SMU Graduate Studies requires, among others, that the candidate for a master’s degree is able to submit and orally defend a thesis/dissertation before formally graduating. The thesis is a major undertaking required of all MA/ MAED / MAT/ MST /MS candidates.

 The thesis is technically a proposition a candidate wishes to defend. Generally, it is a research investigation, either basic or applied. A thesis may be a verification or validation of existing principles, theories or laws, while a dissertation may be geared towards generating a new theory or principle.

This course examines the evolving landscape of education with an emphasis on emerging trends, pressing issues, and cross-cutting themes such as peace and environmental education. It aims to strengthen the strategic and reflective capacity of educational leaders to respond to societal changes, national priorities, and global challenges. The course fosters a holistic understanding of how educational systems must adapt to fulfill their role in sustainable development, social cohesion, and environmental stewardship.

This is a course intended to guide senior academic administrators in the preparation of realistic, comprehensive, long-term plans for the institution.  It examines determinants of success in educational planning like the ability to define institutional goals in precise terms, sensibility to emerging trends in education, awareness of the institution’s resource constraints, willingness to foster a forthright interchange of opinions regarding prospective plans, and the ability to reconcile competing sectoral interests.