Master of Arts (M.A.) Major in Adult, Professional, and Community Education (Workplace, Community, and Continuing Education Concentration Thesis Option)

Program Overview

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree with a major in Adult, Professional, and Community Education and a concentration in Workplace, Community, and Continuing Education Thesis Option is an academically rigorous program designed for individuals serving in or aspiring to leadership positions in the diverse field of Adult, Professional, and Community Education. Adult, Professional, and Community Education, in this context, includes:

adult basic and secondary education,
English as a second language,
community learning and development,
workplace learning,
university continuing education,
continuing professional development, and
organizational development.

Individuals completing this degree will be well prepared to teach, develop, evaluate, and/or administer programs in adult education or to conduct applied research regarding those programs.

Application Requirements

Application requirements consist of institutional and program requirements for applicable semesters of entry during the current academic year. Additional information and changes to admission requirements for semesters other than the current academic year can be found on The Graduate College's website.

Unless otherwise noted on The Graduate College program page, AI tools can only be used to correct spelling and grammar errors in application materials.

Institutional Requirements

Institutional requirements are the minimum standards for admission to any graduate program at Texas State. These include:

Completed online application
Nonrefundable application fee
- Degree Programs (Doctoral and Master’s)
  - $55 fee, or
  - $90 for applications with international credentials
- Post-Baccalaureate Programs (Certificate, Certification, Non-Degree, and Visiting)
  - $20 fee, or
  - $60 for applications with international credentials
Official transcripts from each institution where course credit was granted. Final transcripts showing degree completion are required before the student may register for their second term of enrollment.
GPA requirements (a higher GPA may be listed in the Program Requirements)
- Doctoral programs require a 3.00 overall GPA or a 3.00 GPA in your last 60 hours of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses).
- Master’s and Specialist programs require a 2.75 overall GPA or a 2.75 GPA in your last 60 hours of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses).
- Post-Baccalaureate programs require a 2.50 overall GPA or a 2.50 GPA in your last 60 hours of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses).
Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university. (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a four-year U.S. Bachelor’s degree. In most cases, three-year degrees are not considered. Visit our International FAQs for more information.)

Approved English Proficiency Exam Scores

Applicants are required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum requirements below unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a country on our exempt countries list. Some programs may restrict acceptable tests or require higher scores than the institutional scores; this will be noted in the Program Requirements.

official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 78 overall if taken on or before January 21, 2026
official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 4 overall if taken after January 21, 2026
official PTE scores required with a 52 overall
official IELTS (academic) scores required with a 6.5 overall and minimum individual module scores of 6.0
official Duolingo scores required with a 110 overall
official TOEFL Essentials scores required with an 8.5 overall
official Texas State Intensive English Program score of 90% or higher in the highest-level course (level 5)

The institution does not offer admission if the scores above are not met.

completed online application

$55 nonrefundable application fee

$90 nonrefundable application fee for applications with international credentials
baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a four-year U.S. Bachelor’s degree. In most cases, three-year degrees are not considered. Visit our International FAQs for more information.)
official transcripts from each institution where course credit was granted
minimum 2.75 overall GPA or a 2.75 GPA in the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses)
GRE not required
Fall 2024: three letters of recommendation from individuals with knowledge of you as a the student or as a in academic and/or professional settings
Fall 2024: writing sample (maximum 1,000 words) discussing a major issue currently confronting adult education.
Fall 2025 and beyond: no letters of recommendation; writing sample (maximum 300 words) discussing your interest in adult education.

Approved English Proficiency Exam Scores

Applicants are required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum program requirements below unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a country on our exempt countries list.

official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 78 overall and minimum individual module scores of
- 19 listening
- 19 reading
- 19 speaking
- 18 writing
official IELTS (academic) scores required with a 6.5 overall and minimum individual module scores of 6.0
official Duolingo scores required with a 110 overall
official TOEFL Essentials scores required with an 8.5 overall

This program does not offer admission if the scores above are not met.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree with a major in Adult, Professional, and Community Education concentration in Workplace, Community, and Continuing Education requires 36 semester credit hours, including an internship and a thesis.

Course Requirements

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Requried Courses
ADED 5321	Adult Learning and Development	3
ADED 5325	Teaching Adults: Principles and Practices	3
ADED 5330	Planning, Evaluating, and Managing Programs in Adult Education	3
ADED 5335	Applied Research in Adult Education	3
ADED 5344	Multicultural Perspectives in Postsecondary Education and Adult Education	3
ADED 5384	Internship in Adult Education	3
Concentration
ADED 5314	Community Development for Educators	3
ADED 5322	Human Resources and Professional Development	3
ADED 5343	Organizational Learning and Development	3
ADED 5382	Foundations of Adult Education	3
Thesis
ADED 5399A	Thesis	3
Choose a minimum of 3 hours from the following:		3
ADED 5199B	Thesis
ADED 5299B	Thesis
ADED 5399B	Thesis
ADED 5599B	Thesis
ADED 5999B	Thesis
Total Hours		36

Comprehensive Examination Requirement

Students are required to take a written Comprehensive Examination in their last semester of the program. Students must pass the comprehensive exam during the last semester in at most two attempts. If the student fails to pass the comprehensive exam in two attempts during the final semester, the student will retake the comprehensive exam during the next regular semester. A second failure rating on the Examination is final. The student may not take the Examination a third time.

Students who do not successfully complete the requirements for the degree within the timelines specified will be dismissed from the program.

If a student elects to follow the thesis option for the degree, a committee to direct the written thesis will be established. The thesis must demonstrate the student’s capability for research and independent thought. Preparation of the thesis must be in conformity with the Graduate College Guide to Preparing and Submitting a Thesis or Dissertation.

