituted for SED 850. Some courses in research methodology, if taken at the graduate level and as part of a graduate program, may be substituted for ISED 797 with the approval of the Graduate Coordinator.
10. Can I apply courses taken through SFSU's Extended Education program to my master’s degree?
Six units of SFSU Extended Education coursework can be used to fulfill the MA requirements.
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