Education - Education studies

This program is designed to empower you to address critical sustainability challenges, advocate for ecological literacy and justice, and imagine a future where all people, communities and nature can thrive. Through transdisciplinary coursework, you'll gain the skills and knowledge needed to lead change through education in the face of ecological and social complexity. You'll learn how to enact critical and ecologically attuned pedagogies, influence educational policy and practice and change how people think about the future of education. This program provides a platform for you to harness your passion and drive, equipping you with the tools to become a changemaker in your community, school or education organization.

Connect and collaborate with peers at other universities and networks

Throughout this program, you'll have the unique opportunity to connect and collaborate with peers at other universities and networks, both nationally and internationally. This cross-institutional networking feature enriches your academic and professional journey, providing a platform for dynamic exchanges of ideas, cultures and perspectives. Engaging with a diverse international community not only expands your professional network but also deepens your understanding of global climate and sustainability education issues. By fostering collaboration and innovation, this aspect of the program prepares you for a global career, equipping you with the insights needed to address complex challenges from a multicultural perspective.

How does this program compare to a master’s in environmental education?

When comparing this program to a master's in environmental education, you'll find a distinct difference in perspective and focus. While environmental education delves deeply into understanding environmental systems, biodiversity and human impacts on nature, this planetary futures program takes a more holistic and forward-thinking approach. It not only addresses environmental concerns but also integrates technological, sociocultural and ethical dimensions of coexisting harmoniously with all beings—human and non-human—and the planet itself. This program aims to equip you with the ability to navigate and shape the future by understanding the role of education in sustaining intricate global systems.

This master’s degree prepares you to become a leader in the higher education sector. In your courses, you’ll explore the intricacies of higher and postsecondary institutions, gain insight into the outcomes linked to earning a college degree, learn how to work with faculty and staff and develop supervisory skills tailored for the collegiate environment. Courses are taught by leading faculty who share your commitment to broad access, equity and community engagement within education.

Additionally, graduates will be prepared to support college-level students, staff and faculty in a variety of service areas, such as:

• Academic advising.
• Admissions.
• Athletics.
• Career services.
• Disability resources and services.
• Orientation.
• Residential life.
• Study abroad.
• Transfer student programs.
• Veterans and military service.

The skills you’ll develop

Through your coursework and a hands-on practicum experience, you’ll learn how to navigate the complex organizational processes at college campuses. You’ll also analyze the landscape of higher education globally. Upon graduation, you’ll be skilled in:

• Advising, supporting and developing students.
• Creating a learner-centered curriculum.
• Developing and understanding a budget for an organization.
• Leading within higher education administration.
• Understanding how to best support supervisees.

Who’s a good candidate for this master’s program?

Ideal candidates for this master’s in higher and postsecondary education program come from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. Some already work in higher education and want to further their education, while others come to the field inspired by their own undergraduate experience and want to make an impact.

As a candidate, you should be interested in learning about the theoretical and practice-focused scholarship of how higher education works worldwide. You’ll graduate as a confident leader prepared for positions in higher education or an adjacent sector that serves college student populations.

This program is designed for individuals with a bachelor’s degree in any field who want to deepen their knowledge for teaching grades 6–12. Coursework emphasizes the connection between educational design, decision-making, professional growth and leadership. It’s ideal if you’re already working or planning to work in a school or similar learning environment but aren’t seeking teacher certification. Although this degree doesn’t lead to certification, it provides valuable scholarly and practical knowledge to enhance your role in educational settings. Please note that you’ll need access to students in a professional or community setting to complete the coursework.

Which Master of Education program is right for you?

Each of ASU’s online Master of Education programs is tailored to fit your specific career goals in education, whether you're pursuing a teaching license or looking to advance your career and knowledge.

If you’re looking to expand your expertise in educational theory and practice for grades 6–12, this secondary education master’s without teacher certification will be the right choice for you. If you want to earn your teacher certification, our Master of Education in secondary education – teacher certification program is a better option for you.

Additionally, ASU offers an online Master of Education in elementary education with certification and without certification. These programs’ curriculum prepares you for K–8 roles.

Programs with certification are the most popular option because they meet the widespread requirement for state certification, which all public schools mandate for teaching. While some charter, private and international schools don’t require certification, having it generally opens more teaching opportunities. However, earning a Master of Education without certification can also be beneficial, especially if you’re pursuing roles such as a teacher's aide or instructional assistant, or if you're interested in educational theory and research.

