Take the leap—change your career and become an English teacher, ready to impact the lives of students using your English education master's degree.
Are you passionate about English literature, poetry, creative writing, and language? Are you ready to make a career move? Becoming an English teacher can help make a difference for students, helping them develop a passion for learning. This online English education master's degree prepares you for a teaching license and a meaningful career where you can inspire and motivate students. If you already hold a bachelor’s degree, this online M.A. in Teaching, English Education degree program is your direct path to impacting young lives and becoming an English teacher with a teaching license. You'll be prepared to teach a wide variety of learners, working with their learning styles, and improving student outcomes and understanding. Learn more about teacher licensure in your state .
Students will take eight professional core courses that will prepare them to handle unique educational situations and become better teachers. These master of education courses focus on a variety of important topics including social and emotional learning, and technology and diversity inclusion in the classroom. Plus, students will get to use augmented reality experiences to give them the opportunity to practice their work before entering the classroom. These eight professional core courses are also coupled with preclinical experience to help ensure teachers are ready for their classroom.
74% of graduates finish within
18 months
Put your past knowledge and experience to work. WGU lets you move more quickly through material you already know and advance as soon as you're ready. The result: You may finish faster.
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Tuition per 6-month term is
$3,490
An affordable career change. Tuition charged per term—rather than per credit—helps students control the ultimate cost of their degrees. Finish faster, pay less!
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Graduates who recommend WGU:
97%
The vast majority of alumni say WGU delivered on its promises. In fact, over 50% of students found WGU thanks to a friend's recommendation.
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A master's degree in English education prepares you to inspire and motivate students.
Remember the great teachers who inspired you? You can make this same impact on the lives of your own students. If you're ready for a career change, an online English master's degree is your direct path to becoming a teacher. Change your life, and the lives of your students, by becoming an English teacher. (Grade-level eligibility will depend on your state’s corresponding license).
A curriculum designed for student success by master of education experts.
This online English teaching master's degree supports your curriculum planning and classroom management skills with advanced theory and practical experience. It is nationally recognized by the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) .
The WGU M.A. in Teaching, English Education (Secondary) program is an online English teaching degree that was designed (and is regularly updated) with input from the experts on our Education Program Council . These experts know exactly what it takes for a graduate to qualify for a teacher’s license and be successful in a career teaching students in high school.
Why WGU?
Discover why WGU is a great fit for teachers:
You aren't on your own. WGU has Program Mentors who work with you from the day you start, all the way through graduation. They help you chart your courses, answer your questions, and help you learn about licensing in your state. You're not alone when you choose an online degree at WGU.
Flexible schedule. Students choose WGU for this online English education degree program because of its flexibility. Whether you already have a full-time job, have responsibilities as a parent, or just have a busy schedule, WGU can work for you.
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Areas of Study
Important courses in this online English master's degree program include:
Foundations of teaching
Instructional planning and presentation
Pedagogy
Pre-clinical experiences
English content
Research
Demonstration teaching
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A Respected Degree
Administrators and peers alike will see value in your degree:
Strong alumni network. When you enroll in an online degree program at WGU, you join an impressive network of education professionals. Over 8,000 students graduated from the Teachers College in 2019 alone, taking their skills and impacting the educational system all around the United States.
Recognized and accredited. WGU is a regionally accredited institution, meaning your degree is valuable. We also have top recognitions, like being named the best value in teacher education by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
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A supported, personalized experience.
WGU is different from other online universities—in the best possible ways! Take a look at what we mean:
Faculty
Learning
Assessment
In-Classroom Experience
Alumni Support
Faculty
SUPPORTING YOU: Faculty focused on students.
An entire team of faculty members has one goal in mind: your success. Your Program Mentor is your individually assigned faculty member, providing regular program guidance and instruction from the day you start, to the day you graduate. In addition, Course Instructors provide regular, subject-matter instruction and support, typically one-on-one, throughout each course you take.
Learning
YOUR ROADMAP: A personalized learning plan.
Your program is made up of a series of courses, each a personalized journey toward subject mastery. A preassessment provides insight into what you already know. You’ll then learn what you still need to learn, using online learning resources—available 24/7—along with one-on-one or cohort-based faculty instruction.
Assessment
PROVE IT: Show you know your stuff.
WGU measures learning, not time, so each course in your program culminates in an assessment—a test, paper, project, or presentation that allows you to prove what you know. As soon as you’re ready, you take the assessment. Take proctored exams from the comfort of your own home—via webcam, any time of day!
In-Classroom Experience
REAL-WORLD: Experience in a classroom.
Most of your program will be completed online but all teacher licensure programs—and many graduate-level programs for already-licensed teachers—also include the opportunity to observe and practice in a K–12 classroom setting. We’ll help you set everything up at a school near you.
Alumni Support
ALWAYS a Night Owl.
Continued support after you graduate includes many opportunities for professional development and enrichment, career support, and networking. WGU Night Owls may be independent learners, but they also become highly engaged in our active alumni community through apps, groups, and events.
The accreditation you need, plus industry respect and recognition.
One important measure of a degree’s value is the reputation of the university where it was earned. When employers, industry leaders, and academic experts hold your alma mater in high esteem, you reap the benefits of that respect. WGU is a pioneer in reinventing higher education for the 21st century, and our quality has been recognized.
Accredited
The WGU Teachers College is the first competency-based online university to receive accreditation for its degree programs that lead to teacher licensure from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Additionally, the teacher licensure programs offered through the WGU Teachers College have been awarded full accreditation by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) through June 30, 2026.
Respected
“After graduating from WGU, and through all the rigor and quality of instruction that I received in the educational field, I was awarded Hawaii District Teacher of the Year in 2012.”
Amoreena Nestman M.A. Teaching – Elementary Education
Recognized
The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) in 2017 placed WGU’s Teachers College in the top 1% nationwide for the quality of its secondary teacher-preparation programs. This follows several other NCTQ recognitions, including the nation’s #1 best value for teacher education in 2015.
Our programs check all the boxes. If this online English teaching degree is your goal, get started toward becoming a student today—programs start the first of each month.
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