An English Education Master's Degree With Interdisciplinary Flexibility
This flexible, online Education Master of Arts in Teaching – English Education Concentration 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.
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 Program
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 additional course options that may be available besides those listed in the catalog.
English department information about the certificate program
You can complete this program fully online. 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.
Degree Requirements (30 Credit Hours)
To see the upcoming courses, visit this program's Current Students page.
Required Courses (6 Credit Hours)
EED 600 Introduction to Graduate Studies: Issues, Trends, and Topics in English Education (3)
Research methodology: Students must complete at least one course in research methodology. EED 623 Teaching as Inquiry: Teacher Action Research in the ELA Classroom (3) is the preferred course; however, SRM 600 Introduction to Graduate Research (3) or ELIT 623 Classroom Literacy Research Design (3) can be substituted with advisor approval.
Required Electives (6 Credit Hours)
Electives allow for maximum flexibility for your educational goals. They can be used to explore new topics, dive more deeply into a field, or to fufill the career outcome requirements mentioned in the student designed cognate section. Select two courses from the following programs in consultation with your advisor.
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education (ECLD)
- Educational Psychology (PSY)
- Educational Foundations (EDF)
- Literacy (ELIT) or Reading (EDRD)
- Special Education (EDSE)
- Technology Innovation & Pedagogy (TIP)
Student Designed Cognate (18 Credit Hours)
You will direct your own program outcomes by building the course mix that suits your needs. Complete any six courses from the following UNC programs, selected by you in consultation with your MAT advisor. (Courses from other programs may be included with advisor approval.)
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education (ECLD)
- Educational Psychology (PSY)
- Educational Foundations (EDF)
- English (ENG)
- Literacy (ELIT) or Reading (EDRD)
- Special Education (EDSE)
- Technology Innovation & Pedagogy (TIP)
*** Many students pursue a unique, personal course mix from across the areas above, but students who want to align their coursework to state or national teaching requirements can contact the Program Coordinator before or after admission to match their course mix with the following outcomes.
- 18 credit hours of ENG and/or EED coursework to fulfill the HLC content coursework qualification to teach dual/concurrent enrollment (and some college-level) English courses.
- 24 credit hours of ECLD coursework can lead to a CLD Endorsement.
Capstone Project
You will also complete an applied capstone project as part of this program. This project may include curriculum design, a professional portfolio, or a teacher inquiry research project. You will work with your MAT advisor to design the project, and you will be encouraged to employ academic research to address questions you have about your students’ learning (or your own learning).
For full details, see the official program listing in the UNC Graduate Catalog.
Get Started/Apply
Request Information
Request Composition Certificate Info
Additional Resources
- Visit the English Department page to learn more about the Education MAT English Education Concentration Program.
- Learn more about the English Department Faculty.
