Adult education
Master of education/professional studies
Program
The master of education (M.Ed.)/professional studies program in adult education prepares individuals to design, implement, and evaluate educational activities for adults.
This graduate-level, practitioner-based program is offered by the Department of Work and Human Resource Education (WHRE) in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD).
The program of 34 semester credits includes coursework in adult and continuing education, including a field experience, and in related fields appropriate to the student’s interests. In consultation with a faculty adviser, students may include coursework, independent study, and field experiences in their program plans. Up to six credits in field-based projects, problems courses, independent study, and internships may be applied to the program.
Courses at the University of Minnesota are offered at a variety of times, including late afternoons and evenings. Students can also enroll in courses offered during the summer and at off-campus sites
Admission
Admission requirements to this program include the following criteria:
- A bachelor’s degree with a 2.80 minimum grade point average (GPA) from an accredited college or university (GRE or MAT and graduate courses are optional evidence of academic potential)
- A résumé
- A written personal statement describing your career goals and rationale for interest in the M.Ed. program (limit two pages)
- A completed CEHD Application for Admission to M.Ed./Professional Studies Programs, also available or from the College’s office of Student Services, 110 Wulling Hall, 86 Pleasant Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455; 612-625-6501; e-mail: cehdgrad@umn.edu.
For more information about admission requirements, contact Student Services, 612-625-6501; e-mail: cehdgrad@umn.edu.
The College reviews applications on an ongoing basis. Application reviews for specific academic terms begin by the following dates:
- November 1—spring semester admission
- March 1—summer session admission
- July 1—fall semester admission
Applicants are typically notified of admission decisions four to six weeks after application deadlines.
Transfer credits
A maximum of 14 graduate semester transfer credits may be applied to the M.Ed. program. Credits may include any combination of the following coursework:
- Up to eight graduate semester credits from fully accredited institutions other than the University of Minnesota
- Credits completed at the University of Minnesota before admission to the M.Ed. program.
Transfer courses must be completed at the graduate level and approved by a faculty adviser and the College. Contact the program’s faculty adviser for more information.
Curriculum
Note: WHRE course designators officially changed effective January 2006. Previous course designators are listed below in brackets.
Students must complete at least 34 credits, including the following courses:
- ADED 5101—Strategies for Teaching Adults (3 cr)
- ADED 5102—Perspectives of Adult Learning and Development (3 cr)
- ADED 5103—Designing the Adult Education Program (3 cr)
- ADED 5196—Field Experience in Adult Education
(3 credits are required and no more than 6 credits may be applied toward the program) - ADED elective (3 cr minimum)
- HRD 5301—Organization Development (3 cr)
- WHRE 5001—Survey: Human Resource Development and Adult Education (3 cr)
- WHRE 5901 [WCFE 5901]—Using Research in Work and Human Resource Education (3 cr)
M.Ed. candidates in adult education may also add coursework from the following areas to their program:
- Adult learners, including undereducated adults
- Adult education as a field of practice and a profession
- Teaching adults
- Design of educational activities for adults
- Evaluation of educational activities for adults
- Administration or management of agencies, programs, and personnel related to adult education
- Advising and counseling adult learners
- Adult literacy
- Additional teaching licensure in adult literacy from the state of Minnesota
Note: For course descriptions and schedules, refer to the University of Minnesota Class Schedule.
Registration
Currently admitted degree-seeking or non-degree seeking students may register online for coursework.
Students who want to begin M.Ed. coursework before admission to the M.Ed. program must complete a CEHD First-Time Registration for non-degree seeking Students packet [.pdf]. Packets are also available at the College’s office of Student Services, 110 Wulling Hall, 86 Pleasant Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455; 612-625-6501; e-mail: cehdgrad@umn.edu.
For questions about registration, contact Student Services at 612-625-5815.
Core faculty
Kenneth R. Bartlett
Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Outcomes of human resource development, organization development
612-614-4935; e-mail: bartlett@umn.edu
James M. Brown
Ph.D., Bowling Green State University
Special learning needs, program evaluation
612-624-7754; e-mail: brown014@umn.edu
Gary N. McLean
Ed.D., Columbia University
International human resource development, organizational quality and
productivity, organization development
612-624-4901; e-mail: mclea002@umn.edu
Rosemarie Park
Ed.D., Harvard University
Adult literacy education, workplace literacy, women’s issues
612-625-6267; e-mail: parkx002@umn.edu
Shari L. Peterson
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Adult education, human resource development, student retention
612-624-4980; e-mail: peter007@umn.edu
James R. Stone III
Ed.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Education and work transitions for youth and adults, work-based learning
612-624-1795; e-mail: stone003@umn.edu
Updated October 2005