The University of Miami School of Education and Human Development has introduced several new online degree offerings for the upcoming academic year. Students can now earn an M.S.Ed. or an Ed.D. in the Applied Learning Sciences.
While human learning has been studied since ancient times, the learning sciences are a relatively new field of study that cuts across multiple disciplines in the study of learning. UM’s graduate programs in the Applied Learning Sciences draw upon these interdisciplinary areas of study to focus on the design and development of effective learning methodologies and solutions. Coursework in the applied learning sciences will incorporate social, cognitive, and non-cognitive aspects of learning.
UOnline’s Applied Learning Sciences program will benefit anyone seeking to understand how to design, implement, and evaluate learning environments such as practicing and aspiring teachers at all levels of education; work-place trainers and other individuals in similar roles; and designers of games, exhibits, and other settings where human interaction takes place. Unlike other masters and doctorate of education programs, UOnline graduates can move beyond the traditional education sphere and consider roles in professional learning design, training, organizational development roles in consultancies and training providers. Entrepreneurial graduates can look at developing learning products or technologies for education technology companies.
The program is taught by a multilingual and multicultural group of academics and professionals from top-ranked institutions who have a wealth of experience in different areas of education. Faculty members include Associate Professor Ji Shen, Ph.D., whose current work aims to engage elementary-age students in robotics and computer science, and Professor Walter G. Secada, Ph.D., current Senior associate dean for Graduate Studies of the School of Education and Human Development. Secada previously served as the Director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Hispanic Dropout Project. All Applied Learning Sciences faculty are active researchers and published authors, and all UOnline faculty also teach on campus.
Students in the program will be required to submit a cumulative project rather than a thesis or dissertation. The project will focus on solving a local problem within a student’s workplace or community. The final product will reflect what the student has learned throughout their tenure in the program.
The M.S.Ed. and Ed.D. programs have both been limited in size to keep class sizes small and ensure one-on-one instruction between students and faculty. Applications are being accepted online. Visit www.miami.edu/online for more information.
