Majors & Degrees

The Educational Technology program offers several different programs:

A master’s degree in Educational Technology, in which you take a variety of core courses in the field, select a specialization and take three courses in it, add some elective courses, and finish with a practicum and portfolio. Specializations include:

• Management of Educational Technologies (usually chosen as part of the Computer/Technology Endorsement to your teaching license, see below).
• Designing Instructional and Performance Solutions (focused on instructional design and related skills and useful for working in training and educational settings).
• Immersive Technologies for Learning, which prepares you to understand and use cutting edge technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, games and simulations, and the new ones coming down the road.
• Online and Blended Learning and Teaching, focused on how to design and teach such courses, as well as the research base for them. 

For master’s students who are interested in doing research in the field and perhaps moving on to a doctorate in the field, a research-based master’s thesis can be substituted for the Practicum and Portfolio. This might involve adding a few credit hours to the basic program but is highly recommended for students with these interests. Discuss this possibility with your advisor.

The Computer/Technology Endorsement that can be added to your existing teaching license (NB: Ohio does not have an initial teaching license in this field at this time). If you do not yet have a master’s degree, then you should apply for the ETEC master’s program and choose the Managing School Technologies specialization within. Make sure that you discuss this with your advisor to be sure you are meeting all the requirements. If you already have a master’s degree in an appropriate field (contact the program coordinator about this) and a teaching license, then you may add the endorsement with a 15 credit-hour program.

The Computer Science Endorsement program is intended for teachers who want to become computer science educators or assume technology leadership positions in a school or at the district level. This endorsement must be added to an existing teaching license and cannot be obtained independently as a separate licensure. You may work toward both a master’s degree and the endorsement by choosing the Computer Science concentration in the degree. If you already have a master’s degree in education or another appropriate field, you may be able to earn the endorsement with a 21 credit-hour program.

A Kent State Certificate in Online and Blended Learning and Teaching. This is a nine credit-hour certificate that can be completed in less than one year. If you decide to continue in the field, then the coursework for the certificate can apply to a master’s degree. Note that university rules do not allow coursework that is too old to be applied to a later degree program, so do not wait too long to pursue this.

A Ph.D. concentration in Educational Technology as part of the doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. This degree is primarily for people interested in furthering their career and the field itself through research and development efforts.

A doctoral concentration in Educational Technology as part of the Ed.D. program in Interprofessional Leadership. This degree prepares leaders in educational technology who intend to facilitate positive change and implement educational technology initiatives in educational, business, and community settings.