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Montana Board of Regents
CURRICULUM PROPOSAL FORM
1. Overview
Faculty members in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Montana are
proposing a new Master of Arts (M.A.) in Education, a 30-credit hour program with a thesis/capstone.
2. Provide a one paragraph description of the proposed program. Be specific about what degree, major, minor or
option is sought.
The core of the proposed M.A, in Education program will have flexible options in each of 4 key areas:
Educational Research, Learning and Assessment, Critical Social Issues, and Diversity, for 12 credits, a 3credit thesis, and an additional 15 credits from electives in education. All of these courses are currently
offered. We anticipate this program being attractive to graduate students who may already hold teacher
licensure, or those from other areas interested in professional education degrees to prepare them, for
example, for work in nonprofit or non-school settings. This degree will also prepare participants for
doctoral work in education.
3. Need
A. To what specific need is the institution responding in developing the proposed program?
Many of our competitors offer 30-credit Masters Degrees with fewer required courses and
thesis/professional paper options for completion of their degrees (including Montana State University).
We have designed this degree program to address our need for an attractive alternative and more
flexible option than our current M.Ed. offerings. In addition to keeping the total credit hours to 30 and
the focus on research as the completion requirement, this program can be customized by education
students based on background knowledge, interests, and career goals.
In addition, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the accrediting agency
for the Master’s Degree programs in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of
Montana, has established new standards for advanced programs that address candidate's knowledge and
skills, clinical practice, recruitment, P-12 student impact, and program assessment. The curriculum
scope and sequence of this proposed program will effectively address the new standards focused
primarily on the standards addressing candidate’s knowledge/skills, clinical practice, and assessment.
B. How will students and any other affected constituencies be served by the proposed program?
The addition of an M.A. in Education to our existing M.Ed. will allow more students access to graduate
programs at UM-Missoula. We anticipate that students in both programs will benefit from each other’s
perspectives in the courses that they do take together, understanding that education, teaching, and learning
are dynamic phenomena that occur in many contexts. The infusion of students who work in non-school
settings will underscore this point.
C. What is the anticipated demand for the program? How was this determined?
We anticipate that graduate students that currently have licensure, including some of our distance students,
will elect this option. Based on conversations individual faculty have had with current and prospective
graduate students, we anticipate that students interested in education, through non-profit and museum work,
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CURRICULUM PROPOSAL FORM
will likewise be interested in this program.
4. Institutional and System Fit
A. What is the connection between the proposed program and existing programs at the institution?
The M.A. program will run alongside the current M.Ed. program. The M.Ed. program is focused primarily on
those who want to teach or currently teach in schools. The M.A. program remedies this by encouraging
students to select a concentration area and tailoring a course of study to their professional interests. The M.A.
program will also prepare students for research doctorate programs in education (Ph.D.) or practitioner
doctorate programs in education (Ed.D.).
B. Will approval of the proposed program require changes to any existing programs at the institution? If so,
please describe.
No
C. Describe what differentiates this program from other, closely related programs at the institution (if
appropriate).
We currently offer an M.Ed. The M.A. would provide a more streamlined and flexible degree option for students
who are already certified and a degree option for those interested in a Masters degree who plan on working
and teaching in a nontraditional educational setting. The M.Ed. has 18 required credits from 6 core courses. The
proposed MA in Education would decrease the required credits to 12 taken from 4 core areas. Students would
also be required to take a 3-credit professional project course to prepare them for their thesis. Below is a list of
common criteria courses must meet to be listed under each core area.
Educational Research Core Criteria
 Students explain the research processes as applicable and essential to educational practice.
 Students conduct systematic literature reviews and critique and analyze research through discussions
and written reports.
 Students distinguish and categorize different types of research including qualitative, quantitative,
and action research.
 Students develop a research proposal consisting of all essential components.
Proposed Courses the meet this Core Area:
C&I 520 Educational Research and C&I 588 Action Research in the Classroom
Learning and Assessment Core Criteria
 Students are introduced to educational philosophies that match disciplines best practices.
 Students learn how to develop lessons, programs and/or curriculum and apply the products in an
educational setting
 Students embed effective assessment and use assessment data to inform best practices
 Students develop instructional methods that reflect local, regional and national state standards and
reform efforts.
