Adult Education and Training

Master of Education Degree in Education and Human Resource Studies

The Adult Education and Training program is designed to prepare practitioners for planning and instructional responsibilities appropriate for adult learners in postsecondary, community, and corporate settings. The program provides learners with the skills needed to successfully administer and deliver a wide range of training and educational programs. Students enroll in courses focusing on program development and evaluation, adult learning theory, and instructional methods, and electives designed to build upon their own areas of expertise. Recent graduates are currently employed as training coordinators, corporate and military trainers, community college instructors, and professional staff in community development agencies.

Program Objectives

• To prepare professional adult learning facilitators to work in a variety of learning environments within a culturally diverse global context;
• To provide a program that represents a coherent, progressive, and current curriculum in the main content areas of adult learning;
• To assist degree candidates in becoming critically reflective practitioners capable of conducting and communicating workplace research as it relates to and informs the field of adult learning;
• To encourage individual and professional growth through exposure to other colleagues and collaborative and project-based learning environments;
• To instill in degree candidates the qualities of adult learning professionals and the lifelong learning aspects of the profession.

Delivery Options

•   On-campus: Students meet weekly on Thursday evenings.

• On-line: This version of delivery uses RamCT to support discussion, content sharing and other course activities. Students are not required to visit campus.

• Denver Center: Students meet the 4th Saturday of the month at the CSU-Denver Center. Between meetings learning is facilitated through RamCt. This version focuses on corporate/business training.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited postsecondary institution or an international college or university recognized by CSU, as evidenced by an official transcript of courses, grades and degree(s) awarded.
• Transcripts of all attempted undergraduate and graduate academic work.
• Three current letters of reference from people who are able to speak to your current or potential instructional abilities.
• Resume showing dates and job duties of all professional employment.
• A “Statement of Purpose” specifying: your reasons for seeking the specialization; your views of learning as an adult; what you bring to our community of learners; a summary of your long-term professional, educational or personal goals; your professional commitment to your field of study; how the program will meet your goals; your expectations for the program; and list the factors that led to the you to consider Colorado State University for graduate study.
• Applicants who have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 and higher are not required to have GRE scores for admission. Applicants whose GPA is lower than 3.0 must demonstrate their potential for academic success by providing additional evidence such as: Additional letters of reference indicating strong potential for successfully completing the master's program, 5 years of relevant work experience shown on a resume, completion of six credits of graduate level classes after the bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher, or combined GRE of 900 or higher.
• View Admission Procedure and Forms

Program Requirements

Students must choose Plan A or Plan B when developing their programs of study. Plan A requires the preparation of a thesis and more course work in research. Plan B requires the preparation of a final program project. The degree requires a minimum of 33 semester credits of academic course work of which 24 credits must be from Colorado State University. A brief description of courses can be found in the Colorado State University General Catalog.

Required Core Course Work (21 Credits)

Required Research Course Work

Plan A (Thesis - 12 Credits):

Plan B (Project - 12 Credits):

Related Electives

Student select electives to help them meet their career goals. They are encouraged to explore and to establish job specific competencies using the entire university which has hundreds of course offerings.

Contact Information

About the curriculum or admissions:

Karen Kaminski
Program Coordinator
970-491-3713
Karen.Kaminski@colostate.edu