This is a named option in the Curriculum and Instruction M.S.

A master of science with secondary teacher certification is offered as a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction with named options in English, mathematics, science, and social studies. The program is a streamlined, graduate-level program which prepares students for a teaching license both in a specific content area at the secondary level (English, math, science, or social studies) and to work with English language learners (ESL certification). Additional information may be found at https://uwteach.education.wisc.edu/. Candidates may apply for more than one content area, however they will only be allowed to enroll in one area at a time. Elementary teacher certification is not available through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction Master's program. Students who desire elementary teacher certification should contact Education Academic Services.

The M.S. program with named option in Secondary English Education accepts applications starting the summer of the preceding year, until the program reaches its capacity. A new cohort begins each June. The program covers two summers and an intervening academic year. Throughout this time span, students take graduate-level courses and engage in fieldwork associated with those courses. In addition, students must complete a master's project.

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website. Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.

Graduate Admissions Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Fall Deadline	This program does not admit in the fall.
Spring Deadline	This program does not admit in the spring.
Summer Deadline	June 1*
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations)	May be required in certain cases; consult program.
English Proficiency Test	Every applicant whose native language is not English or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English must provide an English proficiency test score and meet the Graduate School minimum requirements (https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/requirements/#english-proficiency).
Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT)	PRAXIS 2 content exam may be required if the breadth of coursework does not match licensing content standards.
Letters of Recommendation Required	2

*	December 1 is the deadline for early admission and priority scholarship consideration. As space allows, the program will continue to review applications from Dec 1 until June 1. Financial options are available for later applicants.

Prerequisites to applying to the Secondary English Education named option can be found here.

Admissions Requirements

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

Students are not permitted to accept teaching, project, or research assistantships or other appointments that would result in a tuition waiver.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Named Option Requirements

MODE OF INSTRUCTION

Mode of Instruction

Face to Face	Evening/Weekend	Online	Hybrid	Accelerated
Yes	No	No	No	Yes

Mode of Instruction Definitions

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students are able to complete a program with minimal disruptions to careers and other commitments. Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments. Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus. Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information. Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS

University General Education Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Minimum Credit Requirement	30 credits
Minimum Residence Credit Requirement	30 credits
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement	80% of the credits taken at UW–Madison must be completed in graduate-level coursework; courses with the Graduate Level Coursework attribute are identified and searchable in the university's Course Guide (https://registrar.wisc.edu/course-guide/).
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement	3.00 GPA required.
Other Grade Requirements	Students must earn a B average or above in all coursework to earn the MS degree. For teaching certification, a candidate must earn a B or better in each course. If a candidate does not earn a B or better additional coursework may be required.
Assessments and Examinations	Requirements vary by named option; please see the program website
Language Requirements	Candidates must demonstrate advanced proficiency in English to acquire the English as a Second Language certification.

REQUIRED COURSES

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Summer 1 (Full Time - Mid June to Late August)
Coursework
ED POL 600	Problems in Educational Policy	3
CURRIC 672	Issues in ESL Education	2
CURRIC 675	General Seminar (Understanding Language)	3
CURRIC 535	Foundations of Literacy	2
Fieldwork 1
CURRIC 510	Community-Based Practicum 2	1-4
Fall: Academic Semester 1 (Full Time - Early September to Mid January)
Coursework
CURRIC 507	Inclusive Education in Secondary Schools	2
ED PSYCH 621	Adolescent Development in Educational Contexts	2
CURRIC 396	Teaching of English	3
CURRIC 673	Learning Second Language and Literacies	2
CURRIC 729	Classroom Management for Secondary Educators	1
Fieldwork 3
CURRIC 511	School-Based Practicum 2	1-4
CURRIC 472	Student Teaching of English in the Middle School 4	2-12
or CURRIC 496	Student Teaching of English in the High School
Spring: Academic Semester 2 (Full Time - Mid January to Early June)
Coursework
CURRIC 596	Advanced Practices in Teaching English in Secondary Schools	3
CURRIC 674	Advanced Methods in Teaching English as a Second Language	3
Fieldwork 5
CURRIC 675	General Seminar 4	1-3
CURRIC 496	Student Teaching of English in the High School 4	2-12
or CURRIC 472	Student Teaching of English in the Middle School
Summer 2 (Full Time - Early June to Early August)
Coursework
ELPA 640	Legal Rights and Responsibilities for Teachers	1
CURRIC 747	Masters Capstone in Teacher Education	3
CURRIC 675	General Seminar (Professional Launch Series) 6	1-3
Master's Project 7

1	The focus of this summer semester includes a field experience in the local community intended to involve program students with adolescents from diverse backgrounds. The university courses present assignments for students to carry out in the practicum sites. Within the content domain, program students will consider how academic subject knowledge is and should be translated into the curriculum.
2	CURRIC 510 Community-Based Practicum is typically taken for 2 credits and CURRIC 511 School-Based Practicum is typically taken for 1 credit.
3	In this semester, program students are placed in local secondary schools. University courses provide assignments for students in their practicum sites and present concepts useful for understanding schooling, teaching, and students. Topics addressed across all coursework are working with all students, universal curriculum design, understanding contemporary adolescence, and theories of literacy and strategies in learning languages.
4	Fall student teaching is typically 4 credits and spring student teaching is typically 8 credits, and includes a seminar. These courses are only required for certification; however, they are not required for the master's degree.
5	Program students will be immersed in a semester of student teaching. University course work provides assignments for students to carry out in their student teaching as well as concepts and practices that will enhance their instructional effectiveness. Each student will also prepare and teach an instructional unit incorporating key teachings of the university courses from both semesters. This unit will also provide evidence of meeting edTPA requirements.
6	Recommended but not required for the master's degree.
7	In the final summer, students will complete their master's projects under the direction of their capstone instructor and advisor. Students will also complete a  portfolio including artifacts demonstrating proficiency on each of the School of Education’s Teaching Standards.

