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Learning, Design and Technology (LDT)

Program Requirements

Student must complete at least 45 units at Stanford to receive the Master's degree in LDT. The following constraints are placed on those 45 units:

  • All courses must be at or above the 100 level – courses numbered below 100 do not count toward the MA degree.
  • At least 23 units – or half of the total minimum units – must be at or above the 200 level (EDUC 180 or 190 count toward this requirement).
  • At least 27 units must be from courses offered by the Graduate School of Education (EDUC units).
  • At least 15 units must be taken for a letter grade (as opposed to Credit/No Credit).
  • A 3.0 GPA must be maintained for all courses applied to the master's degree.
  • All students must enroll in a minimum of 8 units during Autumn, Winter and Spring Quarters, and cannot exceed 18 units in any quarter.
  • LDT students are required to register for exactly 6 units in the Summer quarter. The remaining 39 units need to be completed in Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters. 
  • English for Foreign Students (EFSLANG 600 level) and Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (ATHLETIC) courses cannot be applied towards the master's degree.
  • See the “Coterminal Degree” section for unit requirements applying to students admitted through the coterminal degree program.
  • See the Stanford Center for Professional Development website for requirements applying to students admitted through the Honors Cooperative Program (HCP)

Required Courses

Note: All course information is subject to change.
Please consult ExploreCourses and Axess for final course offerings.

Internship

Students must register for a minimum of one unit of LDT Internship Workshop for at least two quarters during the year, three are encouraged. A maximum of 9 internship units are accepted for the MA degree.

Electives

Students may take electives from any department at Stanford, with advisor's approval. Also, students are encouraged to undertake Directed Reading, EDUC 180, on a topic of special interest to them.

ePortfolio and Master's Project

The ePortfolio consists of substantial works done during the year, together with a reflection on the work. The Master's Project consists of a design project conceived and developed by the student. The project proposal and reports will include a description and analysis of the learning problem, the theoretical approach used to address it, the design proposal, prototypes, and learning assessments. The Master's Project must be approved by the student's advisor by the end of winter quarter and presented to the public late in the summer. Both the ePortfolio and Master's Project Report are due at the end of summer quarter.

2015-2016 List of Pre-Approved Courses

At least one course about evaluation and research methods used in Education. Pre-approved courses are listed below (3 units minimum).

Choose at least one.

† LDT students have first enrollment priority in EDUC 200B in Autumn quarter and third enrollment priority in Winter quarter.   

At least one course in which students learn and apply a user-centered design process. Pre-approved courses are listed below (3 units minimum).

One course required; 3 units minimum.

  1. Any course with the CS 377 prefix (e.g., CS 377D) may count towards the Design Process requirement
  2. Any full d.school course may be used to count towards the Design Process requirement (by petition)
  3. Any "Design of Learning Experiences" course (listed below) can instead be used to count towards the Design Process requirement

Two courses minimum. At least one course must cover theories of learning. Pre-approved courses are listed below (6 units minimum). Students are highly encouraged to take more than two of these courses.

Two courses required; 6 units minimum. At least one must be a theory course.

Learning Theories

Learning Content

At least two courses applying user-centered design to a learning problem. Pre-approved courses are listed below (6 units minimum). Students are highly encouraged to take more than two of these courses.

Two courses required; 6 units minimum.

Recommended Electives