Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction

Vision & Philosophy

The Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in Curriculum and Instruction program is housed in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction within the College of Education at Florida Atlantic University. The Ed.S. program goal is to encourage advanced degree work beyond the Master’s (M.Ed.) level that has the ability to enhance or change career goals without requiring the additional coursework and research dissertation of the Doctor of Education degree (Ph.D.).

The Ed.S. degree in Curriculum and Instruction explores issues of curriculum, instruction, and assessment that affect educators in every level of schooling and in educational organizations. As the field of education is diverse, this degree is structured, yet flexible enough to allow individuals to pursue their own inquiry and extend their professional expertise in ways most appropriate to their career goals. Some of our students pursue specific content fields such as mathematics, science, English/language arts, social studies, or arts education. Others design areas of specialization that focus on fields such as professional development, curriculum development, multicultural education, TESOL/bilingual education, early childhood education, environmental education educational psychology or instructional technology. Students may also develop strands of inquiry of specific interest such as multiple literacies, instructional leadership or policy analysis.

This degree is highly recommended for those who want a balance of theory with practical applications in subject matter and pedagogical knowledge. The Ed.S. will help students to teach, engage in instructional coaching, conduct institutional research, translate scholarly research into practical applications, and will provide the groundwork to increase your impact on learning communities past the Master’s level.

The Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in Curriculum and Instruction degree provides a theoretical and practical course of study in curriculum and instruction. The program is designed for teachers (with Professional Certification or established Temporary Certification), curriculum coordinators, corporate and agency curriculum planners, academics, and other professional educators who already hold a Master’s in Education degree.

The Ed.S.in Curriculum and Instruction is a 33 credit hour degree that enables students to develop a theoretical and conceptual framework for studying teaching and learning through 12 graduate hours in core courses, 6 graduate hours in research and evaluation, and 12 graduate hours in a selected area of specialization which allows the development of professional knowledge and practice in a selected field of study. The Ed.S. culminates with 3 graduate hours in its capstone course, Praxis in Curriculum and Instruction. This exciting course is designed by the Ed.S. student and her/his/their advisor and is intended to provide experience in data collection, analysis and recommendations grounded in collaborative inquiry and shared practice. The Capstone culminates in a manuscript to submit for publication or a poster/paper presentation at a conference.

Program Overview

Consult the FAU Course Catalog for course descriptions and other details.

Course Rotation

Admission Requirements

How to Apply

To be considered for admission into masters programs in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, applicants must complete a graduate application through the Graduate College.