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Teaching Master’s Degrees at WGU
Ready to Level Up In Your Teaching Career?
Get started on an education program of your choice from WGU.
What is Initial Licensure?
A teaching license is an essential credential which educators must hold in order to teach in a classroom setting. Initial licensure demonstrates competency and that educators have met state teaching standards. New teachers in all states are required to obtain initial licensure. Initial licensure indicates that someone has received their teaching license and is ready to become a teacher in the classroom.
WGU’s online master’s degrees in education provide a path to those skills that prepare you for initial licensure as a teacher in any of the U.S. states. While WGU doesn’t grant initial licensure, our programs help you fulfill the requirements to be prepared to obtain licensure in your state.
What Is Adding to Your Teaching License?
If you’re a currently licensed teacher who would like to teach additional subjects or different age groups, you’ll need to add to your teaching license. You can add different areas to your teaching license, such as a new subject, or a new age group. Adding to your license allows you to expand the types of classes you can teach. WGU’s online Master of Science in Education degree programs provide the essential skills and knowledge you need to lead a classroom and to add to your license.
Who Should Pursue an Initial Teaching License?
A Master of Arts in Teaching degree is an ideal degree path for those who currently hold a bachelor’s degree in a non-teaching field and want to become teachers, earning their initial teaching license. These programs qualify individuals from different backgrounds to become classroom teachers. Whatever your background, WGU’s master's degree programs will help prepare you to lead a classroom and for initial teacher licensure.
What Will Students Learn in This Program?
Students will take eight professional core courses that will prepare them to handle a variety of educational topics, including:
- Educational Psychology and Human Development of Children and Adolescents
- Foundations of Education
- Schools as Communities of Care
- Essential Practices for Supporting Diverse Learners
- Creating and Managing Engaging Learning Environments
- Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
- Assessing Student Learning
- Using Educational Technology for Teaching and Learning
Foundations of Education is a required course for all Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree candidates. This course introduces core knowledge about the teaching profession in the current educational context and addresses important topics that affect educators today, including state standards-based curriculum, legal and ethical requirements, and professionalism. MAT candidates will also be required to take Fundamentals of Diverse Learners, which prepares teachers to address a wide range of learning needs in the modern classroom.
How Do I Get a Teaching License?
WGU’s online master’s degree programs are designed to prepare candidates to obtain educator certifications. While these requirements vary from state to state, the steps to initial licensure include:
- Completing your bachelor’s degree program
- Submitting transcripts
- Clearing a background check
- Passing required entrance exams and skills tests
- Meeting any other requirements of your state
Our Teachers College is accredited at the initial-licensure level by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). These educator licensure programs acknowledge that our programs prepare effective education professionals to continue to grow as teachers and leaders.
"My graduate degree has awarded me many more opportunities that my undergraduate degree could not provide including increased salary, multiple job offers, and the ability to be given specialized work."
Lacie Smithee
M.A. Teaching, Elementary Education
WGU Master’s Programs That Add to Teaching Licensure
Currently licensed teachers who already hold a bachelor’s degree and teaching license may progress further in their careers by earning a master’s degree online through WGU’s Teachers College. A graduate degree enables current teachers to get ahead in their careers while learning advanced classroom skills.
Who Should Pursue These Programs?
WGU’s master's degrees in education are ideal for currently licensed teachers who are looking to add to their current licensure, such as expanding the subjects they teach or learning to teach a different age group. For example, if you currently are a middle-grades chemistry teacher and want to add a biology specialization to your license, then these programs can help you be qualified in your state. For current teachers who want to expand the subject or age group they can teach, these programs are the perfect fit.
What Will You Learn in This Program?
Choosing the degree program that’s right for you will depend on your current experience, subject matter or age group expertise, and future interests. WGU offers a variety of top-rated programs—such as an M.A. in Mathematics Education (K–6) and an M.A. Science Education (Secondary Physics)—that can prepare teachers to earn initial licensure or add to current teacher licensure.
Our master’s degrees for aspiring teachers cover professional core competencies such as Foundations of Education, Creating and Managing Engaging Learning Environments, and Using Educational Technology for Teaching and Learning. In addition to learning effective teaching practices, you will take courses in your major area of study. Current teachers seeking to add to their licensure will take courses in their chosen area of study. To obtain your degree, you will be required to demonstrate your skills and knowledge by completing performance and objective assessments for each course.
How Are the Education Bachelor's Degrees and MAT Degrees Unique at WGU?
What’s special about the education bachelor’s degrees and the MAT degrees at WGU is they are specifically designed for teachers seeking initial licensure. At WGU we know the true value of great educators, which is why these education degree programs enable anyone to seek a teacher education, complete with affordable tuition. We also have master’s degree options for already-licensed teachers who want to further their career. To learn more about those programs, click here. Ready to join thousands of passionate teachers? Start the enrollment process for an online degree program at WGU.
Why WGU?
Be Career Ready
Designed with input from healthcare leaders, our accredited programs give you the skills and credentials today’s employers need. That’s why 97% of employers said they’d hire another WGU grad.1
1: 2023 Harris Poll of 300 employers of WGU grads.
Get and Keep the Job You Want to Have
85% of WGU graduates are employed in their degree fields—and 87% are employed full-time.2
2: 2023 Harris Poll of 1,655 WGU grads.
Save Money
With flat-rate tuition that is 48% lower than the national average3 and generous need-based scholarships, our degrees are an excellent investment that you can afford.
3: National rates reported by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System in 2022. WGU average rate does not include rates for WGU Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Prelicensure program.
Work as You Need While Going to School
At WGU, you can complete courses, take tests, and graduate on your schedule. In fact, many of our healthcare students work full-time while earning their life-changing bachelor’s or master’s degrees.
COST & TIME
An Affordable Teaching Degree
By charging per term rather than per credit—and empowering students to accelerate through material they know well or learn quickly—WGU helps students control the ultimate cost of their degrees. The faster you complete your program, the less you pay for your degree.
Prepared for Success on the Job
*From a 2023 Harris Poll of 300 employers of WGU graduates.
100% of employers said that WGU graduates were prepared for their jobs.*
97% of employers said that they would hire another WGU grad.*
98% of employers said WGU graduates met or exceeded expectations.*
