Master of Science in Education Overview
If you are already a P–12 teacher and want to enhance your knowledge and advance your career, or if you are looking to begin your teaching career, Purdue Global offers a convenient, flexible solution for earning your master's degree in education online. This program can help existing teachers improve their teaching skills, increase their professional marketability, and pursue career advancement in areas such as teacher leadership, professional development, or mentoring.* The curriculum will help graduates promote student learning and development and school achievement, and explores diverse learners, academic content and pedagogy, assessment, and professional responsibilities and relationships.
Degree Concentrations
We offer three concentrations in the online master’s in education to help you achieve the academic competencies required in a specific area of teaching:
- Teaching literacy and language: Develop skills for teaching basic reading and writing skills to elementary, middle, and high school students.
- Teaching students with special needs: Examine best practices and methods for adapting curricula to accommodate children with special needs.
- Educational leadership: Examine best practices for educational leadership in the areas of school finance and operations, curriculum development for school improvement, and supervision and staff development.
If you are interested in becoming a certified teacher and live in a state that is not covered by the Classroom Pathways Bundle, you must independently research and pursue alternative certification in your state.* On its own, the Master of Science in Education will not lead to certification and is not state-approved for licensure. Your Admissions Advisor can explain how to pursue alternative certification and whom to contact in your state.
Licensing requirements for teaching grades K through 12 vary by state. In almost every state, you must enroll in a state-approved certification program that may include completing coursework, a supervised teaching internship or student teaching course, and/or passing a subject area and pedagogy exam.
Note: Completion of the Master of Science in Education is not required to pursue a state alternative teacher certification program. Purdue Global makes no representations or warranties as to whether the program meets the specific requirements for any individual state or school system for pay increase purposes. Students must independently research the requirements in their state or school system. At this time, residents of Kentucky may not enroll in this program.
See the University Catalog for policy and degree plan information specific to this program.