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Northern Illinois University

Department of Teaching & Learning

Curriculum & Instruction (Master's)

The major in curriculum and instruction prepares knowledgeable, reflective practitioners to work in both formal and non-formal educational settings. Courses help educational practitioners clarify their professional purposes and improve the pedagogical environments in which they function. The major includes course work from curriculum leadership, environmental education, and secondary education. Students may choose to focus their course work on one of these or combine course work to meet their professional needs.

  • Curriculum leadership courses provide the student with information to develop competence in supervisory techniques, curriculum theory and practice, cooperative planning for improvement of instruction, and evaluation of program of curriculum improvement.
  • Environmental education courses focus on methods of teaching the core concepts and skills that environmentally literate citizens need. Environmental education courses prepare formal and non-formal educator to use community and natural out-of-classroom resources to enhance the curricula and non-formal education programs. Students focusing in this area are encouraged to complete the certificate of graduate study in environmental education.
  • Secondary education courses are intended for entering or practicing teachers who wish to develop the teaching skills and the informed understanding of the major issues and trends in secondary education that mark the master teacher.

Requirements

Curriculum & Instruction Master's requirements

Additional Information

If you are ready to start classes prior to being admitted to the Graduate School you can start taking classes as a Student-at-Large (SAL). To start classes as an SAL you can submit an SAL application electronically on the Graduate School web site and after four working days you will be able to enroll in courses.

As a student-at-large you can take both undergraduate and graduate courses. These courses are offered at the DeKalb, Naperville, and Hoffman Estates campuses in the evenings. See the online schedule of classes for course offerings or the Graduate School for information about tuition and fees.

Classes that can be taken prior to admission to the Graduate School include:  

  • TLCI 500, Curriculum, Instruction, and the Community (3)
  • TLCI 510, Critical Practices in Curriculum and Instruction (3)
  • Education Research (3)
  • Education Foundations (3)

Advisement Worksheet

Contacts

Financial Aid and Scholarships

There are numerous awards and scholarships that are available for students, some specifically for teacher education. Other aid may be based on financial need, talent, or to members of particular groups. Some web sites that are available at NIU are the College of Education's Scholarship Page, the Scholarship Office, and the Financial Aid Office.

WebConnect

To access WebConnect, a student is required to logon onto the service using their Z-ID and password OR their Social Security Number and Personal Identification Number.

You can take advantage of the following services using WebConnect: application status, change of address, class schedule, course availability, financial account information, encumbrances/holds, registration permits, semester grade reports, schedule changes, student directory informatin, TRACS registration timeslot, and registration for classes.

Additional information about Z-IDs is available online.