Masters of Arts Program
Program Description
Professional Development Certificates
Program Principles / Values
Program Focus
Program Options
Program Faculty
How to Apply
Critical Literacy Masters Degree Program
Interested in pursuing an MA Degree Program in Curriculum Development with an emphasis in Critical Literacy & Social Justice? The Policy Studies Department offers an MA Program that provides teachers and those in the education profession with skills in critiquing current school programs from a social equity and social justice perspective.
Program Description
The program is designed to:
- develop school-wide curriculum change focusing on critical literacy.
- focus on the integration of language, culture, and codes of power as part of the development of school programs.
- examine curriculum from a constructivist perspective that recognizes the voices of students, community and teachers as one learning community who inform curriculum and program design.
- introduce participants to the concepts and the authors of critical pedagogy; a theory of education that gives professionals the opportunity to reflect on their own educational beliefs, practices, and processes in the context of standard curriculum, high stakes testing, and curriculum reform.
- gives teachers the voice and tools to reflect upon their teaching methodology vis-a-vis their student's critical thinking;
- promote equality and social justice through action research within the school and community.
Professional Development Certificates
Professional Development Certificates Note: All courses completed with a grade of B or better are applicable to the Master of Arts degree in Education with Concentration in Policy Studies in Language and Cross-Cultural Education.
- Academic Literacy Development for English Language Learners
This certificate program provides K-12 teachers and other education professionals with specialized preparation for developing academic literacy assessment, curriculum, and teaching methods specifically designed to meet the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs). Read more about the Academic Literacy Development for English Language Learners. - Dual Language Certificate
The purpose of this certificate program is to provide, K-12 teachers and other education professionals with specialized course work in Dual Language programming. This construct provides instruction in two languages and is aimed for students to develop competencies in bilingualism, biliteracy and biculturalism / multiculturalism. Read more about Dual Language Certificate.
Program Principles / Values
The Policy Studies Department program philosophy is based on a philosophy and belief of empowerment that views school communities and all K-12 students from an educational benefits model. This model values and integrates the language, culture and social context of the student into the school curricula giving equal status to home, community and school experiences. In addition, this program is based on the belief that all children, if properly nurtured, have high expectations of themselves to realize their potential. Furthermore, the program values the transformation of schools that seek to produce students that are multicultural/biliterate competent.
Faculty Involved and Their Research
In the area of research, department faculty are involved in projects, grants, contracts with an action research approach that integrates theory and application in their work in the fields of:
- bilingual/multicultural education--teacher education,
- public equity and school achievement,
- parent empowerment,
- literacy in the first and second language,
- cross-cultural education,
- organizational effectiveness,
- language policy and assessment,
- action research, and
- career ladder professional development.
Program Options
Option 1: Curriculum Development: Emphasis Critical Pedagogy
For individuals interested in applying the concepts of critical theory in their work in curriculum change, school reform, or student, parent and community advocacy. Students who choose this option take all 30 units in Policy Studies.
Option 2: Curriculum Development & Emphasis
For individuals interested in the principles of our program and in further development of specific subject competencies in other discipline areas (i.e., Reading, Educational Leadership, Spanish, Math, Linguistics, International Program in Mexico, etc).
Program Faculty
- Cristina Alfaro, Biliteracy and International Teacher Education
- Elsa Billings, English Language Development and Biliteracy
- Evangelina Bustamante Jones, Academic Literacy and Critical Pedagogy
- Karen Cadiero-Kaplan, Critical Literacy and Language Policy
- Tamara Collins-Parks, Linguistics Pedagogy
- Ruben Espinosa, Action Research
- Natalie Kuhlman, Language Policy
- Alberto Ochoa, Social Foundations
- Alberto Rodriguez, Science
How to Apply
- MA Program Description (Adobe Acrobat PDF format - 55 KB)
- Department Application (Adobe Acrobat PDF format - 55 KB)
- SDSU Application for Admission
- International Student Admission
- GRE
"GRE tests are taken by undergraduates and college graduates seeking admission to graduate schools. If you are planning to take the GRE General Test and/or a GRE Subject Test, you can obtain a free copy of the GRE Bulletin and GRE General Test Descriptive Booklet from the San Diego State University Test Office. The Test Office is located in the Student Services Building, Room 2549. We are open 8:00 am - 4:15 pm, Monday through Friday. If you can't make it into the Test Office, you can call Educational Testing Service at (510) 873-8000 and they'll send you a free copy."