Individually Designed Program
The Individually Designed Program (IDP) Masters Degree is a 30-unit program for currently practicing teachers that allows students to "mix and match" graduate-level education courses to best suit their unique needs and interests. Options for units include clearing your credential (requires separate admission), working towards additional authorization on your credential (either elementary or secondary), taking select Instructional Leadership or Special Education courses, and more. The program can be completed in five semesters or at your own pace. The culminating activity is a master’s project that you conduct in your own classroom or school, putting into practice the skills you have developed in your courses.
Course Requirements
30 units total
Please note that course offerings, class schedules and program requirements are subject to change without notice. Please contact the department for more information.
Master's Program Courses
6 units total
- EDU 200: Research Methods (3 units)
- EDU 296A: Masters Project Proposal Seminar (1 units)
- EDU 296B: Masters Project Seminar (2 units)
Possible Electives
24 units
- EDU 213B: Healthy Environments for Student Learning (2 units)
- EDU 240: Curriculum Design and Evaluation (3 units)
- EDU 241: Effective Practices for Coaching and Mentoring Teachers (3 units)
- EDU 242: Creating Inclusive and Motivating Classroom Environments for All Students (3 units)
- EDU 243: Teacher Leadership in Professional Development (3 units)
- EDU 250: Elementary Instruction: Theory and Practice (3 units)
Possible Electives (continued)
- EDU 251B: Typical and Atypical Child and Adolescent Development (3 units)
- EDU 252: Culture and Cultural Diversity (1.5 units)
- EDU 266: Principles of Secondary Education & Content Area Modules (4 units)
- EDU 268: Content-Based Reading Instruction & Content Area Modules (4 units)
- EDU 271: Assessment of Students with Disabilities (3 units)
- EDU 272: Positive Behavior Supports for Students with Special Needs (3 units)
- EDU 279: Supporting Students with Neurological Disorders (3 units)
- EDU 299: Special Topics in Education (3 units)
+Certificate in Inclusive and Responsive Teaching (CIRT)
Candidates enrolling in the Instructional Leadership program are also eligible to concurrently earn the Certificate in Inclusive and Responsive Teaching (CIRT) without taking any additional units beyond the 30 required for the IDP program. This certificate program invites you to improve both your marketability and classroom practice. Approved elective courses focus on expanding skills related to working with students with various special needs. This 12-unit program can be fully embedded within your master’s program when you select electives from the following set of approved courses:
Inclusive and Responsive Teaching Electives
12 units total
- EDU 208B: Responsive Teaching for All Learners (1.5 units)
- EDU 242: Creating Inclusive and Motivating Classroom Environments for All Students (3 units)
- EDU 270B: Special Populations: Supporting Educational Access (2 units)
- EDU 272: Positive Behavior Supports for Students with Special Needs (3 units)
- EDU 278: Program Leadership for Education Specialists (3 units)
- EDU 279: Supporting Students with Neurological Disorders (3 units)
- EDU 251B: Typical and Atypical Child and Adolescent Development (3 units)
- EDU 256: Language and Literacy: Elementary Curriculum (3 units)
- EDU 268: Content-Based Reading Instruction and Content Area Modules (4 units)
+Induction Program to Clear Credential
Teachers may also choose to clear their preliminary credential while completing the Individually Designed Program. Teachers who do so can take elective courses from our Induction Program to Clear Credential (e.g. EDU 225A, 225B, 225C, 225D – 1 unit each). Admission to the Induction Program to Clear Credential requires a separate application and additional application requirements.
Ask your advisor about adding these latter two program options to your plan!
*The Preliminary and Induction Teacher Preparation Programs meet the standards for and have been approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC), leading to a California Preliminary or Clear Teaching Credential. Students who wish to practice in a state other than California will have additional licensing requirements to complete prior to practicing in a state outside of California. Mount Saint Mary鈥檚 University is in the process of researching program professional licensure standards in other states. Contact the Education department at educationdepartment@msmu.edu to discuss additional requirements that may be needed to obtain a teaching credential in a state outside of California.