Masters of Education in Curriculum Studies

at Mount Saint Vincent University Canada

The Research Master of Arts degree is intended for those who wish to pursue specialized scholarly study under the supervision of a full-time faculty member of the Faculty of Education. The degree can be taken in connection with any of the graduate program areas offered by the Faculty of Education; the focus of the degree is research. The degree requires a minimum of 5.0 units. Coursework will vary according to the background of the student. The thesis can count for a minimum of 1.0 unit and a maximum of 5.0 units.

As you pursue a graduate degree in Literacy Education, you’ll develop advanced skills to help you meet the complex demands of fostering literacy learning in schools, in community sites, and in a variety of workplaces from corporate offices to arts and not-for-profit organizations.

Professional Skills
Our Master’s programs will help you develop the knowledge and skills you need to become an educator in literacy education. Whether you want to pursue a career as a classroom teacher or an educator outside the traditional classroom, we can help you develop the background and professional skills you need.

Our thesis-based, interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree is offered cooperatively by Mount Saint Vincent University and Saint Mary’s University. At Mount Saint Vincent University, the program is offered through out Department of Women's Studies. As a student in this program, you’ll have the opportunity to work with faculty and graduate students at both. Your studies in feminist and gender theory may be engaged in media and literature; community and society; law, politics and social justice; health and the body; sexuality and gender; race, ethnicity and class; history; education; and many more aspects of our everyday lives. Learn more about the program »

Meaningful Research
To earn your Master of Arts in Women and Gender Studies (MA WGS), you will complete six graduate courses and a thesis.  Your thesis will allow you to research and explore a topic that relates to a focused area within the field of women and gender studies. You will work closely with your supervisor—a faculty member at either university—to develop your thesis topic, and to research and write your thesis.

The Department of Women’s Studies at the Mount is home to the Nancy’s Chair in Women’s Studies. Endowed by well-known Toronto-based feminist and philanthropist Nancy Ruth, the Chair raises awareness of women's issues by bringing to campus distinguished scholars in women's studies and activists who have contributed to the advancement of women. As a graduate student in Women & Gender Studies, you may have the opportunity to participate in Nancy’s Chair research initiatives. Each year, a limited number of paid research assistantships are available to graduate students.

This certificate provides a solid foundation in the field of accounting. It will be of interest to those working in the accounting field and to those with non-business university degrees working in administrative positions.

Gerontology is the study of issues related to aging and the challenges that older persons encounter.  As health care improves and birth rates decline, the proportion of older adults in Canada and around the world is increasing rapidly.  The faculty in the Family Studies and Gerontology department will help you to learn to recognize aging issues, and understand the dynamics in the health and human service system that must respond to our aging population. 

Public Policy Studies at the Mount is an interdisciplinary program that concentrates on Canadian public policy and global issues. Students enrolled in the program take a range of courses in both political science and economics and choose from a large pool of courses from a number of disciplines.  Students complete the academic requirements with a senior seminar designed to integrate their new-found knowledge and provide them with broadened perspectives on important dimensions of public affairs.

The goals of the Public Policy Studies program are to provide students with sufficient coursework to ensure they develop capacities in such skill areas as critical thinking, policy analysis and communication.  Through this, the program aims to prepare students for potential careers in public service and to be effective participants in democratic society.

At the Mount, we are aware that the business world is both thought-provoking and diverse. Our program will equip you with the essential leadership skills. These skills will prepare you for your career in business, whether you choose to become an entrepreneur or work in a large corporation, a small business, or a not-for profit organization.

BBA with a Concentration in Economics
Students may choose to do a concentration in economics while doing their BBA. The concentration in economics requires the completion of four full units of coursework (8 half-unit courses). The concentration in economics provides students with an opportunity to learn more about the field of economics while also allowing more room within the BBA for courses in other areas of interest. Students may combine the economics concentration with a concentration in another business field, such as accounting, marketing, management, strategic human resource management or tourism and hospitality management. This combination enables students to gain a better overall understanding of more than one area of business, providing even greater flexibility among career options. In addition, a solid background in economics greatly enhances one’s understanding of business and its impact on the economy.

Psychology is the study of the mind and behaviour, examining both the biological and social reasons why humans act the way they do.

Program Highlights
Psychology is also one of the more popular subjects to study as an undergraduate student, which means that most universities offer psychology courses. Psychology at the Mount is different than it can be at other schools, for three big reasons:

The Communication Major is a multidisciplinary program which draws from a variety of approaches, theories, methods and other resources to analyze communication in social, political and cultural environments that are rapidly changing and increasingly complex.  This program is designed to meet the needs of students interested in an undergraduate degree in Communication, grounded in a foundation of communication and media theory, research and ethics.  Students who have an interest in media literacy, interpersonal, small group and organizational communication as well as the sociopolitical aspects of communication within today's society are well-suited for this program.

Program Objectives
Students enrolled in the COMM Major program (having selected Communication as their major) will complement core strengths in Communication with required courses from a number of related disciplines as well as elective courses.  Together, these elements work to provide students with an introduction to the dynamic context in which communication occurs

The objectives of this program are to:

• Encourage students to develop a broad understanding of communication theory;
• Contribute to the advancement of communication as both a field and a discipline;
• Provide enhanced opportunities for students to study the contextual nature of communication in its various forms;
• Develop within students an appreciation of the processes which define human communication;
• Develop within students an appreciation for and awareness of ethical communication.

Are you interested in a critical study of educational issues? Do you want to become a more effective educator by thinking deeply about how the foundational disciplines of history, philosophy and sociology affect educational theory and practice? If so, the Master’s programs in Educational Foundations may be right for you

The Foundations of Education
The foundations of education are three distinct scholarly traditions of practice – philosophy of education, history of education, and sociology of education – that inform education and conceptualize frameworks for education research.

Here are three suggested areas of study in Foundations, each built around core course offerings:

• Philosophy, History & Sociology of Education: study all the foundations or specialize in one; learn how to use a method of inquiry for individual or collective practice.
• Value, Bias & Social Justice: examine key themes, their socio-historical influence and value for decision-making in policy and practice.
• Arts, Media & Culture: study the arts as historical, sociological, and philosophical projects in teaching, learning and research.

Once you are admitted to the program, you will work with the Program Coordinator to design a program plan that will focus on one of these areas, or another area of study in the field of Educational Foundations.