UMass Boston

Applicants must meet general graduate admission requirements in addition to the following program-specific requirements:

• Minimum Cumulative GPA: 2.75
• Letters of Recommendation: 2
• Statement of Purpose: Show the graduate admissions committee why you wish to pursue graduate study, as well as your specific interests and goals. UMass Boston's College of Education and Human Development is committed to anti-racism and social justice; comment on these principles in relation to your qualifications and desires to pursue studies related to teaching, learning, and educational transformation.

Deadlines: April 1 (priority) and June 15 (final) for fall admissions, November 1 (priority) and December 1 (final) for spring admissions

Application Fee: The nonrefundable application fee is $75. UMass Boston alumni and current students that plan to complete degree requirements prior to graduate enrollment can submit the application without paying the application fee.

Estimate Your Program Cost: Get a feel for your expected program costs using the Graduate Program Cost Calculator.

Program Cost Information: For more detailed information on costs, please visit the Bursar's website or send an email to Bursar@umb.edu. Please refer to Graduate Student Financial Aid for more information on financial aid.

Core Courses (9 Credits)

Complete one core course in each of the three following areas (select one from each list or a substitute after consultation with student's advisor)

Foundations

• ABA 650 - Philosophical Underpinnings of Applied Behavior Analysis 3 Credit(s)
• ABA 651 - Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis 3 Credit(s)
• ABA 653 - Skill Acquisition 3 Credit(s)
• RCRTH 601 - Critical Thinking 3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 602 - Creative Thinking 3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 655 - Metacognition 3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 688 - Reflective Practice 1-3 Credit(s)
• ECHD 601 - Foundational Understandings of Early Childhood/Early Intervention and Special Education 3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 643 - Fostering Equitable and Affirming Classroom Environments 3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 644 - Developmental Stages across the Lifespan 3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 648 - New Literacies and Emerging Technologies across the Content Areas 3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 660 - Using Data to Plan Curriculum and Instruction 3 Credit(s)
• SPE G 661 - Autism Spectrum Disorder: Foundations & Characteristics 3 Credit(s)
• SPE G 633 - Legal and Political Issues in Special Education 3 Credit(s)

Curriculum, Instruction & Educational Settings

• ABA 652 - Assessment and Treatment of Problem Behavior3 Credit(s)
• ABA 654 - Research Methods3 Credit(s)
• ABA 655 - Organizational Behavior Management (OBM)3 Credit(s)
• ABA 656 - Ethical & Professional Conduct3 Credit(s)
• ABA 661 - Behavioral Analytic Approaches to Psychological Disorders3 Credit(s)
• APLING 611 - Teaching in World Language Classrooms3 Credit(s)
• CONRES 621 - Negotiation (M)3 Credit(s)
• CONRES 623 - Introductory Theory3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 611 - Seminar in Critical Thinking3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 616 - Dialogue Processes3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 618 - Creative Thinking, Collaboration, and Organizational Change3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 670 - Thinking, Learning, and Computers3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 692 - Processes of Research and Engagement3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 694 - Synthesis of Theory and Practice Seminar3 Credit(s)
• ECHD 621 - Creating Effective Learning Environments and Fostering Positive Social Interactions3 Credit(s)
• ECHD 622 - Observing, Documenting and Assessing in Early Childhood/Early Intervention3 Credit(s)
• ECHD 640 - Language Development and Literacy in Early Childhood/Early Intervention3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 619 - Designing Instruction: Science3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 621 - Teaching Writing in the K-12 Classroom3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 626 - Integrating Social Studies and the Arts3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 643 - Fostering Equitable and Affirming Classroom Environments3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 646 - Understanding Reading: Principles and Practices3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 656 - Teaching the English Language Arts at the Elementary Level3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 660 - Using Data to Plan Curriculum and Instruction3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 662 - Social Studies Methods3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 664 - Digital Literacies/Computer Science Methods3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 665 - Science Methods3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 668 - Content & Methods for Teaching Elementary School Mathematics3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 669 - Math Methods3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 676 - Advanced Strategies for Teaching Social Studies and History to ELL and SPED students3 Credit(s)
• SPE G 607 - Behavioral and Classroom Management3 Credit(s)
• SPE G 624 - Standardized Assessments for Students with Moderate Disabilities, PreK-123 Credit(s)
• SPE G 662 - Autism Spectrum Disorder: Assessment and Collaboration3 Credit(s)

