The Masters in Curriculum and Instruction degree is designed to prepare you for a professional career at an educational institution – that can mean teaching, but the degree is also useful for other careers within the education sector. This degree teaches you not only the art of teaching, but the processes and policies that underpin the entire education system. It teaches you how a curriculum is set and what factors determine what should be taught to students each year. It gives you a ‘behind the scenes’ understand of how the entire education system works. If you’re interested in getting into a research career in order to make changes to the education system, rather than focus on working in a classroom setting, then this is a particularly good choice of specialization for you.

We’ve taken a look at some of the best Masters in Curriculum and Instruction programs and filtered them down to a handful of the best. Read on to learn more about the best online and offline programs, sub-specializations, job prospects and the kind of salary rewards you can expect with this degree.

The Best Masters in Curriculum and Instruction Programs

Luckily for education majors, US News has taken the liberty of rankings top graduate schools in education according to their specialization strengths. Here are the top 3 schools for curriculum and instruction study:

1. University of Wisconsin – Madison
2. Michigan State University
3. Stanford University

The Teachers’ College at Columbia University comes in a close 4th. Others schools that made the list include Ohio State, Vanderbilt University and George Washington University.

Let’s zoom in a little closer on the school at the top of that list. The degree at the University of Wisconsin is a Masters of Science in Curriculum and Instruction. It features many world class teachers and a highly selective course of study which allows grad students to personalize their programs. The option of PhD study in curriculum and instruction is also open here.

Masters in Curriculum and Instruction Online

Studying online gives you the freedom to learn on your own time. Here are some of your best options for a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction online.

The University of Massachusetts – Lowell offers one of the best online programs in the country in this field. However, this is not for a newcomer to the world of teaching. This program is quite dense and is intended for people who have already been teaching for a while and are familiar with the ins and outs of how a school works and managing a classroom scenario. If that describes you, this course may be the next-level education you need.

Southern New Hampshire University has a program which can be done either online or offline. The university made US News’ Tier 1 in the last round of rankings released by that publication, so it’s amongst the better education graduate schools in the country.

Masters in Curriculum and Instructional Design

Instructional design is all about how the teaching process and curriculum can be organized and laid out better to make learning and teaching efforts as effective as possible. This specialized degree is designed for people who really want to focus on the ‘behind the scenes’ structure of the school system, down to the finest detail.

University of Wisconsin – Stout offers one of the best programs for a Masters in Curriculum and Instructional Design.

Masters in Curriculum and Instruction Jobs

This degree will be of most value to people who are already teachers within the school system and wish to have a greater hand in shaping the way the system is structured. If you’ve been a teacher for years but aspects of the way the system works frustrate you, this degree can help you get a job in a policy-making or administrative role so you can have a measurable impact on how the education system works. The main potential employers are schools, universities, and government agencies.

Masters in Curriculum and Instruction Salary

Typical salary expectations for teachers with a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction range between $50,000 and $55,000 per year. In higher administrative roles, salaries for those with a masters in curriculum and instruction can reach up to around $90,000 per year.