Western Education's MA | Field of Curriculum Studies

The MA in Education Studies in the field of Curriculum Studies offers you an opportunity to engage with top-tier researchers and academics. Many graduates of the program have gone on to hold important roles in various sectors of education at provincial, national, and international levels, and to engage in advanced study and research at the doctoral level. We invite you to visit our Faculty Research page for more information on the exciting research being conducted at the Faculty of Education.

Curriculum Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that investigates the nature of curriculum across different contexts and disciplines, including teacher education, early childhood education, K - 12 education (e.g., primary and secondary school), post-secondary and adult education, and informal education.

We offer three program pathways:

Course-Based (16 months)*
Thesis-Based (24 months)
Master’s Research Project (24 months)

*Course-based completion pathway might not meet the prerequisite to be admitted into a research-intensive doctoral degree program.

10 million library items

Possibilities to attend conferences

Move into a PhD program

Valuable Research Office support

What I like about my MA program is the diversity we find in the faculty; multiple cultures among students and a multiplicity of areas and topics of study and research we can work with.

My MA program helped me think about alternative careers and professional pathways I haven't thought about prior to coming to Western.

- Adrianne Bacelor de Castro, Graduated 2020

Beyond the program details

Admissions

Required:

A four-year degree (20 full courses or equivalent) from an accredited university.
Minimum "B" standing (70%) or equivalent in the final two years of study.

Recommended:

Honours degree.
A qualification leading to certification as a teacher (e.g. B.Ed.).
Minimum one year of teaching experience, or experience within the field of education.

Notes & Exceptions:

Bachelor of Education and Additional Qualification course grades are not used in calculating admission averages.
Applicants with 3-year degrees will be considered on a case-by-case basis if places are available in programs. Successful experience as an educator in a professional setting may be considered in the selection process.
Probationary Status: If an applicant does not meet all of the minimum admission requirements (e.g. average below 70% and/or has only a 3-year degree plus B.Ed.) the applicant may be offered admission as a Probationary Student with Conditions.
Conditions: Full-time applicants will be required to register in 2 half courses during the Fall Term and maintain a 75% average in each course to clear conditions. Part-time applicants will be required to register in one half course in the Fall Term and one half course in the Winter Term and maintain a 75% average in each of these courses to clear conditions.

Tuition

Tuition amounts are set each year by Senate and then published on the Office of the Registrar's Fees Schedules web page. Fees are assessed once each term (Fall, Winter, Summer).

Current students can access fee information by logging into the Student Centre (use your Western email log in and password). Students are notified each term once fee amounts have been posted in the Student Centre; it is each student's responsibility to log into the Student Centre and pay fees by the due date indicated. Failure to do so may result in a late payment fee or deregistration.

For questions about fees, including how to pay fees and the methods of payment that are accepted, students should go to the Student Financial Services pages of the Office of the Registrar's web site or contact Student Financial Services (Office of the Registrar) at 519-661-2100.

The Graduate Student Affordability Calculator was designed for you to get a better estimate of what it will cost to attend one of Western's graduate programs for one year. The calculator is not a promise of funding or a place to access scholarship support or financial aid; rather, it is intended to provide you with an accurate estimate of how much money you will need to pay for your tuition, fees, housing, food, and many other necessities for a 12-month (three-term) academic year.

Funding

Both internal and external funding opportunities are available for students in our Research Intensive programs. The following funding scholarships are available at the Faculty of Education (please be aware, applicants are automatically considered for some scholarships. The process for each is described in the link below.):

Academic Research Cluster Scholarships
Students living with disabilities
Indigenous students
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
Canadian Graduate Scholarship – Masters (CGS-M)

See further details about funding opportunities available through the Faculty of Education.

Technology

Instructors of onsite courses use the Sakai OWL platform, although it is not required. Access to a course in Sakai OWL is typically opened the first business day of each term. Please note that although your own access may be granted prior to the first business day, course content may not be posted until closer to the scheduled term start. Your Western University login and password is required to access the course (your Western email without the @uwo.ca and its accompanying password). Access to Sakai OWL is found here: https://owl.uwo.ca/portal.

For online courses, students are required to have access to the following:

High speed Internet access
Access to a computer that enables connection to outside websites (flexible firewall restrictions)
Multimedia playback capabilities (video/audio)
WebCam
Computer capable of running a recent version of Internet Explorer, Safari, or Firefox; and/or Cisco MOVI client for PC or Mac
Audio headset and microphone for computer

Program information

Description

The MA in Education Studies in the field of Curriculum Studies is an onsite program that offers you an opportunity to engage with top-tier researchers and academics. Many graduates of the program have gone on to hold important roles in various sectors of education at provincial, national, and international levels, and to engage in advanced study and research at the doctoral level.

The MA (thesis & MRP stream) program also prepares students for advanced study and research at the doctoral level.  