Thesis Proposal

The student must submit an official Thesis Proposal Form and proposal to his or her thesis committee. Thesis proposals vary by department and discipline. Please see your department for proposal guidelines and requirements. After signing the form and obtaining committee members’ signatures, the graduate advisor’s signature if required by the program and the department chair’s signature, the student must submit the Thesis Proposal Form with one copy of the proposal attached to the dean of The Graduate College for approval before proceeding with research on the thesis. If the thesis research involves human subjects, the student must obtain exemption or approval from the Texas State Institutional Review Board prior to submitting the proposal form to The Graduate College. The IRB approval letter should be included with the proposal form. If the thesis research involves vertebrate animals, the proposal form must include the Texas State IACUC approval code. It is recommended that the thesis proposal form be submitted to the dean of The Graduate College by the end of the student’s enrollment in 5399A. Failure to submit the thesis proposal in a timely fashion may result in delayed graduation.

Thesis Committee

The thesis committee must be composed of a minimum of three approved graduate faculty members.

Thesis Enrollment and Credit

The completion of a minimum of six hours of thesis enrollment is required. For a student's initial thesis course enrollment, the student will need to register for thesis course number 5399A. After that, the student will enroll in thesis B courses, in each subsequent semester until the thesis is defended with the department and approved by The Graduate College. Preliminary discussions regarding the selection of a topic and assignment to a research supervisor will not require enrollment for the thesis course.

Students must be enrolled in thesis credits if they are receiving supervision and/or are using university resources related to their thesis work. The number of thesis credit hours students enroll in must reflect the amount of work being done on the thesis that semester. It is the responsibility of the committee chair to ensure that students are making adequate progress toward their degree throughout the thesis process. Failure to register for the thesis course during a term in which supervision is received may result in postponement of graduation. After initial enrollment in 5399A, the student will continue to enroll in a thesis B course as long as it takes to complete the thesis. Thesis projects are by definition original and individualized projects. As such, depending on the topic, methodology, and other factors, some projects may take longer than others to complete. If the thesis requires work beyond the minimum number of thesis credits needed for the degree, the student may enroll in additional thesis credits at the committee chair's discretion. In the rare case when a student has not previously enrolled in thesis and plans to work on and complete the thesis in one term, the student will enroll in both 5399A and 5399B.

The only grades assigned for thesis courses are PR (progress), CR (credit), W (withdrew), and F (failing). If acceptable progress is not being made in a thesis course, the instructor may issue a grade of F. If the student is making acceptable progress, a grade of PR is assigned until the thesis is completed. The minimum number of hours of thesis credit (“CR”) will be awarded only after the thesis has been both approved by The Graduate College and released to Alkek Library.

A student who has selected the thesis option must be registered for the thesis course during the term or Summer I (during the summer, the thesis course runs ten weeks for both sessions) in which the degree will be conferred.

Thesis Deadlines and Approval Process

Thesis deadlines are posted on The Graduate College website under "Current Students." The completed thesis must be submitted to the chair of the thesis committee on or before the deadlines listed on The Graduate College website.

The following must be submitted to The Graduate College by the thesis deadline listed on The Graduate College website:

The Thesis Submission Approval Form bearing original (wet) and/or electronic signatures of the student and all committee members.
One (1) PDF of the thesis in final form, approved by all committee members, uploaded in the online Vireo submission system.

After the dean of The Graduate College approves the thesis, Alkek Library will harvest the document from the Vireo submission system for publishing in the Digital Collections database (according to the student's embargo selection). NOTE: MFA Creative Writing theses will have a permanent embargo and will never be published to Digital Collections.

While original (wet) signatures are preferred, there may be situations as determined by the chair of the committee in which obtaining original signatures is inefficient or has the potential to delay the student's progress. In those situations, the following methods of signing are acceptable:

signing and faxing the form
signing, scanning, and emailing the form
notifying the department in an email from their university's or institution's email account that the committee chair can sign the form on their behalf
electronically signing the form using the university's licensed signature platform.

If this process results in more than one document with signatures, all documents need to be submitted to The Graduate College together.

No copies are required to be submitted to Alkek Library. However, the library will bind copies submitted that the student wants bound for personal use. Personal copies are not required to be printed on archival quality paper. The student will take the personal copies to Alkek Library and pay the binding fee for personal copies.

Master's level courses in Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education, and School Psychology: ADED

Courses Offered

Adult Education (ADED)

ADED 5199B. Thesis.

This course focuses on the master’s thesis and provides structured support throughout the full thesis lifecycle. Students remain registered each term until all research, writing, and program requirements are fully completed and the final manuscript is submitted for binding. Enrollment ensures ongoing faculty mentorship as students refine their research questions, conduct data collection and analysis, develop and revise chapters, and prepare the final document. The course also helps students stay aligned with institutional standards, deadlines, and formatting expectations while maintaining steady academic progress toward successful thesis completion.

1 Credit Hour. 1 Lecture Contact Hour. 0 Lab Contact Hours.
Grade Mode: Credit/No Credit

ADED 5299B. Thesis.

2 Credit Hours. 2 Lecture Contact Hours. 0 Lab Contact Hours.
Grade Mode: Credit/No Credit

ADED 5314. Community Development for Educators.

This course examines the role of learning, teaching, and leadership within a community development framework. Designed for educators interested in performing roles in community organizations, the course explores theoretical perspectives and practical applications related to community dynamics, asset-based approaches, and change processes. Students analyze social, economic, and physical factors that influence community development and examine multiple forms of capital that support sustainable initiatives. Emphasis is placed on engagement strategies, stakeholder communication, and synthesis of scholarly literature relevant to educational practice in community contexts. The course supports the development of reflective practitioners who engage with communities through informed, research-based approaches.