MA Teacher Education
Students around a table viewing the material on the television

Transforming Education through Mentored Research

Program Overview

MA in Teacher Education

Overview
Timeline
Prerequisites
Application
Graduation Requirements
Contact Info
801-422-2089
tedgradsec@byu.edu
205 MCKB

Overview

In Teacher Education we recognize how spiritual and academic inquiry are interconnected and guided by the Holy Spirit (D&C 6:14; 3 Nephi 27:29). We follow the divine inquiry process laid out by our Savior. We faithfully ask to receive truth and inspiration, following the Master Teacher “full of grace, equity, and truth” (Alma 9:26) as we engage in critical educational research to improve the lives of children, youth, and families.

In the teacher education master’s program, you will:

  • Engage in meaningful mentored research through thesis work guided by faculty mentors.  
  • Pose meaningful questions of practice and explore what scholars say on various education related topics.
  • Become a responsible and critical consumer of educational research.
  • Analyze and seek to address ethical and equity concerns, including complex educational issues affecting marginalized groups and vulnerable populations.

After completing the program, you will be able to understand and apply learning from research to improve your practice as teachers, become a teacher leader in schools and districts, and prepare for doctoral studies or other advanced scholarship. Learn More

Prerequisites

  • 3.0 total GPA
  • Accredited bachelor’s degree or licensure in area of early childhood, elementary or secondary education, or a related field. Other relevant education experience is considered.
  • 1 year of teaching practice (preferred)

Application Documents

  • Transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
  • 2 letters of recommendation

  • Letter of intent

     

  • Resume
  • Video interview
  • Ecclesiastical Endorsement
  • Honor Code agreement
  • English Proficiency scores (international students only—see below)
  • Name of a faculty member you wish to work with (optional)

How to Apply

The MA in Teacher Education Program admits applicants only every two years. The application is completed online on the Graduate Studies website. See Application Details.

International Applicants

An English proficiency test is required. Because our program is a part-time, evening- and summer-intensive program, international students will be required to take additional credits to maintain their full-time status. Resources are available at International Student and Scholar Services.

Graduation Requirements

33 major credit hours (minimum)

  • 21 core credits
  • 6 elective credits
  • 6 thesis credits

Note: International students will have to take extra credits to maintain full-time status.

Research-based thesis

Final oral defense

ETD (thesis) approval from both MSE and Graduate Studies 

*International students will have to take additional credits.
Program Application Deadline(s): Feb 1, 2028

Recent Research

“Overall, this study demonstrates that picturebooks depicting girls with ADHD exist within an unresolved tension between strengths-based and deficit-based frameworks. Although many texts gesture toward affirming representations, they often continue to position ADHD as a difference that must be managed within existing social and educational norms rather than prompting reconsideration of those norms themselves.”

Depictions of Girls with ADHD in Contemporary Picturebooks: A Critical Content Analysis

Madison Briann Smith – Paul Ricks (chair)

“Findings from this study reveal gaps in the writing instruction provided through the use of the CKLA scripted ELA curriculum. These include gaps related to the use of meaningful writing, teacher autonomy, and tensions teachers feel as they strive to connect research and practice.”

"Where's the Writing?": A Content Analysis of Writing Practices in Second Grade Core Knowledge Language Arts

Jessica Pierce – Lynne Kganetso (chair)

“Comprehensive induction support—including same-subject mentoring, collaboration, and professional training—reduces isolation. Despite the apparent benefits of comprehensive same-subject induction supports, this study also indicates that many induction systems may overlook and fail to adequately support elementary music teachers, with more than one-third reporting no same-subject induction support.”

Same-Subject Induction Experiences for Elementary Music Teachers: Teacher Efficacy Beliefs, Experiences of Isolation, and Job Satisfaction

Wendy Tams Hickman – Erin Feinauer Whiting (chair)

“But the most significant finding may be the simplest one: the teachers in this study grew because they talked honestly with each other, about real teaching, over time. The [pedagogically productive talk] structures mattered because they made that conversation possible.”

The Evolution of Collaborative Dialogue and Instructional Change Among Secondary Mathematics Teachers Engaged in Peer Observation

Shazia Akbar – Brandon McMillan (chair)

“This study demonstrates that wordless picturebooks serve as rich instructional texts that naturally support a range of literacy practices. Students incorporated academic vocabulary, made inferences and predictions across visual sequences, and drew on background knowledge while building meaning collaboratively with peers and their teacher.”

Constructing Meaning with First Graders Using Wordless Picturebooks During Interactive Read-Alouds

Madison Weeter – Paul Ricks (chair)

“The findings indicate that a majority of [Utah Core Mathematics Standards] are represented within the [Mathematics Vision Project/Open Up Resources] curriculum, with 84% identified as aligned through horizontal, vertical, or combined placement. Alignment was most consistent in Algebra, Functions, and Geometry, where standards were primarily addressed within their intended courses. In contrast, Number Systems standards were more evenly distributed across courses, reflecting a spiraled structure, while Data Science standards were less consistently represented and more frequently positioned outside their intended courses or absent from the curriculum. These patterns suggest that alignment varies by strand.”

Examining Curriculum Alignment: Utah Core Mathematics Standards and the Mathematics Vision Project/Open Up Resources

Jennifer Suzanne Young – Laura Wheeler (chair)