By connecting theory and practice and through hands-on coursework, you’ll master classroom management, data-driven instruction and teaching strategies. Your learning culminates in an action research applied project, where you’ll identify a real challenge in K–12 education, implement an intervention and measure its impact. This experience ensures you graduate with practical, research-backed solutions to support student success.

Along the way, you’ll build expertise in advocacy, collaboration, critical thinking, data literacy, learning design, principled innovation, technology integration and teacher leadership, preparing you to make a lasting impact.

Choosing the right special education master’s for you

ASU offers multiple online graduate programs in special education, each designed to support different career goals. Advance your expertise, earn teaching certification or specialize in autism or applied behavior analysis with these flexible, research-driven programs.

• Special education
  • This program will deepen your knowledge of K–12 special education and is ideal if you’re currently certified or do not need certification to reach your goals. While earning this degree does not lead to teacher certification, you’ll build expertise in teaching and research-based intervention strategies.
• Special education with teacher certification*
  • Designed for students seeking teacher certification in K–12 special education, this program offers two routes:
    • Traditional route: Complete coursework online while gaining hands-on experience through internships and residencies in local school districts. You can earn dual certification in K–8 elementary education and K–12 mild/moderate disabilities special education. A special education-only certification option is also available.
    • Alternative pathway route: Developed for current full-time teachers on an Arizona Alternative Teaching Certificate (or equivalent in other states), this option allows you to immediately apply coursework to your classrooms while earning a K–12 mild/moderate disabilities certification.

*Both routes include teacher observations, internships, apprentice teaching and student teaching to ensure you’ll gain practical, real-world experience.

• Special education with a concentration in autism spectrum disorders
  • This program prepares educators, interventionists, psychologists, speech pathologists, behavior analysts and family members to provide research-based support for autistic individuals. You may want to pursue this path if working exclusively with children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder is a career goal. You’ll complete a customized practicum and an applied project or portfolio demonstrating your expertise.
• Special education with a concentration in applied behavior analysis (ABA)
  • If you want to specialize in applied behavior analysis (ABA) to support individuals with learning and behavior challenges in education, business or health care, this program — offering verified university coursework for pursuing Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification — may be your best choice. While BCBA certification is not required, all instructors are Board Certified Behavior Analysts, ensuring you’ll receive expert guidance. The program culminates in a capstone or applied project.

This program prepares teachers and professionals working in education to advance their careers. You’ll choose courses based on two focal areas to meet your personal and professional goals. You have two options when selecting your focal areas:

• You can choose two Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation focal areas which include but aren’t limited to:
  • Applied behavior analysis.
  • Autism spectrum disorders.
  • Early childhood education.
  • Educating multilingual learners.
  • Education for planetary futures.
  • Environmental education.
  • Gifted education.
  • Global education.
  • Learning design and technologies.
  • Literacy education.
  • Physical activity/physical education.
  • Special education endorsement.
  • Teaching pedagogy.

*Students who are interested in the special education endorsement should speak to an advisor before selecting this focal area as it has additional requirements.

• Or, you can choose one of the above MLFC focal areas and one of the below focal areas from our partner colleges:
  • Data and society (New College of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts).
  • Digital audience strategies (Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication).
  • Social justice and human rights (New College of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts).
  • Technical writing and communication (College of Integrative Sciences and Arts).

The program culminates with an applied project in which you’ll design and develop an inquiry study that addresses one or more problems related to your focal areas. You should anticipate needing access to a learner to complete coursework.

Why earn an online master’s in education?

You’ll gain a broad perspective of current educational practices and challenges. You’ll also have a deeper understanding of your focal areas and develop essential skills for education professionals. These skills include effective communication, collaboration, leadership, advocacy and innovation.

Your newfound skills and expertise will help you meet your professional goals, whether you’re working with children, youth or adults in nonprofit settings, community institutions, civic organizations or businesses. Through this program, you’ll also develop a unique identity as an educator who's capable of meeting the needs of diverse learners.

Will this master’s certify me to teach?

The online master’s in education doesn’t qualify students to become a certified K-12 teacher. The program is designed for certified teachers and professionals who already have some level of professional experience in the field of education. Yet, individuals who want to start a new career in education can benefit from this degree as well. The program will give them professional knowledge to start a new job in a variety of non-certified education positions.