About the Program
The Master of Arts degree in Education (MAED) is designed for all educators who want to enhance their professional practice through advanced online study related to teaching, learning, and leadership. This program is relevant to a broad range of P-12 and postsecondary careers both inside and beyond the classroom, including teachers, school administrators, coaches, and adult educators.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this fall, the MAED is a proven leader in online education and is consistently ranked among the nation’s Best Online Master’s in Education Programs by U.S. News & World Report. The degree format provides flexibility for students and working professionals who want to engage in inquiry that will contribute to exemplary educational practice. The MAED allows students to acquire a range of knowledge grounded in theory along with expertise in one or more areas of concentration. Students build on their prior experience and engage in a dynamic digital community through this fully online program.
The MAED is available only online and only under Plan B (without thesis).
Achieve Your Professional Goals
The MAED was created to meet the needs of a wide variety of educators. Its community of more than 1,000 graduates encompasses a diverse array of professional backgrounds, united by the desire to enhance their professional practice. Courses are interactive and often encourage collaboration with fellow students but are designed to accommodate educators from around the world.
MAED By The Numbers
+1,000
GRADUATES SINCE 2001
20
YEARS OF ONLINE LEARNING
6
CONCENTRATION AREAS
1:1
ACADEMIC ADVISING
Program Benefits
- Entirely online
- Convenience to study where you live or work without having to come to campus
- Breadth of course selection allows students to focus in-depth on one or two areas of concentration, or pick one area for close examination
- Apply what you learn online in your classroom and personal life
- Earn your MA degree by successfully completing and exhibiting an online portfolio
- Full-time, one-on-one Academic Advisement readily available
I found myself surrounded (virtually) by teachers who had more experience and knowledge and were willing to share their insight. In this new kind of classroom, I saw educators coming together to collaborate, to encourage and to strengthen one another.
Among the Best
The MAED has 20 years of experience in online graduate education, supported by a team of faculty and advanced doctoral students. It was the first fully online M.A. program at MSU when it launched in the fall of 2001 and is currently ranked among the nation’s Best Online Master’s in Education Programs by U.S. News & World Report.
Learning Outcomes
No matter how you design your MAED learning experience, you’ll graduate with a wide array of capabilities that will prepare you to take the next steps in your educational career.
The MAED will enrich and extend students’ capabilities to:
- Construct more effective documents and presentations
- Achieve improved outcomes in their work
- Conduct inquiry, evaluation or research
- Evaluate the legitimacy and quality of research and policy in their field
- Design, manage, and support group projects and processes
- Apply new technologies
- Access digital environments for ideas, information, and resources
- Use digital tools for communication, collaboration, and presentation
- Learn through digital information delivery and interactions (i.e. wikis, podcasts, webinars, and other formats)
- Exercise leadership
Six Concentration Areas
Your Master’s Experience
In consultation with their academic advisor, MAED students can select from a range of courses and concentrations to meet their unique professional goals. The six Concentration Areas draw from strengths across MSU’s College of Education: Literacy Education, P-12 School and Postsecondary Leadership, Science and Mathematics Education, Special Education, Technology and Learning, and Sport Coaching and Leadership. Students may select one area of concentration for in-depth study or explore more broadly across two areas of interest. It is also possible to earn most of the graduate certificates listed on the concentration page and have those credits count towards the degree. Many students have shared that they chose the MAED because it allowed them to tailor the program to meet their unique professional goals and academic interests.
