The M.A. in Adult Education and Communications Technology (AECT) is delivered collaboratively by the Department of Adult and Community Education and the Department of Communications Media.
Adult education is a fast-growing field which encompasses the development, delivery, and evaluation of education programs in a broad variety of settings, including business and industry, community colleges, health care, community and social agencies, higher education, corrections, and vocational education. Communications Technology is the application of current and emerging technologies to enhance and supplement the delivery of educational and informational programs. The combination of the theory and research from Adult Education and the knowledge and skills in the use of technology from Communications Technology will place graduates of the program in an advantageous position in the labor market.
Graduates are competitive for such employment opportunities as human resources developers in business and industry; production positions in education, business, and government; public relations positions in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors; entrepreneurs in the rapidly developing market of external program delivery to government, business, and education; and a variety of other jobs which involve the delivery of education and training and the use of technology.
For more information, see the graduate catalog.
Curriculum
The following graphic is a visual display of the curriculum for the Adult and Community Education (ACE) and Adult Education and Communications technology (AECT) programs. The ACE and AECT programs share a common core of courses which include ACE 621, ACE 622, ACE 623, ACE 625, and GSR 615 (15 credits).
The diagram then splits into two sections, each displaying the curriculum of one of the programs. The AECT side of the diagram depicts the core AECT curriculum as COMM 600, COMM 601, COMM 614, COMM 631, and ACE 750 (15 credits). The AECT curriculum then has several options. Students may elect to do a thesis or non-thesis option, and they may elect to apply for the Instructional Technology Specialist (ITS) certification.
The thesis/noncertification option requires students to register for ACE/COMM 850 for a total of 33 credits. The non-thesis/noncertification option requires students to take six credits of internship and/or electives for a total of 36 credits.
The thesis/certification option requires students to register for ACE/COMM 850 and three or six credits of internship for a total of either 36 or 39 credits. The non-thesis/certification option requires students to register for three or six credits of internship plus 3 credits of electives (if only three credits of internship are taken) for a total of 36 credits.
