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Curriculum Studies for Equity in Education Specialization, M.Ed.

Transform Learning Experiences
  • 30

    Credit Hours

  • 2

    Years to Complete M.Ed.

  • No GRE

    Program Does Not Require the GRE

program completion feature
program completion feature

Offers

Cohort model that fosters critical community building and engagement

Dedicated faculty with expertise in curriculum studies and equity in education

Flexible online synchronous classes designed to accommodate working professionals

School, district and community partnerships for social action-based research projects

Residency at UNCW for participation in two interactive equity institutes

“ Curriculum leaders need to expand their repertoires, embrace diverse approaches to learning and inquiry and become critically conscious about what and how we teach. Together our community of scholars (learners, professors, and partners in research) continues to support each other's growth. ”
Donna DeGennaro CSE Curriculum & Instruction Faculty
Donna DeGennaro, CSE Curriculum & Instruction Faculty
Program Overview

New approach to pedagogy

Our program offers new approaches to pedagogy, learning and community engagement that foster a culture of inclusion and equity. The goal is to transform students’ learning experiences.

  • Pedagogy: Critical questioning and analyzing traditional curriculum and its implications on educating racially, ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse learners in classrooms and communities.
  • Learning: Engage in activities that model ways to include local knowledge and collaboratively generate meaning which give way to multi-dimensioned connections to content.
  • Community Engagement: Bridge research and practice as you integrate academic and diverse community research, enabling experienced locals to contribute to curriculum goals and development.

Candidates will complete 30 credit hours of courses and participate in research projects and applied learning experiences. Courses are based in equity, critical consciousness and transformative educational experiences rich in real-world learning environments.

A diverse landscape

The U.S. population is racially and ethnically diverse, yielding a need for professionals to lead the way in promoting unity through consciousness, creativity and equity:

  • U.S. population:
    • 72 percent citizens
    • 28 percent immigrants
  • U.S. citizen population:
    • 18.3 percent Hispanic
    • 13.4 percent African American
    • 5.9 percent Asian
    • 1.5 percent Indigenous

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Preparation Through the CSE Program

  1. Diversify pedagogical knowledge
  2. Expand knowledge systems
  3. Critically exam unconscious beliefs, values and knowledge
  4. Cultivate culturally responsive teaching
  5. Draw on Indigenous and historically disenfranchised voices and knowledge
  6. Integrate knowledge to lead change for equitable engagement, design and progression

Your Growth

  1. Apply critical lens to your curricular materials
  2. Select materials better suited to meet your learner and community needs
  3. Check and redirect your unconscious biases
  4. Evaluate online and print content to utilize materials that not only depict diverse populations but exemplify meaningful and just representations
  5. Create feedback streams that include and reflect multiple voices, perspectives and ways of knowing
  6. Facilitate collectively generated and owned change
“ I never could have imagined the transformation that this program would set in motion in my teaching, pedagogical practices, and entire thinking about education and how we can better meet the needs of the 21st-century student. ”
Rebecca M.Ed. in Curriculum Studies for Equity
Rebecca, M.Ed. in Curriculum Studies for Equity

Program Courses

sample courses in the M.Ed. in Curriculum Studies for Equity program
EDL 535 Equity Institute I
EDL 507 Curriculum Studies
EDL 575 Social Justice Issues
EDL 545 Collaborative, Participatory & Empowerment Research
EDL 583 Global Perspectives in Education
EDL 536 Equity Institute II
EDL 540 Transformational Praxis
EDL 574 Social Action Research
See The Full Curriculum

Program Coordinators

Dr. Shawn Savage
savages@uncw.edu 
910.962.2340

Dr. Julia Lynch
lynchj@uncw.edu 
910.962.3786

Admission Deadlines & Requirements

Information: M.Ed. Curriculum Studies for Equity in Education Specialization

Apply Now

  • Complete applications are reviewed for admission by the program as they are received.
  • All applications and supporting documents must be received by the published deadline.

Coordinator

Location/Delivery Method

  • Main Campus
  • Distance Education

Deadlines (11:59 p.m. EST)

  • Spring 2025:
    • November 1, 2024
  • Fall 2025:
    • July 1, 2025

Transcripts

One official transcript is required from each U.S. post-secondary institution attended. Refer to the Getting Started page for international transcript instructions.

Test Scores

  • Not Required

Recommendations

  • 3 recommendations by individuals in professionally relevant roles

Additional Requirements

  1. Upload Supplemental Documents After Application Submission
  2. Essay: Education Statement of Interest Essay
    Essay
  3. Licensure: Candidates must hold, or be qualified to hold an initial Class "A" teaching license in at least one area of education
  4. Bachelor's Degree: Candidates for admission to the M.Ed. with specialization in Curriculum Studies for Equity must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and have a desire to lead equity initiatives in their field of study. Examples of such fields include but are not limited to educational, nonprofit leadership, filmmaking, law enforcement, community organizing, and human resources. 
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