General Information
The Master of Education and Master of Arts in Education programs in Educational Foundations will provide students with a critical perspective on educational issues, policies, and practices—one that is informed by an understanding of selected foundational disciplines appropriate to the student’s interest. These programs, which are based on the notion of teachers as critical/reflective practitioners, will offer a course of studies in the humanistic and/or social scientific realm of the field of education.
The majority of each student’s program will be from among Educational Foundations subjects (for example, philosophy, history, and sociology). However, elsewhere in the Faculty of Education there are a number of courses with a strong foundational component; these include courses in curriculum studies, literacy education, lifelong learning, elementary and middle school education, and educational psychology. With the approval of the program, a student may select appropriate designated foundational courses in other areas. View the list of Desginated Foundational Courses. Students may take a limited number of courses at another university if this is appropriate to their program.
Students may wish to pursue a Foundations degree focussed on a particular issue or problem and should consult with their faculty advisor. For example, students may build a concentration in courses which critically examine:
- value issues as they arise in education;
- political issues dealing with policy, ideology and decision-making in education;
- issues of social difference in education - historical, contemporary and cross-cultural (such as gender, race, class, etc.);
- historical, social and cultural perspectives relating to educational issues;
- peace and social justice issues;
- arts, media and culture.
While these concentrations provide some guidance, students may develop a Foundations program in other ways depending on the expertise of faculty in the Faculty of Education. Whatever the student’s interest, the program of study must conform to the Master of Education or Master of Arts in Education degree requirements.
From time to time specialized programs within Educational Foundations are offered to groups of students admitted as special cohorts, (eg Educational Leadership). These programs are offered part-time over a two-year period including the summer sessions. The courses to be taken are all specified in advance and the students in the cohort take the program together. Typically, information sessions are advertised and held in March and the programs commence in September.
Admission RequirementsStudents admitted to the Master of Education or Master of Arts in Education programs will possess a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent and minimum average of B (GPA 3.0). Both MEd and MA candidates are required to write a short essay in which they outline their reasons for wanting to undertake graduate study in Educational Foundations.