ASU Online offers graduate-level programs with teacher certification, providing students a pathway to becoming a future educator. Select majors offer accelerated pathways to allow students to complete their master's degrees in less time. In the final year of their bachelor's, students can begin taking master's level courses required within their future graduate program. Students can take up to 12 credit hours in their final academic year and get a head start on their master's program.
Here is a visual representation of the accelerated master's pathway compared to a typical pathway for a bachelor's and master's:
The following programs are currently approved as accelerated pathways:
For Educational Studies:
Elementary Education, MEd (with or without Teacher Certification) (Program does not currently meet requirements for certification in KY, NY, or ME)
Secondary Education, MEd (with or without Teacher Certification) (Program does not currently meet requirements for certification in IN, KY, NY, OH, PA, RI, or VT)
Early Childhood Special Education, MEd (with or without Teacher Certification) (Program does not currently meet requirements for certification in KS, KY, ME, MI, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, PA, or TX)
Education, MA
Global Education, MEd
Higher and Postsecondary Education, MEd
Learning Design and Technologies, MEd
Interdisciplinary Education on Community Health and Wellbeing, MA
For Educational Studies (Early Childhood Studies) and Applied Science (Early Childhood Studies):
Elementary Education, MEd (with or without Teacher Certification) (Program does not currently meet requirements for certification in KY, NY, or ME)
Early Childhood Special Education, MEd (with or without Teacher Certification) (Program does not currently meet requirements for certification in KS, KY, ME, MI, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, PA, or TX)
Students considering the accelerated programs are highly recommended to meet with undergraduate advising as early as possible in their undergraduate progress. Once students meet with advising and express their interest, their names are then added to our internal tracking list so that they can ensure outreach from both undergrad and graduate advising in future semesters.
Undergraduate students typically receive approval to pursue accelerated master's courses during their junior year (75+ credit hours earned). Applicants for the accelerated program must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 in the last 60 hours of their bachelor's degree. Students who do not meet this requirement should meet with our advising team to discuss the next steps.
Students should still be aware of their state requirements to obtain teacher certification in online programs. Students can utilize the Professional Licensure and Certification page to inquire about ASU Online graduate programs meeting their state's requirements: https://admission.asu.edu/academics/licensure.
**Any other graduate programs that students are considering will need to be obtained after completing their bachelor's degree. Students can contact the graduate advising office for information about additional education programs available online.
The following graduate programs are approved for accelerated pathways: