Master's in Curriculum and Instruction: Online Programs and Pay

By the Transforming Education editorial team. Reviewed for accuracy against the sources listed below.

A master's in curriculum and instruction is the degree for teachers who want to shape what is taught, not just deliver it. It is also the most common master's in education, which means the label covers a wide range of programs, almost all of them online-friendly and almost all of them non-licensure. This guide explains what the degree covers, who it suits, how programs differ, what they cost and what the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports about the instructional coordinator role the degree most directly prepares you for.

What the degree is and who it is for

Curriculum and instruction, often shortened to C&I, is the study of what students should learn, how it should be sequenced and taught, and how to tell whether it worked. A master's in the field typically runs 30 to 36 credits and is designed for people already working in education: classroom teachers who want to lead a department or grade team, instructional coaches, district curriculum staff, and educators in private, charter or international schools.

The course lists make the focus concrete. WGU's M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction runs through Differentiated Instruction, Designing Curriculum and Instruction I and II, Standards-Based Assessment, The Reflective Practitioner, Learning as a Science, The Collaborative Leader, Data-Informed Practices and Educational Research before a capstone built on action or applied research. Penn State World Campus's M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction lets students shape 30 credits around an emphasis such as Curriculum and Supervision or STEM.

The degree is not the route into teaching for someone without a license. For that, see our guides to online teaching degrees and how to become a teacher.

Licensure and non-licensure tracks

Most C&I master's programs are explicitly non-licensure, and the programs on this page say so in their own words.

• Penn State: the program is not designed to lead to initial teacher certification in any state, though it may help renew or maintain an existing certification.
• Texas A&M: "This is not a teacher certification program."
• University of Kansas: the M.S.E. does not lead to initial or advanced teaching licensure.
• Southern New Hampshire University: the M.Ed. does not lead to licensure, though endorsement opportunities may exist depending on state rules; applicants sign a Non-Licensure Acknowledgment form.
• WGU: the M.S. page does not describe a licensure outcome and points licensure seekers to the university's separate teaching license programs.

The exception is the add-on endorsement. Liberty's M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction lists Early Childhood Education and Gifted Education as add-on endorsements that require an initial teaching license, while its other twelve specializations are non-licensure. Its teacher education programs are approved by the Virginia Department of Education, so the endorsement is a Virginia endorsement first.

For most applicants, non-licensure is a feature. You already hold the license; you want the knowledge, the credential and the salary-schedule step your district attaches to a master's. Just do not expect the degree to move you from one license to another.

Concentrations and emphasis areas

The core is similar everywhere. What distinguishes programs is the specialization menu.

Choose by the problem you want to solve. A reading specialist path suits literacy coaches; a STEM or mathematics education emphasis suits teachers heading toward department leadership; an educational technology or online teaching concentration suits those designing blended or virtual courses. If your interest is school-wide social and emotional learning, our SEL curriculum guide and SEL integration approach show the kind of design work a C&I degree prepares you for.

Credits, duration and pace

• Penn State: 30 credits, all courses three credits; students typically take two to three years, with published paces from one to two years at three or four courses a semester to three to four years at one course a semester.
• Texas A&M: 36 hours, non-thesis.
• Kansas: 30 credits in 10 courses of 8 weeks; as few as two years.
• WGU: 10 courses; most students finish in about 18 months.
• SNHU: 36 credits in 12 courses, 9 core plus electives or a 3-course concentration, in 10-week terms.
• Liberty: 8-week courses; the page does not state a credit total, and directs applicants to the degree completion plan in the catalog.

Working teachers usually take one or two courses at a time, so the two-to-three-year figure is the realistic planning number for most people, with the competency-based WGU model as the main exception for those who can move quickly through familiar material.

Admissions and the GRE

None of the programs on this page requires the GRE. Penn State states that no GRE or GMAT scores are required. Kansas says no GRE is required for admission. SNHU's process involves no test scores, no application fee and no essay. Liberty lists no standardized testing for admission. Texas A&M's online M.Ed. page does not mention the test.

What they ask for instead:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, in every case.
• GPA: Penn State asks for a 3.0 junior and senior GPA.
• Experience: SNHU requires a résumé showing at least six months of relevant K-12 instructional or curriculum development experience. Kansas says prior teaching experience is strongly recommended but not required. WGU requires experience in an educational environment and, because the capstone is applied research, access to a K-12 population of learners or educators with at least 15 participants.
• Writing and references: Penn State requires two references, a résumé, a statement of purpose and a writing sample of about 1,000 words that critically reviews a recent educational research article.

