GRADUATE DEGREE — MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ADULT EDUCATION

Master of Science in Adult EducatioN

The Master of Science in Adult Education program provides a practitioner-oriented master's degree for individuals interested in working with adult learners in a variety of fields, including continuing professional education, corporate training and development, postsecondary education, or adult basic education, among others. Established in 1946, it is one of the nation's oldest adult education programs. Converted to an online format in 1998, the program offers the flexibility needed by working professionals.

The program is designed to help professionals like you to teach adult learners better. It provides a strong background in adult learning and program planning, as well as the diverse philosophical, theoretical, and historical contexts of adult education in the United States. It emphasizes purposeful, active learning and the development of reflexive practitioners who apply theory to practice and, in turn, practice to theory. All courses are online and can be accessed 24/7.

Students in the program come from diverse backgrounds and are engaged in a wide-range of careers. They can be found working in organizational education, training and development in both for-profit and not-for-profit settings. They are teaching in community colleges and providing educational advising and co-curricular educational support in many higher education institutions and community-based organizations. Others are providing continuing professional education in a variety or areas such as health care, financial services, natural resources management, and social services, or developing and managing specialized adult education programs in the military, religious organizations or government agencies.

What You Will Learn
In the Adult Education Program, you will learn about;

• the different ways in which adults learn and how to assess their needs, interests, motivations, and capabilities;
• designing both small learning events and larger educational programs to support life-long learning;
• working with a variety of stakeholders to develop and manage programs in specific contexts
• leveraging technology to support adult learning;
• the history and philosophical foundations of adult education in the United States;
• evaluating relevant research and applying it to the practice of adult education;
• promoting and supporting diversity in all dimensions of purposeful learning and community engagement

Learning Online

The Adult Education Program is an online program. Only one course in the curriculum (D521 Participation Training) requires any travel. The three-day, face-to-face workshop in Indianapolis provides an opportunity to get to know your fellow students while learning hands-on techniques for improving small group processes. Some students choose to take one or two face-to-face classes outside of Adult Education as part of their Professional Focus Area with permission of their faculty advisor but, with the exception of the three days required for D521, the entire degree can be completed online.

Successful online students are self-motivated, manage their time effectively, enjoy reading and writing, are comfortable with computer technologies, and are willing to get to know other students and instructors through written discussions and Web conferencing. Student interact in a course several times during the week to:

• actively engage in learning conversations
  
• explore new techniques with knowledgeable course facilitators.
  
• gain new perspectives from fellow professionals working in many types of organizations.
  
• participate in new ways of thinking and problem solving through both text-based and multimedia activities.

Throughout the program you are encouraged to develop insights into your own personal development as an adult, engage in communities with integrity and a sense of ethics and demonstrate professional communications skills.

Contact us!
If you have any questions that are not answered in these Web pages, please feel free to contact us.

Jeani Young
Department of Adult Education
620 Union Drive, Room 129 D
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-5167
Phone: 317-274-3456
Fax: 317-278-0895
adulted@iupui.edu

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