Graduate Studies in Education
Program Description

For regular admission to the Master of Education program, candidates shall normally have:

1. completed a Bachelor of Education degree or its equivalent.
2. earned an average of at least 70% in the BEd Program or have placed in the top 25% of the BEd graduating class and,
3. completed at least two years of successful teaching before enrolling in the first graduate course.

Considerable weight will also be given to the references supplied by the applicant and to successful teaching experience.

Individuals who do not possess a Bachelor of Education degree will normally be considered when they have:

1. gained a teaching license equivalent to a Nova Scotia Initial Certificate (TC5) or been employed in a teaching capacity for at least two years in a professional school or post-secondary institution
2. met all other admission conditions

Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not ensure acceptance into the program. Decisions of the Admissions Committee are final. Applications will be considered on March 1 of each year for study beginning in July of the same year. You are responsible to check with the StFX Admissions Office (902 867 2219), before March 1, to make sure your transcripts and reference letters have arrived. Incomplete files will not be considered for admission.

Program Overview

The Master in Education program is grounded in two main purposes: a space for students to understand their professional knowledge and to make meaningful links among this knowledge, and the conceptual and theoretical knowledge of educational research.

StFX offers an MEd degree with specialization either in Educational Administration and Leadership or in Curriculum and Instruction. In both streams students must complete the specified core courses, and choose electives appropriate to their interests.

There are two options by which a student may complete the requirements for the MEd: a thesis route and a course-based route. Students who choose the thesis route must complete 24 credits in graduate education courses and a 12 credit thesis. Those in the course-based route are required to complete 36 credits in graduate education courses.

The degree fulfills the requirements of the Nova Scotia Department of Education for an increase in level of teacher certification. Graduate courses in education are offered as fall, winter, spring, and summer courses in locations around the province.

Candidates for the MEd are normally required to take EDUC 505 and EDUC 534 as their first two courses in Antigonish during the summer session immediately after being accepted into the program. EDUC 505 is a prerequisite for EDUC 506, EDUC 507, and EDUC 508. Normally EDUC 506, EDUC 507, or EDUC 508 is taken after core courses are completed. EDUC 506 or 507 is required in the thesis route; EDUC 508 is required in the course-based route.

Educational Leadership and Administration Stream

First Summer

505	Introduction to Educational Research	3 credits
534	Introduction to the Foundations of Education	3 credits

Administrative core classes to be taken prior to final research course

561	Leadership and Administrative Theories	3 credits
533	Dynamics of Change	3 credits
573	Professional Development and Supervision	3 credits

Final Research Course

506	Quantitative Research Methods in Education	3 credits
or
507	Qualitative Research Methods in Education	3 credits
or
508	Critical Research Literacy in Education	3 credits

Course Based Route

	Electives	18 credits
or
Thesis Route
	Electives	6 credits
599	Thesis	12 credits

Educational Curriculm and Instruction Stream

First Summer

505	Introduction to Educational Research	3 credits
534	Introduction to the Foundations of Education	3 credits

Curriculum and Instruction core courses to be taken prior to final research course

536	Program Development	3 credits
532	Curriculum Theory	3 credits
527	Principles of Learning	3 credits

Final Research Course

506	Quantitative Research Methods in Education	3 credits
or
507	Qualitative Research Methods in Education	3 credits
or
508	Critical Research Literacy in Education	3 credits

Course Based Route

	Electives	18 credits
or
Thesis Route
	Electives	6 credits
599	Thesis	12 credits

Final Research Course

508	Critical Research Literacy in Education	3 credits
	Electives	6 credits

Electives are to be selected from the graduate courses offered in education. No substitution or transfer of credit will normally be allowed in core courses.

Graduate courses which may be taken for credit towards a Master of Education degree are listed in section 7.15 of the Academic Calendar. All courses are not offered each year.

Normally, only students who have been accepted into the StFX Master of Education Program are eligible to enroll in MEd courses offered through St. Francis Xavier University. Graduate students in good standing from an MEd Program at another university may also apply to take up to twelve credits of MEd courses at StFX. A letter of permission from the student’s current university must be supplied.

For further information, contact the Department of Continuing & Distance Education at 902 867 3906 or 1 877 867 3906 (toll free) or email: med@stfx.ca.

Part-Time/Full-Time Study

The completion of the Master of Education degree requires the equivalent of 36 credits of study beyond the Bachelor of Education degree.

Students must finish their program of study within a six-year time limit, which begins on the first day of the first course or the first day of the month of acceptance to the program.

Residential Requirement
As part of the Master of Education degree requirement, students must attend summer school on the Antigonish campus for a minimum of one 4-week session during July. The session will be the July immediately following acceptance into the program.

Part-time Study
The majority of Master of Education students are enrolled on a part-time basis. These students normally take one course per term. To accommodate educators who are working at school during the day, courses are usually scheduled in the evenings or on weekends. Students must finish their program of study within a six-year time limit.

Full-time Study
An increasing number of graduate students have opted for full-time study. Usually between 8 to 12 full-time graduate students are in residence each year. The School of Education wishes to encourage this option, as it provides excellent opportunities for faculty and graduate students to learn and grow together as graduate students work alongside faculty in BEd classes.

The full-time Master of Education program allows graduate students to study full-time toward their MEd degree on the StFX campus.

• Over a four or five term period, students can complete the course requirements for the degree and if they choose the Thesis route, begin their Thesis research. All students must begin their MEd program in July by taking two courses in the summer school term on the StFX campus immediately following their acceptance into the program. Other courses are offered over the fall, winter and spring terms. Some elective courses may be offered on-line.
• Students in the Thesis route, working with an advisor, will usually prepare a thesis proposal in the spring and then engage in data collection. Thesis students have the option of staying at StFX to complete their thesis the following year, or return to work and complete the thesis on a part- time basis.
• Students interested in the Thesis as part of their sabbatical plan, deferred leave or other full time arrangement should contact the Chair of Graduate Studies in Education, Dr. Matthew Meyer at 902-867-5267 or mmeyer@stfx.ca
• Office space and study awards may be available for full-time graduate students.
• The residential program runs from July to June. Because MEd courses are offered in the evenings and on weekends, students having a valid Nova Scotia teaching license have the option of applying to substitute teach in the community.