Structure | Coursework | Admissions | Financial Assistance | Legalese

Program Structure

The program is composed of three strands: research, practical application, and formal course work. All three are central to the program and will be ongoing throughout the student's course of study. The basic model for the program is that of apprenticeship. Under this model, students will work closely with individual program faculty members and will carry out research projects and make practical applications of their studies through teaching or related activity.

Research Component

Students are involved, in varying degrees, in research during each term of their program. The first year serves as a general introduction to research in learning mathematics and science. By the end of the second year students have completed an independent investigation related to a faculty member's ongoing project. By the end of the third year, each student has developed and presented to his/her Dissertation Committee an appropriate thesis problem for approval.

Practical Applications

Students teach undergraduate courses in their own or related disciplines for at least one semester (SDSU) or one quarter (UCSD). During the third or fourth year, students choose one of the following: (1) plan and teach a course that prepares prospective teachers to teach mathematics or science; (2) undertake a school-based project or internship, or (3) undertake a specially designed internship in a non-academic setting such as a science museum or an educational software company.

For more detailed information about the program, consult the MSED Student Manual, MSED_manual.pdf (777k).