UMass Boston

Applicants must meet general graduate admission requirements in addition to the following program-specific requirements:

• Undergraduate Transcripts: The CCT program looks for a generally distinguished undergraduate transcript with an average of at least 3.0 in advanced undergraduate work. For students with a strong record of accomplishment in other areas, the admissions committee will recommend provisional admission with the stipulation that the student completes two courses in the program with a course grade of B+ or better. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the program, we do not require that you come from any specific program of study.
• Letters of Recommendation: Two letters are required from people who have worked closely with you and who have direct knowledge of your abilities. The people you ask to recommend you should be able to comment in detail about your academic strengths, work experience, or life experience.
• Statement of Purpose: This statement of purpose is your opportunity to show the graduate admissions committee why you wish to pursue graduate study, as well as your specific interests and goals.
• Test Scores: GRE scores are optional.
• Writing Sample: Optional

Accelerated BA/BS-MA program: This follows the established model of starting graduate courses as a 2nd semester junior, approval of a regular application for graduate program admission, completion of all undergraduate requirements in fewer credits (107 instead of 120), and a 5th year of graduate courses only. Applications welcome from all undergraduate majors in Honors and College of Liberal Arts. Learn more about the Accelerated Master's Program.

Deadlines: June 15 for fall, December 1 for spring

Application Fee: The nonrefundable application fee is $75. UMass Boston alumni and current students that plan to complete degree requirements prior to graduate enrollment can submit the application without paying the application fee.

Estimate Your Program Cost: Get a feel for your expected program costs using the Graduate Program Cost Calculator.

Program Cost Information: For more detailed information on costs, please visit the Bursar's website.

Foundation Courses (6 Credits)

Complete both courses below.

• CRCRTH 601 - Critical Thinking 3 Credits
• CRCRTH 602 - Creative Thinking 3 Credits

Mediation, Dialogue & Collaboration (3 Credits)

Complete one course from the options below.

• CRCRTH 616 - Dialogue Processes 3 Credits
• CRCRTH 618 - Creative Thinking, Collaboration, and Organizational Change 3 Credits

Urban & Social Justice Education (3 Credits)

Complete one course from the options below.

• CRCRTH 615 - Holistic and Transformative Teaching 3 Credits
• CRCRTH 627 - Issues and Controversies in Antiracist and Multicultural Education 3 Credits

Electives (12 Credits)

Complete any four courses from the options below.

• CRCRTH 603 - Foundations of Philosophical Thought 3 Credits
• CRCRTH 611 - Seminar in Critical Thinking 3 Credits
• CRCRTH 612 - Seminar in Creativity 3 Credits
• CRCRTH 630 - Criticism and Creativity in Literature and the Arts 3 Credits
• CRCRTH 655 - Metacognition 3 Credits
• CRCRTH 651 - Advanced Cognitive Psychology 3 Credits
• CRCRTH 670 - Thinking, Learning, and Computers 3 Credits
• CRCRTH 688 - Reflective Practice 3 Credits

Research & Writing Courses (9 Credits)

Complete all three courses below.

• CRCRTH 692 - Processes of Research and Engagement 3 Credits
• CRCRTH 693 - Action Research for Educational, Professional and Personal Change 3 Credits
• CRCRTH 694 - Synthesis of Theory and Practice Seminar 3 Credits

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

In this program, students will: 

• Develop the knowledge, skills, tools, and experience they need to make effective changes in education, work, social movements, science, or the arts.
• Learn and apply ideas and tools in critical thinking, creative thinking, and reflective practice to develop clarity and confidence to become constructive, reflective agents of change in education, work, social movements and activism, science, and creative arts.
• Apply what they’re learning in the classroom to real-world situations, reflect on these outcomes and revise accordingly, and build a set of tools, practices, and perspectives that work in their specific professional and personal endeavors.

Complete 33 credits from eleven courses including four foundation courses, four electives, and three research and writing courses.

Concentration: Students may choose a concentration in liberal and interdisciplinary studies or transformative education for their foundation courses.
Mid-program check-in: A brief interview with the Graduate Program Director and another faculty member is held at the mid-point of one’s progress through the MA program.
Capstone: Completion of a synthesis of one’s insight, learning, and preparedness for change and ongoing development as a result of the program. Abstracts and selected full text syntheses are published on Scholarworks.
Exit self-assessment: Completion of a written self-assessment documenting the broad impact of the program on their personal, professional, and educational development by identifying areas of achievement and challenges in relation to two sets of goals: 1) completion of the synthesis project itself, and 2) developing as a “reflective practitioner”. Students may wish to review these goals periodically throughout the program as a prompt in thinking about how to approach upcoming courses as well as reflect upon recent ones. The exit self-assessment goals also provide some framework for thinking about how to write the narrative parts of the Reflective Practice Portfolio.
Reflective practice portfolio: Completion of an electronic portfolio of academic work completed over the course of the program. The two main components of the portfolio are the exhibits and the narrative. The exhibits are representative assignments of parts of assignments from all courses taken in the program, and the narrative is a written work that conveys a reflection of one’s development of the exhibits over the long term of the program.

Residency: With the approval of the Graduate Program Director, the university allows graduate students to transfer up to 6 credits of graduate work from outside UMass Boston and up to 6 credits of UMass Boston courses taken before matriculating into the program. Grades must be a B or higher, and an official transcript is needed for courses taken outside UMass Boston. Students starting their coursework in the summer do not matriculate until the fall but may submit a pre-matriculation waiver so that all credits taken in the summer count.
Statute of limitations: Five years.

Graduate Program Director Jeremy Szteiter
jeremy.szteiter@umb.edu

Critical & Creative Thinking Graduate Programs
cct@umb.edu

SARA Compliance, Disclosure & Dispute Resolution
UMass Boston programs are designed to meet the requirements for licensure or certification in Massachusetts. Please contact your state licensing or certification board to determine whether the program meets the requirements for licensure or certification in other states.