MA STUDENTS MAY CHOOSE ONE OF THREE PROGRAM PATHWAYS

Course-Based (MCB)

16 months/4 terms, 10 courses, no supervisor required
Might not meet the prerequisite to be admitted into a research-intensive doctoral degree program

Thesis-Based

24 months/6 terms, 6 courses + master’s thesis, supervisor required

Master’s Research Project (MRP)

24 months/6 terms, 8 courses + master’s research project, supervisor required

Important note: When submitting an application to the Master of Arts in Education Studies program, thesis and MRP applicants must indicate their preferred Thesis Supervisor in their Statement of Intent. Applicants are advised to review the Faculty Research page and contact faculty in their area of interest to confirm that this potential exists.

Milestones

Below is a summary of the Thesis process. Students must consult the Master's Thesis Guide (PDF), Program Policies web page, and the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies' Thesis Regulation Guide for complete thesis guidelines and regulations.

Proposal:

Once a student completes their required and elective courses (usually within the first 2 terms), their proposal will be written and submitted over the Summer term (term 3). Further information about the proposal can be found in the Master of Arts Thesis Guide.

Thesis:

After the proposal is approved, you can then start writing your thesis! More details surrounding writing the thesis can be found in the Master of Arts Thesis Guide.

Timing/Delivery

The MA program in the field of Curriculum Studies is offered on a full-time or part-time basis.

Times to Completion:

Full-time - Typically 16 to 24 months (4 to 6 terms)

Part-time- Typically 6 to 9 terms

A typical program of study for full-time MA students enrolled in one of the three completion options look like this: 

Year/Term	Course-Based – 10 Courses	Thesis – 6 Courses and Thesis	Master’s Research Project – 8 Courses and Research Project
1 Fall/1	9580 - Introduction to Curriculum and 1 to 2 Elective Courses	9580 - Introduction to Curriculum and 2 Elective Courses	9580 - Introduction to Curriculum and 2 Elective Courses
1 Winter/2	9678 - Diverse Traditions: Approaches to Educational Research; 1 to 2 Elective Courses	9678 - Diverse Traditions: Approaches to Educational Research and 2 Elective Courses	9678 - Diverse Traditions: Approaches to Educational Research and 2 Elective Courses
1 Summer/3	2 Elective Courses	Writing and submitting thesis proposal for approval	2 courses Completing and submitting MRP proposal approval
2 Fall/4	2 to 3 Elective Courses	Collecting data and writing thesis	Writing MRP
2 Winter/5		Collecting data and writing thesis	Writing MRP
2 Summer/6		Thesis examination/defense	Submission and review of MRP

Courses

Curriculum Studies: Students may choose to focus their research in one or more of the following areas:

Early Childhood Education
Multiliteracies
Mathematics Education
Curriculum and Pedagog
Science/STEM Education
Teacher Education
Arts Education

Students who are in the area of Curriculum Studies are required to complete:

6 to 10 half courses
- 2 required half courses
  - 9678 - Diverse Traditions: Introduction to Educational Research
  - 9580 - Introduction to Curriculum
- 4 to 8 Elective Courses (as approved by supervisor), such as:
  - 9520 - Teaching in a Virtual World
  - 9535 - Language and Literacy Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Learning in a Changing World
  - 9536 - Multiliteracies: Texts and Contexts
  - 9537 - Multilingualism and Multiliteracies: Teaching Language and Literacy in a Globalized World
  - 9557 - Adolescent Literacy: Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Learning
  - 9564 - Teaching & Learning in Mathematics
  - 9565 - Mathematics Curriculum: A Critical Appraisal
  - 9566 - Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education: Policy and Society
  - 9571 - Learning in Science
  - 9572 - Science & Science Teaching
  - 9574 - Talking About Teaching: Forms of Pedagogic Discourse & Practice
  - 9575 - The Analysis of Teaching: Bridging Theory & Practice
  - 9576 - Narrative Inquiry: Teachers, Stories & Critical Pedagogy
  - 9577 - Action Research: Teachers as Researchers
  - 9579 - The Education of Teachers
  - 9599 - Early Literacy Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Learning
  - 9609 - Adult Education & Lifelong Learning
  - 9625 - Critical Issues in Language & Literacy Education
  - 9641 - Assessing and Evaluating Student Learning
  - 9679 - Curriculum, School & Society
  - 9705 - Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
  - 9711 - Qualitative Research in Education
  - 9687 - Special Topics in Curriculum: Inclusive and International Mathematics
  - 9687 - Special Topics in Curriculum: Understanding the Young Child
  - 9687 - Special Topics in Curriculum: Discourse Analysis
  - 9687 - Special Topics in Curriculum: Critical Pedagogy

Note 1: For thesis and MRP students, Iin lieu of the recommended courses, up to two electives inside or outside the ARC can be made with the approval of the student's supervisor. Students may also have the option to enroll in an Independent Reading and Research Course as one of the electives.

Note 2: For course-based students, minimum 6 courses must be taken from Applied Linguistics; up to two courses can be taken from outside of the Faculty of Education; up to four courses can be taken from CPELS ARC and/or AP ARC; and no more than three courses can be taken online