Curriculum and Instruction: Elementary Education Concentration, M.Ed.

The Elementary Education concentration divides coursework into core courses, content specialization, and elective or focus area courses.

You will delve into areas like educational research, curriculum theory and advanced methodology as you sharpen your understanding of curriculum and pedagogy and learn to apply technology to enhance learning. In the last semester, candidates engage in advanced methods in their content areas as well as create a capstone portfolio.

See the catalog link at the bottom of this page for a full list of courses, which vary depending on your concentration area.

• Complete the Graduate School Admission Application.
• A bachelor’s degree from a university accredited by a US Department of Education-recognized institutional accreditor.
• Transcripts from all post-secondary education documenting an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 (based on a 4.0 scale). Please inquire with our Enrollment Team for more details if your GPA does not meet this requirement.
• A statement of purpose.
• Three recommendations from those knowledgeable of the candidate’s professional disposition or work in schools/youth. Applicants will provide reference contact names and email addresses through the application portal.
• A North Carolina “A” license (Standard Professional 1 [SP1] Professional Educator’s License) in their respective level and content field, or the equivalent from another state, is required.

• August 1 (fall)
• December 1 (spring)
• May 1 (summer first half term)

ESL Add-On

The M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, TESL strand is a 30 credit hour Master’s program designed to support the preparation of teachers in the K12 school settings, university settings and/or abroad. Currently licensed teachers can choose to earn ESL Add-On Licensure in NC by completing the first 12 credit hours of the M.Ed. program. The add-on licensure sequence of courses is designed to equip experienced teachers to better support multilingual learners in their schools. Students interested in earning the Masters of Education degree can continue in the program by completing the remaining 18 credit hours.

• TESL 5103 – Methods in Teaching English as a Second Language (3)
• TESL 5104 – Authentic Assessment (3)
• TESL 5205 – Second Language Acquisition and Linguistics in K-12 Schools (3)
• TESL 6204 – Multicultural Education (3)

Instructional Coaching

The Graduate Certificate in Instructional Coaching prioritizes real-world application, expert instruction and professional networking, making it a valuable option for those seeking to advance their careers in education. You will develop the instructional coaching skills needed to help teachers improve instruction, design quality curriculum, effectively use data to guide instruction and determine areas for development. It can be taken as part of the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and only requires four courses:

• Principles of Coaching I
• Coaching for an Equitable Learning Environment
• Principles of Coaching II
• Application of Coaching Principles

Work with your program advisor or Luke Reinke, Instructional Coaching Program Director, to determine how this fits into your desired plan of study.

Upon graduating from our M.Ed. program, you’ll be highly qualified to apply for a doctoral program, which prepares you for leadership positions within your school or district. Some students who complete a doctorate pursue careers as instructors at community colleges or four-year institutions.

UNC Charlotte alumni who completed the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction can be found working in educational organizations such as:

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• Gaston County Schools
• Union County Schools
• Cabarrus Schools

Our graduates hold job titles such as:

• Multi-Classroom Leader
• Department Chair
• Curriculum Facilitator
• Instructional Coach

By choosing UNC Charlotte’s online M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, you’ll enjoy a number of advantages, including:

Learn from faculty experts. Our professors have been recognized repeatedly for their teaching, research and student mentoring as recipients of several prestigious awards including the Teaching Fellows Teaching Excellence Award, the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence, the Board of Governor’s Award for Teaching Excellence and the UNC @ i3 Technology Fellowship.

Earn your online master’s degree in just two years (five semesters). You will average two courses per semester and complete the program in two years (including one full summer term). You may opt to take just one course per semester, which will lengthen the time it takes to earn your degree. You will complete a capstone experience through either a comprehensive portfolio or a research project, as assigned by your program advisor.

Resident: $288.82 per credit hour

Outside of NC Non-Resident: $536.98 per credit hour

Non Resident: $1,098.21 per credit hour