Secondary Education

College of Education
Dean: Jacob Perea

Department of Secondary Education
BH 41
415-338-1201/1202
Chair: Nathan Avani

Graduate Coordinator: Judith Kysh

Middle/Junior High School Studies Coordinator: Judith Blomberg

Faculty

Professors—Blomberg, Flores, Fox, O'Sullivan, Phillips, Roberts

Associate Professor—Cancino

Assistant Professors—Bloom, Cooks, Irvine, Kysh

Programs

M.A. in Education: Concentration in Secondary Education
M.A. in Education: Concentration in Mathematics Education
Certificate in Middle School Studies

Program Scope

Master of Arts in Education: Concentration in 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 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 as well as to contribute to the knowledge base for teaching and learning.

Graduate study for this degree may be combined with programs leading to the Reading Specialist or Bilingual Specialist Credentials.

Students are urged to observe the general requirements in this Bulletin as well as the specific departmental requirements stated here and in the special bulletins available from the department upon request.

Certificate in Middle School Studies. The certificate identifies the holder as a specialist in middle level education and as a desirable candidate for teaching positions over a broad age range. Earning the certificate improves the qualifications of holders of other teaching credentials for teaching positions in middle level schools. The certificate program forms an acceptable area of emphasis within the M.A. in Elementary Education or Secondary Education and may be acceptable as a related field in other degree programs. (The completion of this certificate does not fulfill the requirements for teacher credentialing in the State of California.)

Career Outlook

Career possibilities for high school teachers are variable, with a particularly good outlook for mathematics and science teachers and for teachers who are bilingual in Spanish and/or one or more Asian languages.

Career possibilities for middle school teachers are excellent, particularly for those with specialized middle level training.

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION: CONCENTRATION IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

Admission to Program

The Master of Arts in Education: Secondary Education is open to all qualified teachers. All admittees must hold bachelor's degrees from accredited universities and hold at least preliminary teaching credentials. Entrance requirements include:

• A 3.0 GPA in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted (compared to the university requirement of 2.5);
• A valid teaching credential;
• Successful completion of at least one year of full-time teaching; and
• An interview by the graduate coordinator and/or other graduate advisers.

Current department policies also allow a small number of students lacking the 3.0 GPA to be admitted conditionally, particularly applicants who have been identified as highly promising or particularly talented teachers.

Written English Proficiency Requirement

Level One: met by passing the Graduate Essay Test (GET) before enrolling in the culminating experience course. Level Two: satisfied by completion of the thesis or field study.

On-line course descriptions are available.

Culminating Experience

Early in the semester prior to admission to either S ED 895 or S ED 898, the student must submit his/her Graduate Approved Program (GAP), the Proposal for Culminating Experience, and the Human Subjects Approval forms. Enrollment in these courses is contingent upon approval.

Policy Change Effective Fall 2001

Effective Fall 2001 with the change in course numbers from the 600-series to the 700-series, the department has decided to allow all students in the master's programs to count the 700-numbered courses towards the master's degree. It has also been decided that all students who completed the 600-series equivalent courses in the previous five years may count these courses towards the master's degree.

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION: CONCENTRATION IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

Admission to Program

Admission to the Master of Arts in Education: Concentration in Mathematics Education is based upon:

1. Possession of a multiple subject teaching credential.
2. At least two years experience teaching mathematics at the elementary or middle school level.
3. In the event the candidate has not met the requirements in (1) or (2) above, he/she may meet with a mathematics education adviser to evaluate his or her academic and professional background.
4. Applicant must complete a program application, which includes a written statement of purpose.
5. Two letters of recommendation regarding the ability to pursue graduate-level work and successful experience with children.

CERTIFICATE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDIES

Coordinator—Judith Blomberg

Admission Requirements

Applicants must hold a valid California teaching credential or be currently enrolled in a credential program and must satisfy all requirements for post-baccalaureate admission to the university.

Written English Proficiency Requirement

Before completing the certificate in middle level studies the candidate must demonstrate an appropriate level of writing competency. This may be done in one of two ways after faculty advisement: (1) examples of writing done during course work, or (2) by passing an individual or departmental examination.