An Online English Education Master's Degree With Interdisciplinary Flexibility

This flexible, online English Education Master of Arts degree is designed to reflect current trends and issues in research and instruction for English Language Arts (ELA). The course of study introduces new teaching skills, theories, and strategies. It also prepares you to engage in authentic, classroom-based research. 

Strengths of This Program

  • Educational Flexibility: the Course of Study tab below details the wide range of course topics that you can choose from to tailor the program to your interests, build on previous coursework, or investigate teaching challenges that you have experienced in your classroom.
  • Schedule Flexibility: you can start this online program any term, and take as many or as few courses as you like. Most students complete this program fully online, which allows you to complete your coursework any time of day, from anywhere. Some students explore campus-based courses if they want to access additional course options.
  • Practical teaching strategies: courses in the program offer both theory and practical teaching strategies. You will also complete a capstone project that can benefit your students, your school and your career path.

Reach Your Teaching Career Goals

The primary benefit of this master's degree is the customized course of study you will build to support your teaching philosophy and your students' learning. You'll access, analyze and apply best practices from a range of topics that impact secondary classrooms (and K-12 classrooms if you choose Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Education coursework).

What challenges are you facing in the classroom? What teaching practices do you want to explore? Take your teaching to the next level with a program that you design for your needs.

Please note that this program is for teaching English Language Arts and ENG courses. If you are seeking a program for teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESL), you can choose from our TESOL Master's Degree and TESOL Graduate Certificate programs.

Teach Dual Enrollment & College-Level English

Students who complete 18 hours of college-level English content (ENG) and/or English Education (EED) coursework in this program, or who hold a master's in any subject area and take the Composition & Literary Studies Graduate Certificate, will fulfill the eligibility requirements for instructors of some college-level English courses. You will be eligible to teach college and university courses in English – including concurrent/dual enrollment courses (in which students earn both high school and college credit in the same course).

Additionally, some institutions allow for other English and language teaching courses to fulfill the 18 hour requirement. If you know the institution for which you wish to teach, you can work with the Program Coordinator to determine the mix of additional coursework that will fulfill the eligibility for concurrent/dual enrollment teaching.

Composition and Literary Studies Graduate Certificate

Teachers who possess a master's degree who just want to pursue eligibility to teach college-level English courses can take the Composition and Literary Studies Graduate Certificate (18 credit hours). Tuition is the same as the master's program. Contact the Program Coordinator about certificate course options.

English department information about the certificate program

Official certificate listing in the UNC catalog

Checkmark over books icon to highlight the program details tabs below

Can Be Completed Fully Online

  • You can complete this program fully online. Additional elective and cognate courses options may be available as on-campus courses, but those options will impact program costs. See the Tuition section for more details.
  • Program completion will take two years if you take two courses per term (Spring, Summer and Fall), but you can choose to enroll in more or fewer courses each term based on your schedule. Note: if you take two or more courses in the same term, you will be eligible for federal financial aid.

Coursework (30 Credit Hours)

For an example of upcoming courses, visit the Current Students page for this program.

Please note that students who begin the program summer 2024 term will be admitted to the Education MAT: English Education Concentration program, which is detailed in the official program listing in the 2023-2024 UNC Graduate Catalog. Starting fall 2024, this program has a new name (English Education MA) and requirements. That program information will be linked when the 2024-2025 UNC Graduate Catalog is released. Students admitted to the MAT program can remain in that program through to graduation, or can switch to the new program once the 2024-2025 graduate catalog is live. Please contact the Program Coordinator if you have questions.

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