Message from the Chairperson

Welcome to the home page of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Indiana University. We are a graduate department only; all undergraduate programs are offered through the Office of Teacher Education. Within the department, students can select masters, specialist or doctoral degree programs.

At the master of science level, we offer degrees in Art Education, Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Secondary Education, Social Studies Education, and Special Education. Within the secondary education program, there are Generalist, Mathematics, Music, and Science Education tracks. Individuals with a language background may wish to consider masters programs in the Language Education Department although they are certainly welcome in our elementary and secondary education programs. Students with a background outside of education who wish to gain teacher certification should know that the Elementary Transition to Teach and the Secondary Transition to Teach program are the only programs that link both certification and a master of science degree. In each of the other programs, teacher certification is controlled though the School of Education Certification Office but with appropriate course selection, most coursework can be counted for both certification and a masters degree.

Currently, specialist degrees are offered in Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Special Education, and Science Education. These degrees are for individuals who wish to continue their education beyond the masters but are not interested in pursuing doctorates. We are revising the programs and expect, within the next year, to merge the four specialist degrees into a single specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction.

Doctoral programs have a strong research emphasis and prepare individuals for college and university level research and teaching positions. The department has five doctoral programs.  They are Art Education, Curriculum Studies (Early Childhood, Elementary, Multicultural, Secondary, and Social Studies Education), Mathematics Education, Science Education, and Special Education.

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Indiana University currently has almost 250 graduate students. One of the reasons we have that many students is that our placement record is excellent. Another reason is that our programs are flexible and thus meet the needs of a wide variety of students. Even with a large program, every student gets the personal attention that she or he needs. We hope these web pages answer your questions but if they don't, please contact me and I'll get you the answers you need. My email is cbuzzell@indiana.edu and my phone is (812) 856-8184. Should you be on the IU campus, my office is room 3204 of the Education Building and my door is always open.

Cary Buzzelli
Department Chair