Introduction

Expanding on foundations built by the nationally-recognized UTeach Natural Sciences undergraduate and graduate programs, we are pleased to announce the creation of a new UTeachEngineering Master of Arts in Science and Engineering Education (MASEE). This program will draw teachers from across the state to develop a new generation of Master Teacher leaders in the emerging field of secondary engineering education. Graduates of the MASEE program will return to their districts as highly-qualified content and instructional specialists who are ready to lead students and educators in the transition to challenge- and design-based learning that is at the heart of engineering education.

MASEE, a collaborative effort of the Cockrell School of Engineering and the Colleges of Education and Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, will parallel the UTeach Master of Arts in Science and Mathematics Education program, but with a focus on addressing the unique pedagogical demands of engineering education. We are currently working to develop four new engineering courses to meet the needs of teachers who wish to increase their content knowledge and to use this knowledge effectively in a secondary setting. These new courses will be developed by university faculty, along with master teachers who have extensive experience in middle and high school classrooms.

A new MASEE cohort will begin the program each summer. Students in the MASEE program, who will be admitted by a joint panel of the Colleges of Education and Natural Sciences and the Cockrell School of Engineering, will be selected on the basis of sufficient content strength and evidence of interest in improving their pedagogy and capacity for leadership..

Overview

• The MASEE degree will be completed in three 9-week summer sessions on the UT campus and four long semesters of online course work.
   
• Scholarships will be available to subsidize costs of tuition. Housing and travel assistance will be provided as needed for the summer sessions.
   
• The final summer requires participation in a University research group and final completion of the program requires a report relating a candidate's advanced content knowledge to the teaching and learning of engineering in the secondary setting.

Application Process

Applications for the MASEE program are currently being accepted. The deadline to apply for Summer 2010 admission is February 15.

Candidates are selected through a competitive application process. Interested individuals must:

• Apply to The University of Texas Graduate School by completing the on-line application at: http://www.utexas.edu/student/admissions/grad/
• Take the General GRE (multiple choice only) and have the scores submitted to the University by the required deadline.
• Download the forms you will need for submitting the following supplemental information at: http://www.utexas.edu/student/admissions/giadownload/. The first form is entitled "Cover" and the second set of forms is entitled "Request for Reference & Statement of Purpose forms". This second set of forms contains important information such as:
  • Code for routing the graduate school application to the appropriate department - use the code for Science Education (632700);
  • 3 Cover forms for your Requests for Reference;
  • 1 Cover form for your Statement of Purpose.
• Write a Statement of Purpose using the form downloaded from the GIAC site. This statement must describe how your professional goals to be a master teacher leader will be met by completion of the UTeach Master of Arts in Science and Engineering Education. Include specific examples from past work that will convince the application review committee of your potential to grow in content knowledge and become a mentor, coach and teacher / leader in your classroom, on your school campus and in the school district. Be sure to specify in your Statement of Purpose that you are applying to the SUMMER UTeach Master's of Arts in Science and Engineering Education Program.
• Submit three letters of recommendation. On page 6 of the Application you will list your "3 References". After you click "Submit" on your application two emails will automatically be sent to each Reference. One of the emails will contain a hyperlink that will take them to a secure website where they can write and submit their letter of reference for you. After your Reference has submitted the letter, you will be able to see on your checklist that it has been completed. You may ask a 4th or 5th Reference. Start by emailing Marla.Boye@austin.utexas.edu with your full name, UTEID, the full name of the Reference with Title (example: Mrs., Prof., Assoc. Director, Principal), and the Recommender's email address. Marla Boye will send them an electronic reference form that will be logged on your application checklist after the Reference responds. The letters must be submitted from Department Chairs, Principals, and District Administrators attesting to your potential as a master teacher leader. These letters should include specific information regarding the support you will be given to exercise your role as a master teacher leader once you return to your campus or your district. For example, will you be given release time to mentor, observe and co-teach with your colleagues during the school day? Or, will you be given responsibility and funding to create and run staff development sessions focused on improving student learning in science and/or engineering? Will your increased knowledge and skills be utilized in the development, implementation and testing of an engineering curriculum implementation plan, new curriculum and/or assessments of student achievement?
• Download from this web site and complete the Science and Mathematics Education Degree Designation Form and send it, along with your Statement of Purpose, References, Science and Mathematics Education Degree Designation Form and a resume, to Jennifer Wagner at the following address:

Jennifer Wagner
Curriculum and Instruction
1 University Station - D5700
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712

For specific questions regarding the UTeach SUMMER Master's Education program, please contact Jennifer Wagner.

Innovative New Courses

MASEE is built on the foundation of the existing UTeach Master of Arts in Science and Mathematics Education program, into which it will incorporate four new courses.

• Foundations in Engineering and Design (core course) This course will introduce students with limited training in engineering to the scope of engineering, basic foundations of engineering science, and engineering design. The course will be designed to cover essential elements as defined by the State of Texas in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for engineering, and will prepare enrollees to pass the engineering teacher certification exam. A student laboratory will be dedicated to the course.
   
• Knowing and Learning in Engineering (core course) This course will improve students’ understanding of current theories of learning and conceptual development in engineering. In particular, students will examine engineering as a unique field (rather than simply as an application of math and science) and will explore pedagogical differences in these fields.
   
• Engineering Energy Systems (area survey course) In a design-centered education program, the applications of engineering become the framework for teaching, rather than groupings of underlying principles. Students learn necessary fundamental principles as they address challenges and design problems. In this course, engineering fundamentals such as thermodynamics, and mass and energy balances will be used to evaluate the energy supply systems and the efficiencies of various forms of energy demand. Challenges and design problems will examine concepts such as building energy efficiencies, using a test house available at the University of Texas.
   
• Design of Machines and Systems (area survey course) The study of machines is an approachable introduction to engineering for many people because many familiar devices and systems (e.g., appliances, toys, power tools, automobiles) are mechanical or electromechanical in nature. Likewise, existing high school engineering curriculum materials have significant mechanical engineering content (e.g., Project Lead the Way). In this course, students will learn techniques for analyzing and designing machine components (linkages, cams, springs, gears, etc.) within the context of reverse engineering and redesigning existing products. In the process, students will also gain experience in the application of structure methods for engineering design and prototyping.

Comparison of Master of Arts in Science and Mathematics Education and MASEE Programs

This table shows how the new MASEE program builds on and fits into the existing UTeach Master of Arts in Science and Mathematics Education (MASME) program.