Program Overview

MEd in Curriculum Studies

The MEd in Curriculum Studies is a part-time cohort program for working professionals and teachers throughout BC, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. With a focus on Practitioner Inquiry and Place-Conscious Pedagogies, the program explores the connections between place-conscious learning, rurality, and curriculum.

Program Overview

This 30-credit graduate cohort allows students to:

• Experience a blended learning approach, featuring on-campus summer sessions in Nelson, BC
• Expand knowledge related to Practitioner Inquiry and Place-Conscious Pedagogies
• Consider a diversity of perspectives, pedagogies, and curriculum conceptions
• Engage in topics such as school and community engagement and practitioner inquiry as they relate to a broad range of rural educational contexts

Program Details

Program Themes

• Practitioner Inquiry attends to the generativity that can come from educators inquiring into the contexts within which they teach and learn. Taking up pedagogy and curriculum as participatory, responsive, co-created and as an ethical act of inquiry, educators can develop leadership capacities within themselves and their communities.
• Place-Consciousness offers an informed and critical perspective on the relationships between people and the places they inhabit. Place-conscious education challenges learners to consider where they are, how they got here, and to examine the tensions that exist between different cultural groups in particular communities over time. Seen in this light, places provide a local focus for socioecological experiences and inquiry.
• Pedagogy focuses on the ways that educators engage with learners, and the philosophical connections between intentions, epistemologies, practices, and learners.

Proposed Schedule

This 30-credit program consists of the following courses: | Date | Course Title | Format | Course Code | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | August 2026 | Practitioner Inquiry and Place-Conscious Pedagogies | In-person | EDCP 585 | | August 2026 | Curriculum Issues and Theories | In-person | EDCP 562 | | September 2026 | Field Experiences: Exploring Indigenous Historical and Cultural Sites for Learning | Online | EDCP 598 | | January 2027 | Theorizing Pedagogy | Online | EDCP 542 | | May 2027 | Research Methodology in Education | Online | EDUC 500 | | July 2027 | Review of Research in Curriculum and Pedagogy (Elective) | In-person | EDCP 508 | | September 2027 | Curriculum Change, Planning and Implementation | Online | EDCP 566 | | January 2028 | Living Inquiry in Learning Communities | Online | CCFI 501 | | May 2028 | Education Action Research | Online | EDCP 512 | | July 2028 | Graduating Paper | In-person | EDCP 590 |

In addition, two electives (400- or 500-level courses) are required.

Recommended Electives

• EDCP 508 | Review of Research in Curriculum and Pedagogy
• EDCP 512 | Education Action Research
• EDCP 514 | Art/o/graphy
• EDCP 532 | Theories and Dimension of Place-based Learning: Ecohumanist, Critical and Indigenous Lenses
• EDCP 538 | Theory and Research in Environmental Education
• EDCP 539 | Narrativity, Indigeneity and Ecopedagogy
• EDST 542 | Fostering Learning in Practice
• EDCP 563 | Curriculum Evaluation
• EADM 558 | Leadership for Sustainability

Application Requirements

All students must meet the following requirements for the program:

• A completed 4-year undergraduate degree with an average in the B+ range (76% at UBC) in all senior-level courses.
• A 600-word statement of intent clearly outlining experiences and interests in Practitioner Inquiry and Place-Conscious Pedagogies, and how the specialization in Curriculum Studies supports your professional goals.
• Statements of support from three referees, including whenever possible professors or administrators who can speak to your experience and interest in this topic, academic abilities and potential to complete a graduate program.
• Resumé.
• Preference will be given to those with two years’ teaching experience, those with equivalent engagement with schools, local or international communities, NGOs, and other related activities, and those with demonstrated academic interests in the area of study.

Fees

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors and may be adjusted without prior notice.

Student Fees

Student fees include fees established and authorized by the UBC Board of Governors and fees established and authorized by students societies. These fees are in addition to tuition fees.

Funding Eligibility

As this program is part-time, it is not eligible for student loans or other types of funding.

Program Timeline

• Start Date: August 2026
• Length: 2.5 years | part-time
• Format: Blended (online & in-person)
• Location: Summers in Nelson, BC

Application Timeline

After your application is submitted, all documents are uploaded, and references have been received, your application file is considered complete. The entire process generally takes 8 to 12 weeks.