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College of Education

Master's education degrees

College of Education

Master's education degrees

Inspire the future with a career in education

Bring your knowledge to the next generation and grow professionally as a teacher with a master’s education degree. Gain real-world classroom skills through hands-on clinical experience, and clinical practice. A master’s education degree prepares you to apply for teacher licensure for elementary, secondary or special education — or K-12 principal licensure, in select states. Additional programs, such as the Master of Arts in Curriculum & Instruction and Master of Arts in Adult Education & Training help you advance your skills as a teacher and prepare you to teach adults.

All core courses are 100% online and most are only 6 weeks long, so you can start school any time of the year when it fits your busy schedule.

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Find the education master's degree for you

34-46

credits

The number of credits required to complete a master’s education degree with UOPX. (Varies by program) 

9

The number of times a year you can start your degree based on your schedule.

16-22

months

The time range to complete a master’s education degree with UOPX. (Varies by program)

Register for a new Master's Q&A Webinar

Reserve your spot and join us for our free, 20-minute Master’s Q&A Webinar hosted by University of Phoenix representatives. This is your chance to ask questions and get more information to help you in your decision-making process.

Skills you’ll develop with core master’s education degree courses

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION/ADMINSTRATION AND SUPERVISION

  • Professionalism 
  • Decision-making
  • Problem-solving
  • Leadership
  • Research

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION/ ADULT EDUCATION AND TRAINING

  • Help adults learn in self-directed and self-motivated ways 
  • Understand culturally diverse populations
  • Incorporate technology into adult education and training programs
  • Serve adult students, colleagues, industries and communities as an expert educator and trainer

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION/CURRICULuM & INSTRUCTION

  • Develop curriculum assessment skills
  • Use curricular research to adopt best practices in the classroom
  • Integrate technology into teaching lessons
  • Adopt coaching strategies that can positively affect learning outcomes

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION/ELEMENTARY TEACHER EDUCATiON

  • Child development
  • Reflective teaching practice
  • Learning strategies
  • Innovation

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION/SECONDARY TEACHER EDUCATION

  • Classroom management 
  • Lesson planning
  • Technology integration
  • Differentiated instruction

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION/special EDUCATiON

  • Curriculum development
  • Professionalism
  • Special education
  • Differentiated instruction
  • Innovation

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION/ADMINiSTRATION AND SUPERVISION (California only)

  • Professionalism 
  • Decision-making
  • Problem-solving
  • Leadership
  • Research

Outlook for workers with a master's degree in education

BLS CATEGORY: Elementary, middle and high school principals

JOB GROWTH: 5%

Bureau of Labor Statistics job growth for elementary, middle and high school principal occupations are projected to be as fast as average between 2021 and 2031.

JOB TITLES:

  • Principal
  • Vice principal
  • Athletic director
  • School administrator

BLS CATEGORY: Kindergarten and elementary school teachers

JOB GROWTH: 4%

Bureau of Labor Statistics job growth for kindergarten and elementary school teacher occupations are projected to be as fast as average between 2021 and 2031.

JOB TITLE:

  • Elementary school teacher

BLS CATEGORY: Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary

JOB GROWTH: 7%

Bureau of Labor Statistics job growth for education administrators is expected to be fast as average between 2021 and 2031.

JOB TITLE:

  • School administrator

BLS CATEGORY: Training and development management

JOB GROWTH: 7%

Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for training and development management occupations is projected to be faster than average between 2021 and 2031.

JOB TITLES:

  • Training and development director
  • Training manager

BLS CATEGORY: High school teachers

JOB GROWTH: 5%

Bureau of Labor Statistics job growth for high school teacher occupations is projected to be as fast as average between 2021 and 2031.

JOB TITLES:

  •     Secondary teacher
  •     English teacher
  •     History teacher
  •     Math instructor
  •     Science teacher
  •     Social studies teacher

BLS CATEGORY: Instructional coordinators

JOB GROWTH: 7%

Bureau of Labor Statistics job growth for instructional coordinators occupations is projected to be as fast as average between 2021 and 2031.

JOB TITLES:

  • Curriculum director
  • Program administrator
  • Instructional designer

BLS CATEGORY: Special education teachers

JOB GROWTH: 4%

Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for special education teacher occupations is projected to be as fast as average between 2021 and 2031.

JOB TITLES:

  •     Special education teacher
  •     Intervention specialist
  •     Resource teacher
  •     Learning support teacher
  •     Special education inclusion teacher

Master’s education degree course requirements

Master of Arts in Education/Administration and Supervision

You’ll take 15 core courses with program-specific knowledge to help you gain the confidence and skills to succeed. These core courses include topics like: human resources, management, school improvement process and more.

Master of Arts in Education/Adult Education and Training

You’ll take 11 core  courses with program-specific knowledge to help you gain the confidence and skills to succeed. These core courses include topics like: program development in adult education, curriculum theory and instruction, multicultural strategies for adult learners and more.

Master of Arts in Education/Curriculum & Instruction

You’ll take 12 core courses with program-specific knowledge to help you gain the confidence and skills to succeed. These core courses include topics like: theories and best practices of curriculum and instruction, methods of coaching in the instructional setting and more.

