Master's Programs
Graduate Advisor: Dr. Cat Maiorca
The Master of Arts in Education Program specializing in Elementary Education is designed to prepare the elementary teacher for advancement as a mentor teacher, supervising teacher, subject matter teaching specialist, or department chairperson. Three program options are available to candidates:
Curriculum & Instruction Option
View our C&I MA Brochure (.pdf)
The 30-unit Curriculum & Instruction option broadens your knowledge of curriculum theory, curriculum design, and effective instructional practices for K–6 classrooms. Through this program, you will explore, analyze, and integrate research-based best practices across the social sciences, math, literacy, science, English Language Development, and the arts. Designed for a cohort of 18–22 graduate students, the program emphasizes research skills in disciplines specific to elementary education, promotes equity, and supports meaningful engagement with students and families from diverse cultural backgrounds. Each cohort is customized to focus on California curriculum frameworks and standards while also addressing district or school-specific goals, providing a rich, meaning-centered curriculum that prepares teachers to lead and teach 21st-century skills.
Language & Literacy Option
View our L&L MA Brochure (.pdf)
For teachers interested in the ever-evolving world of literacy, CSUN’s Master of Arts in Literacy Education offers a comprehensive 32-unit program grounded in current literacy theory and responsive classroom practices. This program is designed to meet the diverse, 21st-century literacy needs of today’s students, with a focus on traditional, multiple, cultural, community, and critical literacies.
Educators passionate about helping all students become confident readers, writers, thinkers, and speakers will find this program a meaningful next step in their professional journey.
Through hands-on experiences in CSUN’s on-campus L.A. Times Literacy Center and real classroom settings, students learn how to assess and design literacy programs that truly engage and support learners. Two of the courses provide clinical settings for delivering individualized instruction based on evidence-based, science of reading strategies, emphasizing foundational skills, vocabulary, effective expression, comprehension, and writing.
Students with at least one year of teaching experience may also choose to:
- Earn the Reading, Literacy & Leadership Specialist Credential with just 6 additional units (38 units total).
- Earn the Reading & Literacy Added Authorization along with the MA, with no additional coursework required.
Contact Information for Literacy Leadership Coordinator: Dr. Dominic Grasso
Multicultural & Multilingual Option
View our M&M MA brochure (.pdf)
Both monolingual English teachers and bilingual teachers select this option to refine their skills in tailoring instruction to the needs of students learning English as a second language. The focus is on teaching children from varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The use of formal and informal assessments in the evaluation of learners is emphasized. Research-based strategies for providing English learners access to the core curriculum are used in planning curriculum and instruction.
The Multicultural Option in Elementary Education places emphasis on developing a comprehensive and balanced approach to teaching culturally diverse students in K- 8 settings. This option provides an overview of multicultural education that includes theories and practices in culturally relevant pedagogy, language acquisition, family and community assets, and multicultural arts education.