Application Instructions

To apply to one of our Masters Programs, please carefully follow these instructions:

1. Complete the Cal State Apply online. For Fall admissions, it opens on October 1st of the previous year. (For example, Admission for Fall 2024 opens on October 1^st, 2023.) The deadlines vary, check with the specific program.
2. Using Quadrant IV in Cal State Apply, upload your Supplemental Application Materials and request your Letters of Recommendation.
3. You may be called for an interview or asked for clarifications.
4. For admissions requirements for International Students, please visit International Programs and Global Engagement Admission Information.
5. The College of Education welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds and with diverse experiences. For more information please read our non-discrimination policy.

Ed.S.: School Psychology

Program Description

The Specialist in Education, School Psychology (Ed.S.) is an advanced degree that requires students to have completed both the MA in Education (School Psychology) or its equivalent, and the Pupil Personnel Services School Psychology Endorsement Credential. Completion of the Ed.S. requires additional coursework (beyond the MA and Credential requirements) focused on identifying and addressing school-related issues that arise during school psychology practice. The School Psychology program at CSUS is approved as a Specialist level program by the National Association of School Psychologists.

Admission Requirements

Admission as a classified graduate student in the Specialist in Education (Ed.S.) - School Psychology, requires:

• A baccalaureate degree;
• A minimum 3.0 overall grade point average (if GPA is below 3.0, student may be accepted conditionally);
• Completion of the Qualtrics survey at this link: https://csus.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cMIf6GJ1Xo7nZFI. An advisor in the CoE Student Success Center will then evaluate your submission and make a determination about whether California’s Basic Skills requirement has been met.
• Provision Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores; and
• Completion of the following prerequisite courses or their equivalents (contact a school psychology advisor for more information on equivalent experiences):

Program Prerequisites

1. Knowledge of special education and the education of exceptional learners.
2. Instruction on how to teach, and/or experience teaching, school aged youth.
3. Experience working with diverse learners in a K-12 school setting.
4. Courses taken that address the following topics:
   1. Abnormal psychology
   2. Introduction to counseling
   3. Descriptive statistics
   4. Exploration of cultural and linguistic diversity

MA: Curriculum & Instruction

Program Description

The Master of Arts in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) is designed to provide professional and specialized preparation for the candidate interested in acquiring knowledge and skills essential for the design and development of curriculum and related instructional practices. The program provides a variety of options for educators to develop and enhance expertise in a particular field of interest related to elementary, middle school, and secondary education. Each course is designed to produce an ideal blend of theory, research and practice in modern, diverse educational settings. The program is committed to exploring critical intellectual questions of contemporary education. Program instructors bring varied levels of expertise with advanced degrees from major research universities and classroom experience in K-12 and higher education settings.

Students may apply to either a stateside traditional cohort or a College of Continuing Education online cohort. The traditional cohort will meet face-to-face. The online cohort will meet approximately 25% synchronously (real time) and 75% asynchronously (your own schedule within a given timeframe). During the synchronous sessions students will participate in community development, collaboration, and communications that will allow them to get to know their peers and instructors and facilitate instructional delivery suited to an online format. During asynchronous sessions students will build on learning experiences acquired in the synchronous sessions while deepening the knowledge, skills and dispositions that emerge with reflective, "on your own schedule" participation. Students in the online cohort will complete six units of coursework during the summer term as part of the condensed format.

MA: Language & Literacy

Program Description

The Master of Arts in Language and Literacy is designed for the administrator, the classroom teacher, and the specialist teacher of language and literacy for all types of children, youth, and adults. The program includes required courses in Professional Education and selected courses in language and literacy.

This degree:

• prepares teachers to work with students with reading difficulties.
• prepares teachers for language and literacy leadership roles at school and district levels.
• offers graduate students opportunity to work with people with reading difficulties in a clinical setting.
• encourages graduate students to gain new insights into current research in the field of language and literacy.

Sacramento State’s Master of Arts in Language and Literacy is a 30-unit graduate program designed for administrators, classroom teachers, or specialist teachers of language and literacy for pre-kindergarten through adults. You will receive field experience and a venue to research your own literacy, as well as find answers to many of the literacy questions that plague all effective reading teachers. Coursework includes clinical experience with extreme reading difficulties.

As a graduate student in the Language and Literacy Masters program, you will:

• Develop research-based skills and knowledge related to the teaching of reading and writing to learners of diverse backgrounds
• Apply knowledge about the role of academic language, motivation, background knowledge, concept information and vocabulary development in reading and writing
• Use initial and ongoing assessment as the basis of reading instruction
• Demonstrate proficiency in understanding literacy-related research
• Understand the context for global literacy discourse as we examine multi-literacies to enhance learning
• Know how to apply literacy strategies to instruction, to assess learning, and to share this knowledge with practitioners

MA: Multicultural Education

Program Description

The Multicultural Education graduate program explores theoretical and pedagogical issues related to working with diverse culturally, linguistically, ethnically, and low-income populations across educational and community settings. The program includes history, research and pedagogy on bilingualism, multiculturalism, educational equity, social justice, and ethnic studies, offering courses and experiences to assist educators to work successfully in classrooms, schools, and educational agencies within our diverse state. The curriculum develops students' historical, pedagogical, analytical, and planning skills in order to prepare them to operate effectively in the development, implementation and analysis of educational policies and programs, as well as in social justice projects and advocacy to serve historically underserved and underrepresented groups in K-12 education.

