Online Curriculum and Instruction Education Programs

Online curriculum and instruction education degree programs lead to various specializations in content areas like language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science education.

These include instructional design, instruction and assessment, curriculum design, field-based education, curriculum studies, educational technology, teacher education and K-12 education. Online curriculum and instruction masters programs are an important component of educational development, especially in the K-12 teaching and learning environment. Many schools and departments of education hire curriculum designers to oversee or write curricula. The growth in the field has been precipitated by federal and states’ requirements for public schools to meet academic standards. Further educational technology is used to enhance teaching tools, for example the Internet, CD-ROMs, multimedia and other e-tools. In addition, teachers are very active in sharing curriculum ideas via the Internet.

Curriculum and Instruction Programs

University of Phoenix

• MA in Education/Curriculum and Instruction
• MA in Education/Curriculum and Instruction-English and Language Arts Education
• MA in Education/Curriculum and Instruction-ESL
• MA in Education/Curriculum and Instruction-Mathematics Education
• MA in Education/Early Childhood Education
• MA in Education/Elementary Teacher Education
• Doctor of Education/Curriculum and Instruction

Capella University

• EdS - Curriculum and Instruction
• MS - Curriculum and Instruction
• PhD - Curriculum and Instruction
• PhD - Instructional Design for Online Learning

Liberty University

• M.Ed. - Curriculum & Instruction
• M.Ed. - Curriculum & Instruction (TC)
  

American InterContinental University Online

• Master's of Education (M. Ed.) in Curriculum and Instruction

Jones International University

• M. Ed. in Elementary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Teacher Licensure
• M. Ed. in Secondary Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
• M. Ed. in Secondary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Teacher Licensure
• M. Ed in Elementary Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Grand Canyon University

• M. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction: Technology
• M. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction: Reading - Elementary Education (No IR, No Cert.)
• M. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction: Reading - Secondary Education (No IR, No Cert.)

Nova Southeastern University

• Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning (M.A.T.L.) - Curriculum and Instruction

Curriculum and Instruction Education and Training

Curriculum designers and curriculum developers are responsible for developing instructional strategies. This requires knowledge and training in educational psychology, developmental psychology, curriculum development, assessment, testing, evaluation, measurements, and education administration.

Curriculum and instructional degree courses may also research design, evaluation techniques, teacher support, and observation and analysis of teaching methodology. Within most curriculum and instruction education programs, you can choose to specialize in particular area for example language and literacy education, science education, mathematics education, or social studies education.

In most states, curriculum developers are required to meet federal, state, and local curriculum standards, for example by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the United States Department of Education. In addition, classroom teaching experience may be required.

Most school districts and institutions require, at a minimum, a master's degree in curriculum design or a related area of study, especially for career advancement. However, some entry-level positions are available with a bachelor's degree in curriculum and instruction at the assistant’s level.

Curriculum and Instruction Careers

Curriculum developers may also be responsible for evaluating existing curricula and assessing learner performance. They also apply the educational research to instructional design when creating new teaching methods and learning strategies.

Curriculum specialists also develop procedures for teachers to applying the curriculum successfully and also review and recommend textbooks and other instructional material for use in the classroom. Specific tasks with many curriculum and instruction jobs include:

• Designing courses form campus and online and distance learning programs
• Training instructors. I.e. training-the-trainer
• Creating assessment methods and formats
• Evaluating instructional materials

Estimated Income and Projected Career Growth

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that kindergarten, middle school, elementary and secondary school teachers in public K-12 education made around $50,000-$55,000 in 2009. This is dependent on the grade level and subject area. Elementary and secondary school administrators, i.e. principals and assistant principals and school administrators, earned around $87,390.

Instructional coordinators made $61,270. A director of curriculum and instruction earns between $76,000 and $81,000 a year. The number of instructional coordinators is expected to grow by 23% between 2008 and 2018 according to the BLS, making curriculum and instruction education programs all the more important for those who wish to enter the field.