25 Best Master’s in Secondary Education Online Programs – 2026
March 18, 2025
Trying to get promoted in your school district? What about getting a raise? Want to make yourself more competitive as a teacher or administrator? You might be searching for Master鈥檚 in Education Online Programs. If so, you鈥檝e come to the right place. Finding the program that meets your needs can be a challenge. With so many options and seemingly endless Google results kicking back sponsored content, the very best Master鈥檚 in Secondary Education Online Programs might elude you.听
Have no fear.听
We鈥檝e done the work of combing the internet for you, and we鈥檝e found the 25 best Master鈥檚 in Education online programs. These programs are designed to help you reach your goals of becoming a teacher, administrator, researcher, or to go on to get your Ph.D., and they鈥檙e designed to be completed remotely. That means you can keep your current job, take care of your family, and still get your degree. Some programs are even accelerated and can be completed in less than one year.听
These programs are all accredited, so you can rest easy knowing that鈥攊f you鈥檙e up for promotion and a pay bump鈥攜our school district isn鈥檛 going to deny you on the basis of your new credential.
Best Master’s in Secondary Education Online Programs
We鈥檝e organized our list of schools into the following categories:听
- Best Master’s in Education Online Programs for Getting a Raise听
- Best Master鈥檚 in Education Online Programs for Academic Rigor听
- Top Master鈥檚 in Education Online Programs for Asynchronous Work
- Best Master鈥檚 in Education Online Programs for Social Accountability: Synchronous and Asynchronous Blend听听
- Best Master鈥檚 in Education Online Programs for Accelerated Timelines听
These programs are all designed a little bit differently. You can think of the rankings as a way to organize the schools based on their general characteristics, but, really, the best school is the right choice for you. Just because you鈥檙e looking to finish your degree quickly doesn鈥檛 mean you have to settle for a lower-quality program.听
Within each Best Master’s in Secondary Education Online Program listing, you’ll find…
- Program Link. No need to go digging!听
- Highlights. How this program could help you reach your goals.
- Tuition. Each school reports tuition a bit differently, so we鈥檝e done the math to report either the estimated total tuition, based on credit hours, or the annual tuition, based on time. Keep in mind that variables like fees, financial aid, and tuition increases will affect how much you pay.
Best Master’s in Secondary Education Online Programs for Getting a Raise
We know that there are plenty of you out there who are looking to get your Master鈥檚 in Education as working teachers. Your school district might even offer a salary incentive to instructors who have their M.Ed. The average instructor with an M.Ed. will be qualified for a 20% raise and a lifetime earning increase of $300,000, according to the University of Virginia.听
Why shouldn鈥檛 you get yours?听
These Master鈥檚 in Education Online Programs will help you get in, get out, and get that money鈥攁ll while saving on tuition. And, of course, you鈥檒l get an increased mastery over your discipline to become a better teacher.听
Highlights:
- 93% of UVA students are already employed as teachers, which means you鈥檒l be in a cohort of peers who can motivate you and share their own professional experiences.
- No GRE is required, shortening your prep time.
- Coursework is 100% online and asynchronous, meaning you can complete classes at your own pace on your own time.
- The program is designed for working teachers who want to enhance their capabilities in the workplace.
- Finish in 1 year full-time, or 2鈥3 years part-time.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $622.
- Total required credits: 30.
- Estimated base tuition: $18,660.
Highlights:
- This program is designed for working teachers who already have 3 years of classroom experience.
- No GRE required, meaning you can apply without studying for another exam.
- Earn your M.Ed. in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL); Literacy and Reading; Multicultural Contexts in Education; Project Based Learning; STEAM Education
- Courses taught by the same faculty who teach on campus.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit is based on residency:
- $515 per credit hour for South Carolina Certified teachers.
- $572.25 per credit hour for all other teachers.
- Total required credits: 33.
- Estimated base tuition:
- $17,146 for South Carolina Certified teachers.
- $18,863 for all other teachers.
Highlights:
- This asynchronous program lets you study, learn, and take exams on your own schedule.
- While the program can be finished as quickly or as slowly as you need, 62% of graduates finish in 10 months.
- Choose from K鈥12 or Adult Learner Pathways鈥攐r complete both, depending on your goals.
