Curriculum & Instruction - University of Houston
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College of Education

Curriculum & Instruction

Leadership Announcement: Professor Cathy Horn assumed the role of dean of the College of Education on June 1.

Two students working on a table with a teacher leaning over the one on the left

EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

The Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Houston College of Education prepares teachers, teacher leaders and other educators committed to student success and lifelong learning. We offer an award-winning teacher education program and specialized graduate programs to help professionals advance their careers. Specifically, we offer a B.S. in teaching and learning, an education minor, an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction, an Ed.D. in professional leadership and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction. As part of a Tier One public research university in a diverse, dynamic city, we strive to end inequities in education in Houston and beyond. Join us!

Important Dates for Graduate Students: Admissions & Comprehensive Exams

CUIN Quick Links

Teacher fist pumping student

WANT TO BE A TEACHER?

We offer the following undergraduate programs to help students become certified teachers in Texas:

We’re proud to be a three-time winner of the Distinguished Program in Teacher Education Award from the Association of Teacher Educators. We’ve also earned a commendation from the Texas Education Agency for “Innovative Educator Preparation,” and our program diversity and selectivity has been recognized by the National Council on Teacher Quality. Our students participate in a yearlong student-teaching internship with strong mentor support, giving them real world experience that sets them apart from their peers.

Get Certified: Learn more!

SEEKING A GRADUATE DEGREE?

We offer master’s and doctoral programs with various specializations to meet your career goals.

Master's Programs
Doctoral Programs
  • Ph.D. in curriculum & instruction
    • Art
    • Bilingual/ESL education
    • Early childhood
    • Learning, design & technology
    • Mathematics education
    • Literacy education
    • Science
    • Social studies
    • Teaching

NEWS & FEATURES

  • Saad Nadeem

    Triple Major, Triple Minor Graduate Earns 4.0 GPA

    Saad Nadeem (right), whose degrees include a B.S. in health, is one of eight undergraduates in the class of 2023 to earn recognition as graduation banner bearers. “Our banner bearers remind us that academic excellence can and should be inclusive,” said Associate Dean Tiffany J. Davis.

  • Mikel Cole

    Associate Professor Earns UH Teaching Excellence Award

    Mikel Cole, who teaches in the bilingual/ESL education program, drew praise for his “expertise and instruction, mentorship, dedication to the profession and advocacy work in bilingual education,” according to one of his Ph.D. students.

  • Child with headphones watching a video game

    Research on Video Gaming May Ease Parents’ Worry

    A research team involving Associate Professor Jie Zhang found that there were no meaningful links between fifth graders’ video game playing and their cognitive ability. The study was published in the Journal of Media Psychology.
  • Black woman at a laptop

    Online M.Ed. Programs Listed Among Nation’s Best

    The College’s online master’s degree programs earned a 10th place ranking on the 2023 U.S. News & World Report list. The top placement reflects the programs’ high-quality faculty, effective use of technology and high graduation rates, among other factors.

  • Jeremy Gates

    Forever Coog Finds Time to ‘Give Back to the Next Generation’

    Jeremy Gates, a 2015 teaching graduate, now serves on the College of Education’s alumni working group to help strategize ways to increase engagement. “I make it a point to give back to my alma mater,” he said.

  • Kathryn Seastrand with a poster presentation

    Internships Gave UH Students an Edge in High-Tech Tools

    The program, which involved students in the learning, design and technology graduate program, was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. “The internship prepared me for success,” said Kathryn Seastrand.

  • ALL Rise Students and Professors

    New Grant Will Help Emergent Bilingual Middle School Students

    Thanks to a $2.2 million award from the National Science Foundation, Associate Professor Sissy Wong is leading a program to equip middle school science teachers with tools to support students who are learning English while still developing their home language.

  • Jorge Mendoza

    Grit and Faculty Support Helped M.Ed. Student Graduate

    Despite catching COVID in July 2021 as he was working on his master’s degree, Jorge Mendoza graduated a year later and recently started his dream job providing educators with technology support.

  • Mikel Cole and his book

    Professor’s Book Amplifies Voices of Incarcerated Individuals

    Mikel Cole’s project allows people in prison and immigrant detention centers to tell their own stories. “What really marks this book as unique is the first-person experience of having been detained,” said Cole, an associate professor of ESL/bilingual education.

  • Teacher at the classroom door

    Educator Certification Programs Earn New Accreditation

    The College’s programs earned full accreditation from the nationally recognized Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation. “Our faculty are providing best-in-class experiences, and our graduates are the ultimate beneficiaries,” Interim Dean Cathy Horn said.

SHORT TAKES

A sampling of faculty, staff, student and alumni happenings:

Jie Zhang, an associate professor of bilingual education and associate department chair, was selected as a 2023 Scholar for the Getting SMART: Comprehensive Program for Adaptive Interventions Training in Education.

Charles Moore, who earned a M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction – reading and language arts education in 2020, has been named president of the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts.

Graduate student Georgina Castilleja received the 2023 Mercedes Bonner Leadership award from the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts. Castilleja is pursuing an Ed.D. in professional leadership – literacy education.

At least eight CUIN alumni and current students have won Teacher of the Year (TOY) awards for 2022-23:

  • Alex Botelho, Carter Academy in Aldine ISD (Rookie TOY)
  • Yessica Castillo, Cornelius Elementary School in Houston ISD (Houston Area Association for Bilingual Educators TOY)
  • Mariana Flores, Bellfort Early Childhood Center in Houston ISD (Houston Area Association for Bilingual Educators TOY)
  • Angel Hicks, Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators for Fort Bend ISD (Secondary TOY)
  • Andrea Jaime, Roosevelt Elementary in Houston ISD (TOY)
  • Eastman Landry, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in HISD (TOY)
  • Laura Sandling, Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators for Houston ISD (TOY)
  • Mavenys Shavers, Seven Lakes Junior High School in Katy ISD (Rookie TOY)

 

BY THE NUMBERS

  • 1,200+CUIN students
  • 93%Overall passing rate on certification exams (TEA)
  • 1.5MHouston-area K-12 students
  • 1stFounding member of US PREP reform coalition
  • 3-Time WinnerTeacher Education “Distinguished Program” (ATE)
Waterfall outside Farish Hall

CONTACT US

Department of Curriculum & Instruction
University of Houston College of Education
3657 Cullen Blvd.
Farish Hall, Suite 236
Houston, Texas 77204-5029

Department phone: 713-743-0958