Master of Education: Specialist

For current students in a specialist program.

Master of Education (MEd), Specialist route

The Master of Education (MEd): Specialist Route is a course-based degree program that provides students with a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of their academic discipline, field of study or area of professional practice in one specialization area. The Master of Education degree program has been designed to ensure that the courses and sequence provides a demanding, coherent, robust, credible and high-level academic experience that educates students as leaders of professional practice in the field of educational research. 

This route is a two-year program consisting of 12 half-courses (36 credits) within a specialization area. Students complete eight courses in the specialized area of study and four research courses that focus on research methods, program evaluation, collaboratory of practice, and reading and writing research pertaining to the specialization.

Students in our masters programs are engaged in immersive experiences that require them to:

  • Critically and analytically read research literature
  • Evaluate research literature
  • Review and critically analyze the literature to enable them to make practice and policy decisions
  • Carry out the scholarship of teaching and learning in schools, on campus and other organizations
  • Evaluate and apply research to complex learning problems and problems of practice
  • Write and report on research using a range of academic writing genres.

Our MEd programs are innovative, current, and practitioner-oriented programs designed to create scholars of the profession. Graduate Programs in Education has conceptualized and designed the MEd as a possible pathway into the professional Education Doctorate (EdD).

MEd Awards and Scholarships

Students are eligible for some internal scholarships. See the program-recommended awards page for details.

Summer Residency 2024

Summer classes run from June 24 - August 6, 2024.

Students are expected to be available for this period of time and able to complete online course work before and after the summer residency period. Further details will be available in the course outline.

On-campus summer residency dates are July 8 -  July 19, 2024.

Program Delivery

Topics are offered in face-to-face, fully online and blended (combined face-to-face and online) options. Blended topics begin with face-to-face classes at the University of Calgary, during Summer, with online follow up. Courses 2 (Fall), 3 (Winter), and 4 (Spring) are delivered fully online. Check each topic to confirm format for delivery.

Blended

Blended topics begin with face-to-face classes at the University of Calgary, during Summer, with online follow up. Courses 2 (Fall), 3 (Winter), and 4 (Spring) are fully online using Desire2Learn and Zoom.

Fully Online

The fully online courses are held in both an asynchronous environment (D2L) and a synchronous (real-time) environment (Zoom) which allows instructors to virtually meet and talk with students and experience a live exchange of ideas, hear class presentations and do group work with access to a whiteboard. There are typically no more than 5 sessions over a 13-week term (Fall and Winter) and fewer over a 6-week term (Spring and Summer). For additional information regarding online delivery, please refer to the Online Delivery and eLearning website.


Topics in Progress

Current Cohorts

The program pages below are intended to provide information for students currently enrolled in a MEd Specialist program. Prospective students should note that future program offerings may be subject to updates.

Adult Learning Specialization

Topic:
Adult Community and Higher Education (blended)

Leadership Specialization

Topic:
Leadership for Learning
 

Curriculum & Learning Specialization

Topic:
Contextualizing Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Learning