Education, MA

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Sonoma State University’s School of Education offers a Master of Arts in Education degree with three distinct concentrations. Each of these concentrations reflects the philosophy, purpose, and goals of the School of Education. In our M.A. program, students critically examine educational theories and research through a variety of empirical and theoretical lenses with a focus on social justice to develop an informed educational vision and innovative pedagogy in a variety of educational settings. Students have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty and colleagues to examine and influence current educational practice through research, project development, and advocacy. We expect graduates to emerge from their work at Sonoma State University as leaders in their field and agents of change.

The five M.A. in Education areas of concentration offered at Sonoma State University are:

Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning (see Department of Curriculum Studies and Secondary Education);
Reading and Language (see Department of Literacy Studies and Elementary Education);
Special Education (see Department of Educational Leadership and Special Education)

Throughout their years in an M.A. program, students are required each semester to meet with the graduate advisor in their area of concentration to plan collaboratively their progress in the M.A. program. Students may also confer with other graduate program faculty and the Graduate Studies Coordinator for advice and guidance in their coursework and professional development. Students must maintain a 3.00 grade point average in all coursework in the approved M.A. program.

For more information about the M.A. in education, read our M.A. handbook.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students can articulate how the MA coursework has contributed to their personal, intellectual, and professional growth in relationship to the social justice framework of the School of Education.
Students demonstrate how their breadth and depth of knowledge about advancing social justice in schools and communities has changed in regard to reading and applying educational research.
Students demonstrate their ability to critically analyze multiple historical, philosophical and theoretical perspectives in relationship to issues of educational and social inequities.
Students can explain how the MA program has contributed to their understanding of equity and access for all learners.
Students can explain how the MA program has contributed to their ability to be an advocate for social justice in education.
Students demonstrate the ability to write at a graduate level.
Students complete a culminating activity in which they cogently demonstrate:

their ability to draw from appropriate and adequate peer-reviewed research
connections between their project and their work as an educator
the significance of the project to the local educational context

M.A. Core Courses

EDMS 570 - The Reflective Educator Unit(s): 3
EDUC 571 - Research Paradigms in Education Unit(s): 3
EDCT 574 - Research and Theory in Teaching for Social Justice Unit(s): 3
EDCT 575 - Learning and Assessment in Education Unit(s): 3
EDMS 597 - Portfolio and Proposal Preparation Unit(s): 3
EDSP 599 - Supervised Research for Thesis/Project or Cognate Unit(s): 3

Pathways to Program Completion

The M.A. program of study requires 33 semester units of course work, depending on the M.A. pathway a student selects. There are two pathways to program completion: thesis or project. In both pathways, graduate students take 18 units of MA core courses. All MA students work with a three-member committee, most closely with the committee chair, to complete a culminating activity, which is presented to the committee in a public forum. In addition to these points in common, there are distinct differences among the two pathways to program completion. Students should meet with their initial advisor and then their committee chair in planning their pathway to completing the degree.

The Program Portfolio

In order to advance to candidacy, all students must complete a satisfactory program portfolio and present it to their committee. In most cases, this presentation occurs at the same meeting where the student presents a proposal for the culminating activity.

The program portfolio contains artifacts (papers, projects, etc.) produced by the student throughout the M.A. program which demonstrate the student’s proficiency and growth in the areas listed below. The portfolio should be reflective in nature and should show personal, professional, and intellectual growth. It should also demonstrate how the student’s M.A. program has prepared the student to undertake the culminating activity (thesis/project, cognate project, or individual examination).

See the MA Handbook for a detailed explanation of the portfolio and the advancement to candidacy process.

Requirements for Advancement to Candidacy:

Completion of MA core courses
Presentation and approval of program portfolio
Presentation of culminating activity proposal
Filing of Advancement to Candidacy form (GSO 1) with Committee and School of Education Graduate Studies Coordinator.

Concentrations and Emphasis

Education with a Concentration in Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning (CTL), MA

Education with a Concentration in Special Education, MA

Education with an Concentration in Reading and Language, M.A.