Accreditation and why it matters

For a non-licensure master's, institutional accreditation is the essential check. Penn State is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which reaffirmed its accreditation in 2024. Texas A&M is accredited by SACSCOC. The University of Kansas is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. WGU is accredited by NWCCU. SNHU is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. Liberty is accredited by SACSCOC.

Accreditation of the educator preparation provider matters when the degree touches a license or endorsement. The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation is recognized by CHEA, and the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation, founded in 2017, is also CHEA-recognized with more than 200 member providers in 34 states and territories. Kansas's programs are accredited under CAEP standards from fall 2021 to fall 2028. WGU's Teachers College holds both CAEP and AAQEP accreditation. Liberty's School of Education is CAEP-accredited, which is relevant to its add-on endorsements.

What it costs (approximate ranges)

The NCES Digest of Education Statistics reports average graduate tuition and required fees of $20,513 in 2021-22, with public institutions at $12,596 and private nonprofits at $29,931. Published rates for the programs here, which change annually:

SNHU allows up to 12 transfer credits, with at least 24 taken at SNHU. Liberty allows transfer of up to 50% of a graduate degree. Transfer credit is the single biggest lever on total cost for a non-licensure master's.

Online format realities

C&I programs are among the most fully online degrees in education because they have no student teaching requirement. Kansas describes its program as 100% online with no campus visits required. Texas A&M describes online delivery built around video lectures and discussion. SNHU runs 10-week terms; Kansas and Liberty run 8-week courses.

The catch is that the work is applied. WGU's capstone requires action research with real learners, hence the requirement for access to at least 15 participants. SNHU requires documented K-12 experience before admission. Expect assignments that ask you to redesign a unit, analyze your students' assessment data or lead a professional learning session, which is far easier if you are employed in a school while you study.

Career outlook and pay

The role this degree most directly prepares you for is instructional coordinator. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook lists a master's degree as the typical entry-level education and five or more years of related experience, such as teaching or school administration, as the typical work experience requirement. It notes that public school coordinators are required to have a master's degree in education or curriculum and instruction, that some positions require a degree in a specialized field such as math or history, and that coordinators in public schools may need a state-issued license such as a teaching or administrator license.

The median annual wage was $77,440 in May 2025. Employment was 248,700 in 2025 and is projected to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, slower than the average for all occupations, with about 23,100 openings a year on average, most from replacing workers who retire or change occupations.

For comparison, kindergarten and elementary school teachers earned a median of $63,820 in May 2025 and high school teachers $72,040. Many C&I graduates remain teachers by choice and use the degree for department leadership, coaching or a master's step on the district salary schedule.

Note: Whether a master's raises classroom pay depends on your district's salary schedule, which this guide does not verify. The BLS figures describe roles, not automatic raises.

The state reciprocity caveat

A non-licensure master's travels well, because there is no license attached. Endorsements do not. Liberty's early childhood and gifted add-ons are Virginia endorsements, and SNHU's note that endorsement opportunities "may exist depending on state rules" is the honest version of the situation. If you want the degree to add a credential, confirm with your own state's licensing agency that the specific program qualifies. States review out-of-state credentials case by case; the Texas Education Agency, for instance, takes about six to eight weeks to review an out-of-state educator's credentials and then lists any further requirements.

How to choose

1. Decide whether you need an endorsement. If not, any institutionally accredited program is in play.
2. Pick the specialization that matches the role you want in five years, not the course that sounds interesting this year.
3. Compare total published cost and transfer credit limits.
4. Check pace options against your teaching load.
5. Ask what the capstone or final project requires and whether your current school can host it.

If leadership rather than curriculum is the goal, compare this degree with an educational leadership degree. For a broader look at degree types, see master's in education online.

How we verified this guide

Every figure above was checked on the page cited on November 7, 2026. Pay and employment data come from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (May 2025 wages, 2025-35 projections). Program credits, policies and rates come from each university's own pages, and nonprofit status from the institution's site or its IRS filings as indexed by ProPublica. Where a page did not state a figure, we left it out.