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Welcome to the mini handbook for the Interdisciplinary Studies in Education (IDS) M.Ed. Program in the Department of Education of The College of Education and Social Services at The University of Vermont. Our team is prepared to help you succeed in the program.

• Cris Mayo, Director, Cris.Mayo@uvm.edu
• Chris Caswell, Administrative Support, Chris.Caswell@uvm.edu

Overview of Requirements for the Interdisciplinary Studies in Education M.Ed.

• Students complete 30 credits at graduate level. For master’s students, this generally means 6000-level courses. Do not take undergraduate courses: they will not count toward your master’s degree.
• Of the 30 credits, 18 credits are courses in the College of Education and Social Services (CESS), including 6 credits in EDFS 6010 Intro to Interdisciplinary and EDFS 6020 Philosophy of Education. You may substitute EDLP 6008 Inequalities and Ed Policy or EDCI 6990 Curriculum Theory for one of these EDFS courses.
• Comprehensive exam: There are 3-4 papers you’ve already written for courses and a 5-10 page paper analyzing the trajectory of your research/studies, about 40 pages.
• Time limit: Students have up to 5 years to complete the degree or request extension. The Graduate College has usually been responsive to such requests.

The earliest graduation for students completing 30 credits in summer 2023 will be January 2024.

Degree Strands

This IDS degree includes 2 strands; one in social justice education and the in an independently-designed interdisciplinary studies focus. Most courses are online synchronous, as are courses in the graduate certificates listed below, although some of their courses may be online asynchronous.

Programs of Interest

• Disability Studies Certificate of Graduate Study
• Resiliency-Based Approaches and Trauma-Informed Practice Certificate of Graduate Study
• Education for Sustainability Certificate of Graduate Study

If you are pursuing the strand in social justice education, you may be interested in the following courses. Please see the to see which courses are available in any given semester.

• EDFS 6010 Introduction to Interdisciplinarity (tentatively rescheduled for spring 2024)
• EDFS 6990 Genders and Sexualities in Education (fall 2023, T 6-9 pm, online synchronous, Prof. Mayo)
• EDCI 6990 Curriculum Theory (fall 2023, online asynchronous, Prof. Carter)
• EDML 6990 Social Justice Teaching & Advocacy (fall 2023, mix of synchronous and asynchronous online)
• EDHI Social Justice/Inclusion in Higher Ed 6120 (fall 2023, T 1:15-4:15 pm, Prof. Turner)
• EDLP 6008 Inequalities and Educational Policy (spring 2024)
• EDSP/CSD 5250 Culture of Disability (fall 2023, online synchronous W 4:05-7:05 pm, Prof. Looby)
• ECLD 6030 Language, Policy, Race, & Schools (not offered this fall, check for spring)
• EDFS 6120 Analyzing and Writing Qualitative Research (not offered this fall, check for spring)
• EDFS 6990 Critical Race Theory in Education (not offered this fall, check for spring)
• EDFS 6050 Race, Justice, and Education (not offered this fall, check for 2024-2025)

Master's Comprehensive Exam Requirements

All master’s degrees require a comprehensive exam, that is, some form of comprehensive discussion of your degree. For IDS: in consultation with your advisor, the comps is a portfolio of papers indicative of your main focus with a new 5-10 page overview reflecting on the interconnection among those papers or the trajectory your research has taken. Approximate length: 40 pages.

Master's Thesis Option

In addition to the comps, you may opt to write a master’s thesis in consultation with your advisor. You must take 6 credits of research coursework for the thesis (6 credits in the master’s thesis course EDFS 6391 in the new numbering system) and strongly recommend 3 credits in a research course (please contact me to discuss which one). You will not receive credit for 6 credits of EDFS 6391 if you do not complete your thesis, so please choose this option carefully. The master’s thesis requires a review of literature chapter and remaining chapters are developed in consultation with your advisor. You’ll need to find two other master’s committee members, including one to serve as “chair” who will facilitate a thesis defense meeting. Typical length of master’s thesis: 50-75 pages. 

Please see Graduate College Calendar of Events for dates related to master’s thesis defense and notification policies. Generally, your master’s thesis must be defended 3 weeks prior to graduate date but do check for specific dates.

Important Graduate College Information

Please visit each of the following links to specific guidance and relevant forms regarding:

• Apply for Transfer Credits

Leave of Absence

You may need to take an official leave of absence at some point, for instance, if you’re only able to take courses in the fall but not the spring or vice versa. Please contact your advisor and apply for that before the start of the semester you’re taking a leave from. See the webpage for more information.  

Advisor Meetings

Please meet with your advisor, Prof. Cris Mayo, at least once a semester, even just responding to email check ins, if that’s enough for you. But please always, too, feel more than welcome to set up additional meetings. If you have questions about where to find forms, how to register, etc., and other administrative issues, please contact Chris.Caswell@uvm.edu.

Questions?

Please contact either Cris Mayo (cris.mayo@uvm.edu) or Chris Caswell (chris.caswell@uvm.edu) about questions you might have. Cris can provide advising guidance, and Chris can provide programmatic advice, links, and forms.