EDUC 5633 - Curriculum Foundations

This course is designed to examine the nature of curriculum and the basic principles of the curriculum making process with due consideration of a range of historical perspectives. Curriculum as a field and as a practice is examined through foundational theoretical models. Special attention is given to the role of educators, administrators and others who influence the development of curriculum.

EDUC 5513 - Research Design in Education

This course is designed to provide an introduction to multiple paradigms and approaches to research design. Emphasis is placed on participants reading, understanding, and critically engaging with research literature and developing a grounding in ethical best-practices for research with human subjects. Moreover, a focus of the course is on applying the methodologies used to design, analyze and interpret educational research.

EDUC 5053 – Topics in Education: Transformative Curriculum

This course is designed to allow students to engage in the study of special topics that are of emerging interest in their core area. While these studies can be undertaken as a group, they may also consist of instructors working directly with individual students. This course provides a critical examination of curriculum as a site of social, political, and cultural struggle. It explores how educational programs can both replicate systemic inequities and serve as a powerful tool for liberation and social change. Drawing on critical pedagogy, anti-racist education, and decolonial frameworks, students will investigate the "hidden curriculum" and the ways in which power and privilege shape whose knowledge is valued. Students will develop the capacity to design and lead transformative, inclusive, and culturally sustaining curricula that empower all learners.

EDUC 5643 - Major Theoretical Developments in Curriculum Studies

This course focuses on current issues in the field of curriculum studies. The course integrates contemporary work in the social sciences and the humanities in the analysis of curriculum. Students are invited to critically examine the impact of theory that influences curriculum development in schools. Prerequisite(s) or Corequisite(s): EDUC 5633 or permission of the instructor.

EDUC 5053 - Topics in Education: Curriculum and Leadership

This course is designed to allow students to engage in the study of special topics that are of emerging interest in their core area. While these studies can be undertaken as a group, they may also consist of instructors working directly with individual students. This course explores the intersection of curriculum design and leadership. It is grounded in the premise that educational leaders can bridge the gap between complex curricular theories and sustainable, equitable classroom practice. Participants will examine leadership competencies for curriculum design, development, resource selection, implementation, evaluation, renewal, and change. A central focus is on the dynamic processes shaped by leadership vision, institutional policies, and societal and global trends. Through inquiry, participants will investigate the role of leadership—at the classroom, school, regional, and government levels—in negotiating and navigating the contradictions and tensions between standardized mandates and localized, innovative pedagogies.

EDUC 5663 - Curriculum Practice

This course provides an opportunity for students to apply the theoretical implications from previous courses (i.e., 5633 and 5643) to the examination and development of curricula. Students are required to design and develop a curricular project. Prerequisite(s): EDUC 5633, EDUC 5643 or permission of the instructor. This course examines curriculum as a dynamic, living process. It is designed for participants to engage in transformative, context specific inquiry. Curriculum is reimagined as lived experiences with consideration for place and context. Participants explore how pedagogical practices shape identity, power, and community within their specific professional contexts. This course positions curriculum as a participatory and ethical act of inquiry, rather than a fixed set of documents. Participants will take an inquiry stance towards their own practice, investigating their professional contexts, cultivating leadership capacity and transforming curriculum practices.

EDUC 5123 - Curriculum Practice for Inclusive Schooling

This course examines curriculum programs, policies, and practices that are responsive to learner diversity in current educational contexts. Curricular and instructional design are examined within frameworks for equity and inclusive schooling. This course examines curricula and practices (such as anti-racist pedagogies, Africentric learning, treaty education, gender friendly classrooms, culturally responsive pedagogy, and UDL) that are responsive to and affirming of all learner identities in current educational contexts.

EDUC 5053 - Topics in Education: Curriculum and Program Evaluation

This course is designed to allow students to engage in the study of special topics that are of emerging interest in their core area. While these studies can be undertaken as a group, they may also consist of instructors working directly with individual students. This course provides an advanced examination of the relationship between curriculum theory and the systematic evaluation of educational programs. Participants will develop expertise to lead and evaluate educational initiatives for both creating rigorous curricula and evaluating program effectiveness across institutional contexts. A central focus is on viewing curriculum as a component of a larger system, and investigating the effects from planned, enacted and lived experiences of members within the system in relation to organizational goal and intentions.

