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A Quick Look at the Courses in an MSE in Curriculum and Instruction

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Courses in an MSE
Quick Look at the Courses in an MSE in Curriculum and Instruction

The Master of Science in Education (MSE) in Curriculum and Instruction is designed to provide students with the skills necessary to become leaders in education, both as teachers and administrators. This degree will prepare you for careers in curriculum design, instruction development, assessment, professional development, educational leadership, and more.

You will get the opportunity to improve student outcomes while also exploring new approaches that meet the needs of today’s elementary schools or secondary school curriculum design process with improved learning methods for all learners. 

If you are interested in getting your C & I Masters in Education online, here is a quick look at the courses that you might come across: 

Reflective and Collaborative Practice

The Reflective and Collaborative Practice is an educational course that helps teachers improve their teaching practices. It teaches them how to better plan, facilitate, and evaluate learning for students to make sure every student achieves their full potential. This certificate will also give you skills like incorporating evidence-based practices into teaching to help support your students’ professional goals and without any prerequisites needed.

Moreover, it will teach you how to collaborate with other professionals, families and communities. You’ll examine collaboration models and the benefits & challenges of working together to improve learning in diverse settings! 

It also examines characteristics of effective teaching environments where teachers have strong relationships built on trust towards each student they’re mentoring. Lastly, this class talks about achieving success by building meaningful connections outside formal education through parent-teacher conferences, field trips, and meetings after school hours.

These courses play a critical role in the curriculum as it creates a foundation for the aspiring candidates about how to manage themselves as a teacher under any circumstances. 

Curriculum Design

Apparent by the name, the course will teach you how to design a curriculum that is both effective and engaging for your students. Candidates should expect to learn about the influence different theories, principles, and approaches have on quality curriculums while completing their needs analysis during this course. 

You’ll also be taught how to map any gaps or unnecessary duplication in each grade level to better accommodate student learning across all subjects at once. The successful completion of a course is dependent on how well it aligns with relevant standards. As a student, you will identify gaps and avoid unnecessary duplication by conducting an analysis of learning practices, applying theories, evaluating past curriculum and current courses that may need updating at any time.

Research and Data-Informed Practices

The Data-Informed Practices course teaches candidates about the different types of data, its benefits, and its limitations. Candidates also learn how to use this information to identify problems or inform decisions by drawing conclusions from relevant sources with their skills in locating, collecting & analyzing qualitative/ quantitative research findings that are credible enough for decision-making purposes.

The graduate identifies relevant types and credible sources of data required to solve an identified problem. The student then selects appropriate methods for collecting, analyzing, or integrating that information into a clear conclusion to prevent future errors based on what was learned during this process—and introduce continuous improvement within their own work environment.

Differentiated Instructions Design

Differentiated Instruction is a course about how teachers can differentiate their curriculum, instruction and assessments in response to individual student needs. 

Classroom environments are the primary focus; however, there’s just as much emphasis on students who might need extra help or guidance due to their learning profiles being different than others that share similar interests. Students learn ways to monitor each other’s progress while pacing themselves through self-adjustments when needed, so everyone has opportunities for success.


A graduate student can create personalized learning plans after taking this course. They’ll examine the role that teachers and teaching environments play in supporting differentiated instruction by analyzing students’ readiness levels and interests/preferences for content learned. Graduates also learn how to examine each student’s needs individually so that every individual gets an equal opportunity at success while also taking into consideration differences present across different learners (i.e., disabilities). This process continues until goals or outcomes have been met successfully.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction to pursue a career in curriculum coordination, the courses offered at this program will provide an excellent foundation. The coursework is designed to allow students to explore their own beliefs about education while developing skills that can be applied immediately in classrooms or other work settings. You’ll also have opportunities for hands-on experience working with children in developmentally appropriate environments.

By the time you complete an MSE in Curriculum and Instruction, you will have developed expertise in curriculum design, differentiated instruction design, research-based practices for teaching children with diverse learning needs, reflective practice to refine your own professional identity as a teacher or leader of teachers, and collaborative practices that promote student growth. You’ll be prepared to tackle any challenge head-on.