Before you can work as an instructional coordinator, you need your master's degree, and you may want to know about the courses required for a master's degree in curriculum and instruction. Those working in this field often go into schools, watch teachers at work and make recommendations as to how those teachers can better reach their students. They also help improve and design new curriculum. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these professionals make more than $62,000 a year. Take a look at some of the classes that you'll take before looking at colleges.
Core Courses
Some of the courses required for a master's degree in curriculum and instruction are core educational courses. When you major in education in college, you take general education courses like research methods and English composition. Think about the core courses in a master's program as similar classes that will give you fundamental knowledge in the education field. You'll often take courses on teaching methods to learn about the most effective ways to teach students and classes on the measurement and assessment of individual students.
Curriculum Development Classes
You can also look forward to taking classes on curriculum development. Curriculum is a term that refers to the classes that students must take. A student in high school who wants to go to college will usually take math, social studies, English, science and foreign language classes. Courses on curriculum development teach you how to design the curriculum that a school district or individual school might follow. You'll also learn more about designing the curriculum that a single class follows, including how to select the right textbooks and the assignments that students do based on their homework.
Instructional Design
If you visited six teachers teaching the same book to students of the same age, you might notice that they all teach their classes in a different way. Instructional design classes help you learn the best ways to teach others and what teachers need to do to improve their own teaching methods. These courses may focus on classroom management too. Effective teachers know how to get and command the attention of their students, what to do about problem students and how to make their students complete all their homework. You'll learn what signs indicate that a teacher has problems with classroom management.
Concentration Classes
Depending on the university that you attend, some of the courses required for a master's degree in curriculum and instruction may relate to your concentration. A concentration, also called a specialization, is a narrow topic that you study within the larger educational field. You might choose a concentration in early childhood education to learn more about working with children in preschool or elementary school, or you might decide on a concentration in teaching English as a second language. Some colleges also offer a concentration in administration for those who want to work as superintends or principals.
Related Resource: What Courses are Required for a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction?
The skills children develop and the knowledge they pick up in school are things that they will carry with them through college and beyond. Working in certain education jobs gives you the chance to help them develop all the right skills. The courses required for a master's degree in curriculum and instruction to work in this area of education include core education classes and classes from within your concentration.