EDUC 5053 - Topics in Education: Curriculum and Technologies

This course is designed to allow students to engage in the study of special topics that are of emerging interest in their core area. While these studies can be undertaken as a group, they may also consist of instructors working directly with individual students. This course explores the dynamic intersection of curriculum development and the evolving landscape of educational technologies. Participants will critically examine the relationship between curricular theory and technology integration in K-12 inclusive learning environments. A central focus is on critical and transformative pedagogies while investigating the impact and application of emerging technologies such as Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and mobile learning.

EDUC 5053 - Topics in Education: Curriculum and Assessment Literacy

This course is designed to allow students to engage in the study of special topics that are of emerging interest in their core area. While these studies can be undertaken as a group, they may also consist of instructors working directly with individual students. This course explores the theoretical foundations and applied practices of curriculum development and assessment practices within K-12 education. Participants will critically examine the social construction of knowledge and how this acts as a culturally and politically situated framework. Drawing on critical and equity perspectives, this course examines ethics of assessment, particularly for students who face systemic barriers. A central focus is on assessment for and as learning, as vital to student success.

EDUC 5113 - Qualitative Research in Education * (Thesis students only)

This course examines the traditions and paradigms of interpretive research in educational contexts. Practical, ethical, and theoretical issues are shared through class readings, discussion, and practical application. Opportunities are provided for students to learn and practice a variety of interpretive research methods and strategies. Students actively engage in analyzing data from a variety of interpretive perspectives. The intended outcome of the course is to provide students with skills and understanding in a wide range of interpretive research approaches that can be put into practice in classrooms and other research settings. Prerequisite(s): EDUC 5513.

EDUC 5523 - Quantitative Methods in Educational Research * (Thesis students only)

This course provides a background for the educator who must use statistics in research, evaluation and planning. The fundamental statistical tools are reviewed and particular statistical methods applicable to educational problems are introduced in this course. While the student uses computers to calculate and to manage the data, an emphasis is placed upon the interpretation of statistical results. The following topics are part of this course: linear regression and correlation, multiple regression analysis, analysis of variance, and non-parametric statistics.

Applications for a possible 2026 part-time cohort will open October 30th, 2025 and will close on April 15, 2026.

We encourage you to read the information and requirements for the graduate-level admissions process.

Applications for graduate education programs at Acadia include: https://www2.acadiau.ca/admissions/graduate-application.html

• Application (Online)
• Application Fee
• Letter of Intent (uploaded)
• Resume/CV (uploaded)
• Official Transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended (mailed)
• Two References
  • If you have taken a course in the last five years, or are currently enrolled in a course, one academic and one professional reference is required.
  • If you have not taken a course in the last five years, two professional references are required.

Instructions for Letter of Intent for MEd-Curriculum:  Curriculum Studies

• Describe your personal and professional experiences that position you to undertake graduate studies at this time in your career.
• Describe what aspect(s) of curriculum studies aligns with your interest in being educated to be a more effective educator in your context.
• Describe how your past academic performance shows clearly your ability to handle the rigor of graduate studies.
• Describe past academic experiences that would position you to be an effective writer in response to assignment work that you would normally be tasked with at the MEd level.
• What do you hope to learn through your participation in this graduate program?

Mailing Address:
Acadia University, Graduate Studies
18 University Ave, 214 Horton Hall, Box 70, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6

Please visit our Graduate Admissions page to learn more about entry requirements.

If you have any questions about the application process for a graduate education program at Acadia, please contact our Graduate Studies Office, by emailing gradadmissions@acadiau.ca

Applicants should be advised that the application process is competitive. Students in the pool of applications often meet the minimum requirement yet distinguish themselves through other aspects of the application documentation and/or process. Given the number of applications received, the faculty is not resourced sufficiently to respond to queries about unsuccessful applications.

Non-thesis students

Additional requirements:

• 21h electives selected from graduate courses offered by the School of Education or approved graduate courses offered by other departments or schools

Thesis students

Additional requirements:

• 12h electives selected from graduate courses offered by the School of Education or approved graduate courses offered by other departments or schools
• EDUC 5113 – Qualitative Research in Education or EDUC 5523 – Quantitative Methods in Educational Research
• EDUC 5966 – Graduate Thesis