- WGU graduates report an average $10,000 salary increase after completing the degree.
Tuition:
- $4,125, charged per six-month term.
- At $8,250 per year, WGU is the most cost-effective on the list, if you finish in one year.
- After one year, the price becomes comparable to others on the list, but is worth considering if you can realistically finish in one year and want to save.
Highlights:
- A rolling admissions deadline means you can get started at one of 10 different start dates during the year.
- A 100% asynchronous program means you can complete the work on your own time.
- Participate in the 鈥淭urnaround Leadership Program鈥 and get up to 12 credits off your M.Ed. required credits, potentially saving on tuition and fees.
- Discounted tuition rates for military members and employees of corporate partners.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $675.
- Total required credits: 36.
- Estimated base tuition: $24,300.
Highlights:
- Finish in as few as 12 months.
- 100% online, with a 鈥済round-breaking fellowship model鈥 that can provide a 100% tuition discount.
- to help you tailor your education to your career goals.
- Start in Fall, Spring, Summer I, or Summer II to jumpstart your education.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $600.
- Total required credits: 36.
- Estimated base tuition: $21,600.
Best Master鈥檚 in Secondary Education Online Programs for Academic Rigor
These schools are known for their academic rigor, and these programs are designed to put you on the cutting edge of academic research in education. If you鈥檙e ready to challenge yourself and launch your career in a new direction, check out these diverse and challenging programs.
Highlights:
- Graduate from this highly sought-after program in just 18 months.
- Choose from four specialization areas: Effective and Reflective Teaching, Experiential Teaching for Early Childhood, Instructional Coaching, and STEAM.
- The curriculum addresses contemporary issues in assessment, curriculum design theory, and cultural diversity in education, among other topics.
- Courses are entirely asynchronous, meaning that students can access course content, study, and take exams all on their own schedule.
Tuition:
- Total required credits: 30.
- Taking 15 credits per semester (full-time), $8,130 per semester.
- Full-time, one-year tuition estimate is $16,260.
Highlights:
- The newly designed program focuses on technology and training others to use tech to improve learning outcomes.
- Learning Experience Design (LXD) area of interest teaches you to create tech-supported environments in diverse communities.
- 30-credit program can be completed full or part-time in 1鈥2 years.
- Learn to address modern challenges like digital equity and privacy concerns.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $1,086.
- Total required credits: 30.
- Estimated base tuition: $32,580.
Highlights:
- Two-year, part-time program is designed specifically for mid-career working professionals.
- One short on-campus visit at the start of the program introduces you to your diverse peer cohort to help build community and foster opportunities.
- Two pathways: PreK鈥12 and Higher Education are 鈥渃areer-embedded,鈥 meaning they鈥檙e designed to be applied to your work immediately.
- Connect with the Harvard community and create lifelong networking relationships to build your career.
Tuition:
- Estimated $31,122 tuition cost for 10 months for the 2025鈥2026 academic year.
- Two years of part-time work will run upwards of $62,000.
- Tuition info is a bit buried on this site, .
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Highlights:
- UMass offers a number of online academic programs in addition to Curriculum and Instruction, including Applied Behavior Analysis & Education, Education Administration, Higher Education, and Arts & Literacy.
- These robust academic offerings also conclude with an Action Research Capstone project to be completed in your school or workplace, augmenting your professional experience.
- Programs can be completed in as few as 18 months.
- The program requires 30 credits for completion.
Tuition:
- Cost per 3-credit course: $1,410.
- Total required credits: 30.
- Estimated base tuition: $14,100.
Highlights:
- American鈥檚 program focuses on creating, evaluating, and researching education in order to produce change-making policy.
- Emphases include: educational policy, leadership, law, economics, equity, and research in education.
- You鈥檒l graduate with a robust capacity to build 鈥渋nnovative, evidence-based, anti-racist programs and policies.鈥
- Intentional 鈥渃ohort experience鈥 with synchronous class times means you鈥檒l be building formative relationships and networks with your peers throughout the process.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $2,000.
- Total program credits: 30.
- Estimated base tuition: $60,000.
- AmeriCorps members may use their benefits toward tuition.
