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
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 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
  • International students must also submit English Proficiency scores
  • Optional - name of a faculty member you wish to work with

How to Apply

The MA in Teacher Education Program admits applicants only every two years. Application is completed online at Graduate studies. See Application Details.

International Applicants

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

Graduation Requirements

  • 33 major credit hours (minimum)
    • 21 core credits
    • 6 elective credits
    • 6 thesis credits
    • Note: international students may have to take extra credits to maintain full-time status
  • Research-based thesis required - see past topics some of our students have chosen below
  • Final Oral Defense
  • College and Graduate Studies ETD (Thesis) approval 

Thesis/Graduation Deadlines

Program Application Deadline(s): Feb 1, 2026

Recent Research

“Implications highlight the need for educational policies, practices, and pedagogies that empower Fijian students to be successful in academic and public spaces, while helping them maintain connection to their ethnic communities and identities—to promote belonging, and to maintain their positions in the vā.”

The Role of Language in Identity and Mediating Connection for Fijian College Students

Grace Tora – Erika Feinauer (chair)

“This thesis explores NHPI college students' perceptions of how their university instructors foster or undermine their sense of school belonging. Overall, instructors should be made aware that they really matter for fostering or undermining NHPI students' experiences of school belonging in the college or university setting.”

The Role of Instructors in Fostering a Sense of Belonging for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander University Students

Kehaulani Malzl – Erika Feinauer (chair)

“Though this study highlights only one English Language Arts teacher’s experience preparing for and presenting read-alouds with expository texts, this research suggests that others may wish to embrace the messiness of planning to expand their read-aloud practices, and that read-alouds with expository texts may be particularly beneficial to adolescents because of their unique developmental needs.”

Preparing for and Engaging Middle School Students in Read-Alouds of Expository Texts

Kari Allsup – Paul Ricks (chair)

“These findings highlight important implications for supporting young children’s emotional literacy through interactive read-alouds, emphasizing the idea that teaching is a personal act, the potential for interactive read-alouds to provide hope or positivity, and the opportunities afforded to foster meaningful interactions with text through developmental bibliotherapy.”

"I Just Have Big Emotions, Okay?!": Exploring Emotional Literacy Through Picture Books

Amie Bigelow – Lynne Kganetso (chair)

“These findings suggest that ePCK is a development of past enacted knowledge. Therefore, the more knowledge that is enacted, the more it develops. ePCK transfers between content areas if the presence of components is both present and are similar.”

ePCK Transfer between Math and Science

Elise Joyner – Ryan Nixon (chair)

“The findings of this study suggest that reimagined versions of the classic tale can open important conversations about courage in the face of danger, living up to (or down to) parents' expectations, reimagining focus and distraction, and positioning oneself as an agent of positive change.”

Power in Picturebooks: A Teacher's Critical Multicultural Analysis of Illustrated Versions of Little Red Riding Hood

Adrianna Galtieri – Paul Ricks (chair)