Master of Arts in Education/Elementary Teacher Education

You’ll take 15-16 core courses with program-specific knowledge to help you gain the confidence and skills to succeed and a student teaching/clinical practice course. The core courses include topics like: US history, math, science and social studies, creating an effective learning environment and more. 

Master of Arts in Education/Secondary Teacher Education

You’ll take 12-13 core courses with program-specific knowledge to help you gain the confidence and skills to succeed and a student teaching/clinical practice course. The core courses include topics like: instruction and assessment for diverse learners, teaching the exceptional learner, technology integration for educators and more.

Master of Arts in Education/Special Education

You’ll take 14 core courses with program-specific knowledge to help you gain the confidence and skills to succeed and a student teaching/clinical practice course. The core courses include topics like: characteristics of autism spectrum disorders, orientation of the exceptional child, special education assessment and interpretation and more. 

Master of Arts in Education/Administration and Supervision (California only)

You’ll take 15 core courses with program-specific knowledge to help you gain the confidence and skills to succeed. These core courses include topics like: human resources, management, school improvement process and more.

Tuition and financial aid

Affordable, locked-in tuition

GRADUATE:  $540 Tuition cost per credit

Cost per credit applies to all College of Education master's degrees.

Tuition guarantee
Comparing tuition costs on a laptop

Ways to pay — and save. Explore your options.

From scholarships to transfer credits and federal financial aid for those who qualify, there are a variety of ways to pay for school and save on tuition. 

Financial Aid

Federal Financial Aid is money from the U.S. Department of Education to help you pay for your college tuition and expenses.

Military or Veteran Benefits

See if you qualify to use veterans’ education benefits or tuition assistance to help pay for school.

Scholarships

Starting with your first course, every new qualifying student will be awarded one of our scholarships.

Employer Tuition Discounts

Check if your employer provides tuition assistance, benefits, or reimbursement programs toward your degree.

Student experience

Tammy Wallace
M.A. Adult Education & Training 2010,
Doctor of Education, 2014

“Although completing my degrees at University of Phoenix required many late nights and early mornings, the flexibility of the courses allowed me the freedom to work on my schedule. This was essential to me, as I did not want to step away from my service work and community volunteering while earning my degree and building my personal career.”

Over 1 million alumni have earned their degrees while balancing work, school and life. So can you. 

Manage Time with Flexible Courses

Use Robust Student Resources

How to apply for your master’s education degree program

Once you’ve selected your degree program, choose your start date from our calendar, apply for free and register before the deadline (usually one week before the program starts). Then you'll speak to an enrollment representative to begin class.

  • No application fee — no obligation!
  • No SAT, GMAT or essay required
Apply for your master's degree online

Experienced faculty

Learn from accomplished, real-world faculty members who lead in the fields they teach. Our instructors go through a careful vetting process before joining our faculty ranks. 

And with a student-faculty ratio of 32:1 you get the attention you need. [1] Your instructors will include industry leaders who encourage, challenge, and inspire our students.

1 This is a university-wide ratio, the College of Education student-faculty ratio may vary.

Dr. Pamela Roggeman

“I am so proud that our College of Education can reach and support students’ course work and clinical practices in communities where traditional higher education institutions don’t and help those students achieve so they can serve those same communities as certified classroom teachers.”

— Dr. Roggeman

Pamela M. Roggeman, Ed.D.

Pamela Roggeman is the Dean for the College of Education at University of Phoenix.  There, she has led the work of preparing thousands of teacher candidates in numerous states to satisfy credentialing requirements. 

This experience has included national partnerships helping to advance thought-leadership in the field of education.  She has spent over a decade in higher education teacher preparation in both the public and private sector.  Pam also serves as the President of the Arizona Educational Foundation’s Board of Directors. Before Pam's second career in teacher preparation, she was an award-winning high school English teacher for 18 years in AZ.  She was also a 1999 AZ Educational Foundation’s Ambassador of Excellence as a Top Five Finalist for Arizona Educational Foundation’s Teacher of the Year.  She is a lifetime supporter of and believer in K-12 Public Education. 

Institutional accreditation

University of Phoenix has been continually accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org since 1978.

FAQ about master’s education degrees

Master’s education degree programs typically take 16-22 months to complete. Check the program you’re interested in for more details or speak with a University representative.

 

Having a master’s degree has become an increasingly important way to gain the knowledge and critical skills today's workers need to stay competitive in the education field. On average, master’s degree employment is projected to grow* by 16.4% between 2020-2030. 

So, if you’re looking to pursue leadership opportunities, our online degree programs can help you take that next step in your career.

*The BLS Projected Growth for 2020-2030 is published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data reflects the BLS’ projections of national (not local) conditions. These data points are not specific to University of Phoenix students or graduates.

Yes, our Master’s programs in education accept eligible transfer credits from accredited institutions. And University representatives can help you understand if your prior college credits can apply to your program.  Speak with an enrollment representative about requesting your transcripts.