Best Master鈥檚 in Secondary Education Online Programs for Asynchronous Work
Looking for a completely asynchronous program schedule that doesn鈥檛 require you to show up for online classes at a specific time? Need to structure your studies around your family and work needs? Look no further. These 100% asynchronous programs will help you maintain balance while you earn your degree.
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Highlights:
- Designed for teachers who already have two years of classroom experience.
- Ideal for teachers who want to pursue leadership positions, such as superintendent or principal.
- Courses are 100% asynchronous and instructor-led, so you can finish coursework on your own time.
- Super flexible format to meet the needs of working individuals.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $735.
- Total required credits: 30.
- Estimated base tuition: $22,050.
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Highlights:
- Choose from one of seven specializations: Bilingual Education, Early Childhood Education, English as a Second Language Education, Literacy Education, Mathematics Education, Teacher Leadership, and Science Education.
- The online course schedule rotates throughout fall, spring, and summer, so you can start when you need and finish your degree easily.
- The program requires four departmental courses, four specialization courses, and six credit hours of electives.
Tuition:
- 30 hours of required coursework.
- Tuition is based on your residency and length of study.
- Calculate your estimated tuition here:
Highlights:
- Note: This program is an MAED, not an M.Ed. Still, most teachers use it as a way to secure a promotion or raise, to change titles and become consultants or principals, or to teach at community colleges.
- Choose one of six concentrations: Literacy Education, P-12 School and Postsecondary Leadership, Science and Mathematics Education, Special Education, Sport Coaching and Leadership, Technology and Learning.
- Online students are eligible for research and internship opportunities.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $933.
- Total required credits: 30.
- Estimated total tuition: $27,990.
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Highlights:
- Note: These programs are Master of Science programs with education focuses.
- Choose from M.S. in Reading, Higher Education, or Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology (CDIT).
- The CDIT program, for example, explores the intersection of curriculum and technology in the 21st century.
- M.S. programs can fulfill the New York State requirement for professional certification for teachers.
Tuition:
- Total required credits: 30
- Tuition cost is calculated based on residency and number of credits taken at one time.
- Calculate your expected tuition here:
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Highlights:
- This program is deeply rooted in evidence-based research to provide a substantial theoretical basis for PreK鈥12 teachers.
- Students are prepared for a variety of local and global contexts.
- The program includes the following content areas: academic learning, social climate and emotional well-being, school improvement, and family and community partnerships.
Tuition:
- Total required credits: 36
- Tuition is calculated based on residency and number of credits taken.
- Estimate your tuition here:
Best Master鈥檚 in Secondary Education Online Programs for Social Accountability: Synchronous and Asynchronous Blend
Do you like the flexibility of an online program, but still need some scheduled face time with your cohort in order to stay on task? Check out these programs that offer a blend of synchronous and asynchronous coursework. You鈥檒l meet with your professors and peers for specific classes, and do self-guided work the rest of the time. It might just be the boost you need to get your degree.
Boston College Master of Education in and
Highlights:
- The Leadership M.Ed. offers pathways in Social Justice Leadership, Educational Policy Development, School Principal Licensure.
- The Global Perspectives M.Ed. covers topics such as Family and Community Engagement; Globalization, Mobility, and Education; and Perspectives on Disability.
- In both, students are guided by BC Signature Pedagogies that enable you to work in small groups, organizations, communities, on policy, and in a self-guided manner.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $1,764.
- Total program credits: 30.
- Estimated base tuition: $52,920.
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Highlights:
- With nine different online Master of Education programs, UNC Charlotte provides a diverse set of opportunities for educators to follow their passions and broaden their skill set.
- UNC Charlotte describes the program as being 100% online and flexible, and that 鈥渕ost courses鈥 are structured asynchronously, but most also meet four-to-six times per semester. This might be a great fit for students who need a 鈥渓ight touch鈥 in terms of structured meetings to keep themselves on track.
- The program can be completed in two years, including one full summer. Start in Spring, Summer, or Fall semesters to meet your needs.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $288.82.
- Total required credits: 30.
- Estimated base tuition: $8,664.60, which is one of the most affordable options on the list.
Highlights:
- With 11 different pathways鈥攊ncluding Bilingual Bicultural, Digital Learning, and Teaching Biology鈥攖he University of Illinois offers a wide breadth of possibilities for your studies.
