Master of Arts in Education (Curriculum & Instruction)
Program Features
At-a-Glance
- 100% online format, with classes designed to fit busy schedules
- One-year program with fall, spring and summer semesters
- Potential to advance their career and transform their practice
- Gain skills in action research and expand professional horizon
- Earn a master’s degree and diploma from Sacramento State
Overview
The MA in Education, Curriculum and Instruction at Sacramento State empowers educators to deepen their understanding of teaching and learning while building real-world, research-based expertise. The program provides an opportunity for educators to develop and enhance expertise in a particular field of interest related to elementary, middle school, secondary, and higher education. Each course is designed to produce an ideal blend of theory, research, and practice in diverse educational settings.
The Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) program is designed for busy professionals and is offered 100% online. Program coursework will explore critical intellectual questions of contemporary education that are not only of interest to our teacher/leaders but also to children and families in their communities.
Audience
The C&I program is ideal for current and aspiring educational leaders eager to design innovative curriculum, elevate instructional practices, and drive meaningful change in diverse learning environments.
Format
This program is offered in a condensed, fully online format across the fall, spring, and summer semesters. It can be completed in as little as one year. Students may be eligible to transfer up to 6 units from BTSA/Induction or other approved elective courses.*
Each course produces an ideal blend of theory, research, and practical application in a student’s own classroom (or in a pre-approved educational setting), which helps the student:
- Conduct action research that informs their practice.
- Develop skills in curriculum design and instructional strategy.
- Apply data-informed cycles of continuous improvement.
- Collaborate in modern, inclusive, and reflective educational settings.
*Please note that it is essential that students in the program have access to a classroom setting during the fall and spring semesters.
While fully online, courses are approximately 25% synchronous (in real time) and 75% asynchronous (on the student’s own schedule within a given time frame).
Prerequisites
Admission as a classified graduate student requires:
- A baccalaureate degree;
- A minimum 3.0 GPA in the last 60 units;
- Proficiency in written English composition as demonstrated by either passing the Sacramento State Writing Placement for Juniors exam or equivalent, or enrolling in ENGL 109W and passing with a grade of C or better;
- Be a practicing teacher (TK-university) at the start of the program and have regular access to a classroom of students in order to engage in research;
- An interview with a program administrator/faculty team may be required.
All students in the program must have access to a classroom setting in order to complete program requirements. Please connect with the program staff prior to applying if participants are not a current teacher.
Course Offerings
Information Sessions
Please join us at an upcoming virtual info session where you can:
- Learn about the Master of Arts in Education (Curriculum & Instruction)
- Interact with program staff and other participants
- Get information about cost, schedules, program length, curriculum, registration, and financial aid.
| Time | Date | Registration |
| 6 – 7 p.m. | Wednesday, Oct. 7 | Register for the Oct. 7 session |
| 6 – 7 p.m. | Wednesday, Nov. 4 | Register for Nov. 4 session |
| 6 – 7 p.m. | Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2027 | Register for Feb. 10 session |
| 6 – 7 p.m. | Wednesday, April 14, 2027 | Register for April 14 session |
Employment Outlook
Top three career possibilities:
- Advancement within one’s own teaching career using enhanced teaching and pedagogical strategies
- Leadership positions in curriculum development, coaching, and assessment
- Site-based research expertise leading to action research opportunities in a variety of educational settings
Costs
The program cost is $565 per unit or $1,695 per course. The total program cost is $13,560 (for 24 units). However, if students don’t have six transferable units from BTSA/Induction and/or other approved electives, they will need to take two additional electives (6 units), which would be an additional $3,390. Students can pay for each course as they enroll.
Application fees include the $70 non-refundable university application fee paid online through CSU Apply and a $50 departmental fee, which is paid upon formal admission to the program. Admitted students will be given instructions on how to pay the $50 departmental fee.
How to Apply
Upcoming Dates
Application Opens: Oct. 1, 2026
Application Deadline: May 29, 2027
Submission Steps
Step 1: Complete the University Graduate Application online.
- Submit your Cal State Apply application online.
- You can find our program by filtering the results:
- Campus: Sacramento State
- Source: Extended Education
- Start Term: Fall
- Select “Education – Curriculum & Instruction” as the program
- While completing the application, you must list all colleges/universities you have attended, even if you did not earn a degree from that institution, or if you only enrolled in one class and dropped it.
- You do not need to list each individual course you completed through each institution.
- The $70 non-refundable University Application fee will be paid online at the end of the application before submission.
- If you have technical issues with the application, please call 857-304-2087 for assistance.
- We strongly encourage you to begin your application several weeks before the deadline to ensure you have sufficient time to complete all remaining application requirements.
Step 2: Submit Supplemental Program Application Documents
To be considered for admission, you must also submit all supplemental program application documents. Submit these items in Quadrant IV of the Cal State Apply application.
C&I Supplemental program application documents include:
- A Resume highlighting relevant experience
- A Personal Statement that addresses:
- Your experiences or the factors that led you to apply for the program;
- Those personal characteristics you believe you possess that will enable you to be successful in the program; and
- Your professional interests
- Maximum two pages typed (double-spaced, size 12-point font)
- Essay (Writing Sample Prompt)
- Discuss up to three specific areas of education that you may be interested in exploring further in this program and why you are interested in these. Include your preparation, aptitude and motivation for graduate study in education, your future career goals. and why this program would be a good fit.
- Maximum two pages typed (double-spaced, size 12-point font)
- One set of unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended including ALL community colleges attended and colleges where credit was earned as a high school student;
- If you have transcripts from institutions outside of the United States, please submit your transcripts one month prior to the deadline to allow time for a foreign credential evaluation. Please review the Office of Graduate Studies website for information about applicants with foreign documents.
- Once admitted into the program, you will then be required to submit one official transcript from all colleges and/or universities attended, in university-sealed envelopes or through the university’s e-transcript service (preferred method), directly to the Office of Graduate Studies by the transcript deadline.
- Two letters of recommendation
- Two letters of recommendation are required. It is recommended that one of the references be from a person who has observed the applicant’s graduate-level academic potential (e.g., current or former instructor) and the other reference from a person who has observed the applicant’s relevant experience in diverse settings (e.g., supervisor). NOTE: References from friends or family members will not be accepted.
- Once you have saved an electronic recommendation, an email request will automatically be sent to the recommender on your behalf. Please advise your recommender to look for this email in their inbox, as well as their spam or junk-mail folder, as emails do occasionally get filtered out.
For detailed instructions about applying to Cal State Apply, see the Office of Graduate Studies Application Information and Procedures webpage.
After you have submitted all application materials
About six weeks after the posted application deadline, program staff might contact you to set up a brief interview. Interviews may take place through video conferencing or via other online technologies.
We will start sending notifications of admission decisions to applicants shortly after all applicants have been interviewed.
Please keep an eye out for further instructions from the program staff regarding your next steps. If you are formally admitted, you will receive instructions for submitting your $50 departmental fee, and any other final steps in the formal admission process before you can begin the program.
International Applicants
Due to being fully online, this program is not eligible to provide the I-20 form for the purpose of receiving the F-1 student visa. If you are admitted, you will have to complete your coursework from your home country or another location. If you are already in the US but under a different visa status, you should contact the Office of International Programs & Global Engagement (IPGE) first to determine if you are allowed to apply to this program. You may also choose to contact IPGE to see if they have any other program recommendations for international students.