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Montana Board of Regents
CURRICULUM PROPOSAL FORM
Proposed Courses the meet this Core Area:
C&I 501 Curriculum Design, Implementation, and Evaluation,
C&I 510 Advanced Educational Psychology and C&I 519 Authentic Assessment
Critical Social Issues Core Criteria



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Students will cultivate an understanding of perennial and idiosyncratic issues in education that is grounded in
sociocultural, philosophical, and historical inquiry
Students will examine the foundations of educational policy, history, and philosophy though a criticalist lens
Students will consider how research approaches in philosophy, history, ethnography, sociology, and
comparative education shape academic and lay understandings of education issues related to it
Students will explore how teachers have and do become agents of change and leaders in their field
Proposed Courses the meet this Core Area:
C&I 502 Philosophy of Education, C&I 504 History of American Education, and
C&I 582 Trends and Issues in Educational Technology
Diversity Core Criteria
 Expand student knowledge of diverse cultures (e.g. various races, religions, ethnicity, gender, sexual
orientation, dis/abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds);
 Expose students to the complexity of power relations across and within varying cultures;
 Examine historical, economic, psychological and social factors that have influenced present social
conditions for many culturally diverse groups in the United States;
 Foster skill development in students for reaching and teaching learners with diverse abilities and
cultural backgrounds; and
 Empower students to be change agents toward culturally responsive and inclusive practices in their
classrooms and schools.
Proposed Courses the meet this Core Area:
C&I 514 Education Across Cultures and C&I 518 Inclusion and Collaboration
D. How does the proposed program serve to advance the strategic goals of the institution?
The proposed M.A. in Education primarily addresses Issue 2 of the University of Montana strategic plan,
Educational for the Global Century. By condensing and providing greater flexibility in course offerings this
graduate degree would build on the key strategy of enhancing discovery and innovation through two-year
graduate education.
E. Describe the relationship between the proposed program and any similar programs within the Montana
University System. In cases of substantial duplication, explain the need for the proposed program at an
additional institution. Describe any efforts that were made to collaborate with these similar programs; and if
no efforts were made, explain why. If articulation or transfer agreements have been developed for the
substantially duplicated programs, please include the agreement(s) as part of the documentation.
Currently, there are no Master of Arts in Education in Curriculum and Instruction programs in Montana. There
are several M.Ed. programs across the state that are geared toward in-service classroom teachers. The M.A.
program at the University of Montana will offer a research oriented program for both practicing teachers and
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Montana Board of Regents
CURRICULUM PROPOSAL FORM
for those interested in four core areas noted above. Substantial collaboration has occurred within the Phyllis J.
Washington College of Education and Human Sciences over the last two years to develop an innovative Master
of Arts in Education program that serves a broader constituency in Montana.
5. Program Details
A. Provide a detailed description of the proposed curriculum. Where possible, present the information in the
form intended to appear in the catalog or other publications. NOTE: In the case of two-year degree programs
and certificates of applied science, the curriculum should include enough detail to determine if the
characteristics set out in Regents’ Policy 301.12 have been met.
See Attachment Below
B. Describe the planned implementation of the proposed program, including estimates of numbers of students at
each stage.
The proposed MA would begin the Fall semester 2016. Based on Masters degree informational requests made
to the department it is estimated that 10-20 students would be in the program over a given year when it
matures. It should be noted that courses taken in this program are also taken by graduate students in the
M.Ed. options in the department.
6. Resources
A. Will additional faculty resources be required to implement this program? If yes, please describe the need and
indicate the plan for meeting this need.
No
B. Are other, additional resources required to ensure the success of the proposed program? If yes, please
describe the need and indicate the plan for meeting this need.
None anticipated.
7. Assessment
How will the success of the program be measured?
Key assessments have been identified through the accreditation process with Council for the Accreditation of
Educator Preparation (CAEP). Key assessments will be embedded in each of the core areas to ensure student
growth and documentation of learning. Graduates will complete follow-up surveys sent after graduation.
8. Process Leading to Submission
Describe the process of developing and approving the proposed program. Indicate, where appropriate,
involvement by faculty, students, community members, potential employers, accrediting agencies, etc.
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction graduate committee has been working on revising the Masters
degree options over the last three years. The proposal was presented to the faculty in the department a number of
times and they have been actively involved in the formation and structure of the MA. The head of the accreditation
review team also was involved in aliening degree option with the CAEP standards. The department voted in favor of
creating the MA option this fall prior to the submission of the proposal.
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CURRICULUM PROPOSAL FORM
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