The faculty's role in the preparation of students mirrors what the program seeks to promote in the public schools. The program encourages our credential and graduate students to use of languages other than English in the university and classroom settings. Instructors and University supervisors have backgrounds that include expertise and experience in the areas of bilingual and multicultural education. We strive to support our students in the examination of educational theories and methods from a multicultural perspective, taking into account gender, race, language, social class, and disability. Finally, we work towards preparing students to take an active role in the reconstruction of the education system into one that is equitable for students from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds.

MA: Workforce Development Leadership

A concentration within the Educational Leadership & Policy Studies program.

Program Description

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies aims to develop TK-12, higher education, and workforce development leaders from diverse backgrounds who will positively impact all educational settings. The program specifically focuses on cultivating leaders who promote learning, equity, social justice and achievement for all students. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies seeks to prepare transformational leaders with the capacity to effectively facilitate and manage change.

Workforce Development has emerged as a vibrant field in professional education and training. In educational settings, workforce development unites the activities of many units, blending academic, career and technical studies, and advising and counseling.

The Workforce Development Leadership (WDL) program aims to develop leaders from diverse backgrounds with the skills and dispositions to successfully organize and manage workforce development programming. The program focuses on cultivating leaders who promote learning, equity, social justice, opportunity and achievement for all students.

MA: Higher Education Leadership

A concentration within the Educational Leadership & Policy Studies program.

Program Description

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies aims to develop TK-12, higher education, and workforce development leaders from diverse backgrounds who will positively impact all educational settings. The program specifically focuses on cultivating leaders who promote learning, equity, social justice and achievement for all students. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies seeks to prepare transformational leaders with the capacity to effectively facilitate and manage change.

The mission of the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Higher Educational Leadership program is to develop educational leaders from diverse backgrounds who will effectively lead and improve higher education systems. Our program aims to prepare school teachers, who possess the following core skills, qualities, and characteristics:

• Be visionary change agents
• Create collaborative learning communities
• Engage in reflective leadership practices
• Lead for inclusiveness, multiculturalism, and change
• Implement research-based and site-based best practices
• Be a creative and innovative leader in a changing world

Past graduates of our program successfully serve in a broad variety of leadership roles within higher education four-year institutions, community colleges, and professional associations in the field of higher education systems both in the region and across the state, as well as throughout the nation and around the globe. In addition, upon completion of our program, several of our graduates have chosen to pursue a Doctorate in Educational Leadership degree at California State University, Sacramento.

Here is what Makes Our Programs Unique:

1. Hybrid, and Online Options: We offer hybrid and online options for our programs in order to meet the needs of our students.
2. Supportive Cohort-Based Learning: The students in your cohort will matriculate through all coursework together, creating opportunities to support and learn from one another.
3. Practitioners as Faculty: Courses are taught by current and past higher education practitioners knowledgeable about educational policy matters who are considered leading experts within their fields.

MA: TK-12 Educational Leadership

A concentration within the Educational Leadership & Policy Studies program.

Program Description

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies aims to develop TK-12 leaders from diverse backgrounds who will positively impact all educational settings. The program specifically focuses on cultivating leaders who promote learning, equity, justice and achievement for all students. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies seeks to prepare transformational leaders with the capacity to effectively facilitate and manage change.

The mission of the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies is to develop equity focused educational leaders who will effectively lead and improve TK-12 school systems. Our program aims to prepare school leaders who possess the following core qualities and characteristics:

• Be visionary change agents
• Lead for equity
• Create collaborative learning communities
• Engage in reflective practice
• Be socially just leaders
• Lead for inclusiveness
• Implement research-based and site-based best practices
• Be instructional leaders

Past graduates of our program successfully serve in a broad variety of leadership roles within the TK-12 educational setting (such as vice principal, principal, superintendent, director, instructional leader, California Department of Education leadership, etc.). In addition, upon completion of our program, several of our graduates have chosen to pursue a Doctorate in Educational Leadership degree at California State University, Sacramento.

Here is what Makes Our Programs Unique:

1. Hybrid, and Online Options: We offer hybrid and online options for our programs in order to meet the needs of our students.
2. Accelerated Programs: You can complete your Preliminary Administrative Services Credential (PASC) in as little as 10.5 months. The Masters in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies can also be earned concurrently, with the addition of a semester.
3. Supportive Cohort-Based Learning: The students in your cohort will matriculate through all coursework together, creating opportunities to support and learn from one another.
4. Practitioners as Faculty: Courses are taught by current and past TK-12 practitioners who are considered leading experts within their fields.
5. Preliminary Administrative Services Credential & MA: Our credential courses coincide with our Master in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies degree; therefore both the Preliminary Administrative Service Credential (PASC) and the Master’s degree can be earned concurrently, should applicants seek both. Aspiring school leaders can complete our Preliminary Administrative Services Credential in less than 11 months and complete their Master in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies degree with an addition semester.

MS: Counseling

The Master of Science in Counseling program is a clinically focused three year, full-time, in person, academic program that meets the educational requirements for becoming a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in the State of California. The program is clinically oriented with didactic and experiential courses, a 100-hour clinical practicum, and 600-800 hours of internship. The MS Counseling program is evaluated by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and each of our concentration/specialization areas are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The program offers 4 concentrations: Career, Marriage Couple and Family, Rehabilitation, and School Counseling.

Preliminary Administrative Services Credential

Program Description

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies' Preliminary Administrative Services Credential program aims to develop P-12 educational leaders from diverse backgrounds who will positively impact P-12 educational settings. The program specifically focuses on cultivating leaders who promote learning, equity, justice and achievement for all students.