Diversity & Justice

• ABA 662 - Culturally Responsive Practices in Applied Behavior Analysis 3 Credit(s)
• APLING 603 - Language, Culture and Identity 3 Credit(s)
• APLING 605 - Theories and Principles of Language Teaching 3 Credit(s)
• APLING 665 - Immigration and Education 3 Credit(s)
• COUNSL 653 - Sociocultural Considerations in Counseling 3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 615 - Holistic & Transformative Teaching 3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 627 - Issues and Controversies in Antiracist and Multicultural Education 3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 606 - Sociocultural Foundations of Education 3 Credit(s)
• ECHD 611 - Development and Characteristics of All Young Learners Including Those with Special Needs. 3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 630 - Inclusion PreK-12:Diversity and Equity in Inclusive Settings 3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 650 - Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners 3 Credit(s)
• SPE G 621 - Introduction to Disabilities for Educational Professionals 3 Credit(s)
• SPE G 663 - Autism Spectrum Disorders: Programs, Services, and Supports 3 Credit(s)

Electives (21 Credits):
Complete seven elective courses in area of concentration (selected with advisor consultation)

Capstone (3 Credits)

Students pursuing the written paper & oral presentation option should take one from below. Students completing the comprehensive exam will select another elective for their concentration core.

• ABA 655 - Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) 3 Credit(s)
• ABA 663 - Designing Behavior Analytic Research 3-6 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 692 - Processes of Research and Engagement 3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 693 - Action Research for Educational, Professional & Personal change 3 Credit(s)
• CRCRTH 694 - Synthesis of Theory and Practice Seminar 3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 689 - Teacher Research 3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 696 - Independent Study 1-6 Credit(s)
• EDC G 697 - Special Topics in Education 1-6 Credit(s)
• EDC G 698 - Internship in Education 3 Credit(s)
• SPE G 664 - Autism Spectrum Disorder: Field Experience 3 Credit(s)

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

Complete a minimum of 33 credits from at least eleven courses including four curriculum core courses and seven elective courses.

Concentration: Students may select a concentration after consulting with their advisor.
Capstone: Completion of a comprehensive examination or written paper with oral presentation. Students, after consultation with their advisors, choose which option to take.

• Comprehensive examination
  This option is a take-home essay examination. Students are given 30 days to complete the assigned questions and return them for evaluation by faculty committee. Students complete this during their final semester in the program.
  
  
• Written paper with oral presentation
  This option for the capstone project is an opportunity for students to integrate into their professional lives the ideas and theory, skills and strategies, experiences and collaborations from their studies and associated activities. Students are invited to combine an essay with "exhibits" from their work during the program. The exhibits can take a variety of forms, such as original curriculum materials, a professional development workshop series, a video case study, a practitioner's portfolio, an implemented teacher inquiry project, other excerpts from coursework, or a proposal for action research. The essays are expected to locate the exhibits in relation to what others have written and done in the relevant area as well as to integrate students' reflections on their own professional practice, changes while studying in the program, and future directions. The forms and length of the essays will depend on the particular nature of the projects. For example, if the exhibit were a 2-4 page action research proposal, an extended essay (20-40 pages) that reviews and critiques literatures appropriate to the research questions would be expected to accompany it; a shorter essay (10-20 pages) would be appropriate to accompany a video case study.
  
  Students wishing to pursue the option of a written paper with oral presentation for their capstone project are advised to enroll in a course designed for intensive research and writing appropriate to the forms of the project (e.g., EDC G 689, EDC G 690, EDC G 696, CRCRTH 692, CRCRTH 693, CRCRTH 694, ABA 663). The course instructor and one other faculty member then serve as advisors for the project, but this arrangement and the form of the capstone project must be established before the start of the semester in which it is undertaken. Oral presentations before the advisors and peers are arranged toward the end of that semester.

Minimum grade: At least a 3.0 cumulative GPA
Statute of Limitations:: Five years

Graduate Program Director Christopher Martell
christopher.martell@umb.edu