- Professors typically offer the ability for students to choose between attending live sessions or self-pacing asynchronously, which can help you create the perfect mix of accountability and flexibility.
- Students are eligible for merit and need-based scholarships, and the program can be completed in just 18 months.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $520.
- Total required credits: 32.
- Estimated base tuition: $16,640.
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Highlights:
- UW Madison鈥檚 four different online masters include: Sports Leadership, Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis through the Wisconsin Idea Principal Preparation Program, Educational Psychology: Professional Educators, and Educational Psychology: Learning Analytics.
- The Wisconsin Idea Principal Preparation Program will qualify you to take the exam for principal licensure in the state of Wisconsin.
- Students move through the program as a cohort, which creates social accountability and builds networks to help them through the next phases of their careers.
- The program can be finished on an accelerated timeline, in just 15 months.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $800.
- Total required credits: 30.
- Estimated base tuition: $24,000.
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Highlights:
- Penn State offers concentrations in administration, student engagement, and institutional research.
- You can earn both a certificate in institutional research and the M.Ed. in Higher Education for 36 credits instead of the conventional 30.
- Most courses follow a weekly schedule with set deadlines, making it easy to check in with your professors on a regular basis and keep yourself on track.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $1,027.
- Total required credits: 30.
- Estimated base tuition: $30,810.
Highlights:
- While 鈥渕ost courses鈥 are asynchronous, courses are taught by full-time faculty and are structured to use multiple digital platforms so that you can get face time when you need it and flexibility when you don鈥檛.
- Delaware offers three degree options: an M.Ed. in Literacy, Teacher Leadership, or Educational Technology.
- You can finish the program in just two years of part-time study.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $1,069.
- Total required credits: 30.
- Estimated base tuition: $32,070.
Best Master鈥檚 in Secondary Education Online Programs for Accelerated Timelines
Need to get that master under your belt鈥攁nd fast? These accelerated timeline programs will help you get there. Whether it鈥檚 getting your teaching certificate or working toward a promotion, these programs will help you move through course content quickly and efficiently.
Highlights:
- With an average one-year completion time, this is one of the fastest programs on the list.
- The program requires 10 courses, with an estimated workload of 15 hours per week.
- Start in Spring, Summer, or Fall to get going and get your degree faster.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $420.
- Total required credits: 30.
- Estimated base tuition: $12,600.
Highlights:
- This accelerated program prepares students for certification at either the elementary or secondary level.
- The AME is best suited to paraprofessionals, long-term substitutes, or individuals who are teaching on temporary or emergency permits who need to get their certification in order to continue in their current line of work.
- The program can be completed in-person or online, and does have fixed class schedules in order to move you quickly through the accelerated course content.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $735.
- Total required credits: 36.
- Estimated base tuition: $26,100.
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Highlights:
- UNM鈥檚 program focuses on teacher leadership in order to produce teachers who advocate for higher learning standards and affect change in their schools.
- The program is designed to be finished in two years, with summer courses available to finish the program more quickly.
- This program is for licensed teachers looking to make the next step in their career; no GRE required.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit: $428.12.
- Total required credits: 30.
- Estimated base tuition: $12,843.60.
Highlights:
- While the program lists a range of completion timelines, it鈥檚 possible to finish the UNH M.Ed. in just 10 months, making it a truly accelerated program.
- Courses are offered asynchronously, so you can get the coursework done on your own time鈥攁s fast as you can.
- Small class sizes provide students with the opportunity to get to know faculty, even if you鈥檙e moving quickly.
Tuition:
- Cost per credit depends on residency status:
- New Hampshire residents: $650 per credit.
- Out-of-state residents: $715 per credit.
- Total required credits: 30鈥32.
- Estimated base tuition:
- New Hampshire residents: $17,100鈥$20,520.
- Out-of-state residents: $19,200鈥$23,040.
Best Master’s in Secondary Education Online Programs – Additional Resources
If you鈥檙e looking for more resources about teaching, about the best online grad programs, and about how to get into them, check out our other posts:听
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Ready to find the program that fits your background, career target, and budget? See: Find Your Best-Fit Online Program in 60 Seconds
For the complete adult learner guide, see:听The Complete Guide to Earning an Accredited Online Degree as an Adult Learner