Graduate School Policies

The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Named Option-Specific Policies

Prior Coursework

Graduate Work from Other Institutions

Students may not transfer in credits of graduate courses from other institutions.

UW–Madison Undergraduate

No credits from a UW–Madison undergraduate degree are allowed to count toward the degree.

UW–Madison University Special

No credits as a UW–Madison University Special student are allowed to count toward the degree.

Probation

The status of a student can be one of two options:

1. Satisfactory progress (progressing according to standards)
2. Unsatisfactory progress (not progressing according to standards); permitted to enroll with a specific plan including dates and improvement benchmarks necessary to avoid dismissal from the program.

ADVISOR / COMMITTEE

All students are required to have an advisor. An advisor is assigned to all incoming students. To ensure that they are making satisfactory progress toward a degree, students should meet with their advisor on a regular basis.

The advisor serves as the primary contact within the program and approves the candidate's capstone project. Students can be suspended from the program if they do not have an advisor.

CREDITS PER TERM ALLOWED

15 credits

Time Constraints

Master’s degree students who have been absent for five or more consecutive years lose all credits that they have earned before their absence. Individual programs may count the coursework students completed prior to their absence for meeting program requirements; that coursework may not count toward Graduate School credit requirements.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting  
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Hostile and Intimidating Behavior Policies and Procedures
  • Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Dean of Students Office (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

Any student who feels that they have been treated unfairly by a faculty or staff member has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing of the grievance, following these grievance procedures. The complaint may concern course grades, classroom treatment, program admission, or other issues. To insure a prompt and fair hearing of any complaint, and to protect both the rights of the student and the person at whom the complaint is addressed, the procedures below are used in the School of Education.

The person whom the complaint is directed against must be an employee of the School of Education. Any student or potential student may use these procedures unless the complaint is covered by other campus rules or contracts. The following steps are available within the School of Education when a student has a grievance:

1. The student should first talk with the person against whom the grievance is directed. Most issues can be settled at this level. If the complaint is directed against a teaching assistant, and the student is not satisfied, the next step would be to talk to the TA's supervisor, who is usually the course professor. If the complaint is not resolved satisfactorily, the student may continue to step 2.
2. If the complaint does not involve an academic department, the procedure outlined in Step 4 below should be followed. If the complaint involves an academic department, the student should contact the chair of the department. The chair will attempt to resolve the problem informally. If this cannot be done to the student's satisfaction, the student may submit the grievance to the chair in writing. This must be done within 60 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment.
3. On receipt of a written complaint, the chair will refer the matter to a departmental committee, which will obtain a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed. This response shall be shared with the person filing the grievance. The chair will provide a timely written decision to the student on the action taken by the committee.
4. If either party is not satisfied with the decision of the department, they have five working days from receipt of the decision to contact the dean's office (at the number below), indicating the intention to appeal. If the complaint does not involve an academic department in the school, the student must contact the dean's office within 60 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment.
5. In either case, there will be an attempt to resolve the issue informally by the associate dean. If this cannot be done, the complaint can be filed in writing with the dean's office. This must be done within 10 working days of the time the appealing party was notified that informal resolution was unsuccessful.
6. On receipt of such a written complaint, the associate dean will convene a subcommittee of the school's Equity & Diversity Committee. This subcommittee may ask for additional information from the parties involved and may hold a hearing at which both parties will be asked to speak separately. The subcommittee will then make a written recommendation to the dean of the School of Education who will render a decision. Unless a longer time is negotiated, this written decision shall be made within 20 working days from the date when the grievance was filed with the dean's office.

Questions about these procedures can be directed to the School of Education Dean's Office, 377 Education Building, 1000 Bascom Mall, 608-262-1763.

State law contains additional provisions regarding discrimination and harassment. Wisconsin Statutes 36.12 reads, in part: "No student may be denied admission to, participation in or the benefits of, or be discriminated against in any service, program, course or facility of the system or its institutions or center because of the student's race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status or parental status." In addition, UW–System prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression. Students have the right to file discrimination and harassment complaints with the Office of Compliance, 361 Bascom Hall, 608-265-6018, uwcomplianceoffice@wisc.edu.

Other

Students are not permitted to accept teaching, project, or research assistantships or other appointments that would result in a tuition waiver. Students also cannot enroll in other graduate programs nor take courses outside the prescribed curriculum.

Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

Faculty: Professors Rudolph (chair), Baker (graduate program chair), Gomez, Grant, Graue, E. Halverson, Hassett, Hawkins, Hess, Popkewitz, Schweber, Tochon; Associate Professors L. Berland, M. Berland, Feinstein, Ghousseini, Ho, Pacheco, Russ, Stoddard, Vieira; Assistant Professors Bullock, C. Kirchgasler, K. Kirchgasler, Louie, McKinney de Royston, Roman, Wardrip; Affiliate Professors L. Bartlett, T. Dobbs, R. Halverson, P. Matthews, Nathan, H. Zhang. For more information about respective members of the faculty, see People on the department website.