M.A. in Educational Transformation

A New Approach to Education

The Master of Arts in Educational Transformation (MAET) equips professionals with the skills and insights needed to tackle tough problems in urban education and to promote the kinds of transformations that will bring greater opportunity – and justice – to children.

At its core, education is about becoming something or someone new. When a child learns to write, to read, to understand their world, they become a new person, with new skills and new talents. Your interest in education may be as a teacher or an advocate or as a curriculum designer or a policy-maker, but whatever your vision for yourself, our task is to ensure that you have the knowledge and understanding to be successful – and to make a difference in the lives of students.

We are committed to experiential learning through a residency-based model. That means that from the beginning of MAET, you will be working in a field-based setting, tackling real problems and real tasks. Ours is a 12-month program, and in that year you will understand the interconnected practices of teaching and policy-making, curricular design and educational leadership. Through an interdisciplinary curriculum, you will be exposed to a breadth of knowledge across four fields and an in-depth understanding of your chosen concentration. For students in Learning & Teaching, a second year is dedicated to earning a teaching license, and during that time you will serve as the teacher-of-record in a classroom, receiving direct guidance and mentoring from clinical faculty members, as well as learning concrete skills to improve your instructional practice through coursework.

We view the education of children as an urgent issue in American life. Chances are, if you’ve read this far, you believe this as well. MAET at Georgetown can help you transform that urgency into knowledge, that commitment into skill, and we’d love to talk with you about your plans!

About MAET

MAET at Georgetown University is an innovative, interdisciplinary program located in the heart of the oldest university in Washington, DC, and the oldest Catholic university in the nation. DC is our home, where we work and where we learn; our aspiration is to ensure that all children – here and elsewhere – have the teachers, schools, opportunities, and resources needed to thrive.

We are creating a new generation of teachers, advocates, policymakers, and leaders who understand what is needed to build a just and equitable educational system. We understand the challenges of urban education and are committed to ensuring our students have the knowledge, skills, foresight, competence, and understanding to transform education – to create vibrant classrooms, design effective policies, build communities, and promote justice within educational systems.

Through a residency-based model that integrates experiential learning with rigorous coursework alongside leading educators and researchers, we prepare educational leaders who will promote the transformations that are needed in classrooms, among students, and in the world to ensure that every child receives a rich education.

In-Depth Understanding

Education is a complex undertaking and understanding its various elements demands an interdisciplinary approach. Students in MAET take four courses that integrate disciplinary perspectives and skills, and six courses that focus intently on one aspect of educational transformation. Initially, we are launching the program with two concentrations – Learning & Teaching and Advocacy & Policy – and we plan to add two more concentrations – Educational Design & Technology and Leadership & Innovation – within the next several years. As we expand our offerings, we remain committed to ensuring that students master the central dynamics of educational transformation to ensure their success, whether in the classroom or in the broader field of education.

Course of Study

MAET embraces four foundational principles:

1. an integrative, interdisciplinary approach to education that stresses systemic thinking;
2. a commitment to an asset-based, culturally relevant approach to children’s learning that reflects the university’s focus on educating the whole child;
3. a commitment to education as a central component of social justice; and
4. an emphasis on graduate learning anchored in both experiential learning and research and the utilization of “knowledge in action” through residency programs.

MAET completion requires 30 credit hours over four semesters, with additional credential-related coursework for the Learning & Teaching concentration during the second year. You can find core and concentration course titles below, alongside the anticipated sequence for each concentration.

Core Courses

Summer I

• Education and Social Justice
• Culturally Relevant Approaches in Education I

Summer II

• Data, Technology and Innovation in Education
• Advocating for Learning and Learners

Learning & Teaching

Fall I

• Teaching Residency I
• Pedagogy for Striving Learners
• Culturally Relevant Approaches in Education II

Spring I

• Teaching Residency II
• Content and Literacy Development Pedagogy
• Growth and Learning in Children & Adolescents

Fall II

• Additional Coursework as Needed in Certification Area

Spring II

• Additional Coursework as Needed in Certification Area

Advocacy & Policy

Fall

• Policy Residency I
• Organizational Change in Education
• Policy Analysis in Education

Spring

• Policy Residency II
• Accountability, Assessment and Evaluation
• Intergovernmental Relations in Education