Master of Arts (M.A.)
A 36-credit Master of Arts in Education with two concentrations — Instructional Leadership and Teaching and Learning — built for working educators ready to lead schools, coach teachers, or pursue advanced classroom certification.
Two Concentrations
Instructional Leadership or Teaching and Learning
Five Emphases Total
Three under IL, two under T&L
Built for Working Educators
Manageable load alongside classroom or admin work
ACU’s Master of Arts in Education is a 36-credit graduate degree built for working educators — classroom teachers ready to step into leadership, instructional coaches pursuing formal preparation, and teachers seeking advanced classroom certification. The MAEd is offered in two distinct concentrations, each with multiple emphases that let you specialize further based on where you’re headed.
The Instructional Leadership concentration is for educators moving toward school leadership, instructional coaching, or specialized leadership roles. It pairs the MAEd’s core (EDU 500 Tests and Measurements + EDU 517 Curriculum and Instruction) with a 12-credit leadership core (EDU 521 Teaching Diverse Students, EDU 600 Instructional Leadership, EDU 620 Leading with Brain-Based Learning, EDU 650 Action Research Practicum) and an 18-credit emphasis in Bible, Instructional Coaching, or Special Education.
The Teaching and Learning concentration is for teachers pursuing classroom certification or advanced classroom credentials. It pairs the MAEd’s core with a 6-credit T&L concentration core (EDU 514 Introduction to the Exceptional Child + EDU 615 Classroom Management) and a 24-credit emphasis in either Elementary Education or Secondary Education — including the directed student teaching capstone required for teacher certification pathways.
Apply Tests and Measurements
Build the assessment literacy school leadership and advanced classroom teaching both require through EDU 500.
Engage Curriculum and Instruction at the Graduate Level
Work through EDU 517 — the gateway course for both concentrations and the graduate equivalent of ACU's undergraduate EDU 317.
Specialize Through Concentration
Choose Instructional Leadership for school-leadership and coaching pathways, or Teaching and Learning for classroom-certification and advanced-teaching pathways.
Specialize Further Through Emphasis
Within Instructional Leadership, choose Bible, Instructional Coaching, or Special Education. Within Teaching and Learning, choose Elementary or Secondary Education.
Apply Research to Practice
Conduct an Action Research Practicum (EDU 650, IL concentration) or complete Directed Student Teaching/Capstone (EED 610 or SED 610, T&L concentration) — both put graduate-level work to actual classroom use.
The MAEd's biblical-worldview formation runs through both concentrations, though the specific framing varies by emphasis. Three convictions shape the whole degree.
Students as Image-Bearers
Every student in every classroom — the engaged learner, the struggling student, the student with significant special learning needs — carries the dignity of being made in God's image. The MAEd treats that conviction as foundational to both classroom teaching and school leadership decisions.
Grounds your educational work in respect for every student you'll teach or lead.
Leadership as Service to Teachers and Students
EDU 600 Instructional Leadership and EDU 620 Leading with Brain-Based Learning treat school and instructional leadership as service to the teachers and students whose work and learning they support. A Biblical Worldview takes that posture seriously rather than as soft framing.
Anchors your leadership development in service rather than in positional authority.
Teaching as Formative Work
Classroom teaching shapes students far beyond the academic content delivered. The Teaching and Learning concentration in particular treats classroom work as formative — meaning what teachers model, how they communicate care, and how they handle students who struggle all matter beyond test scores.
Equips you to teach and lead with the conviction that students' formation is the broader work.
The MAEd opens doors across K–12 leadership, classroom certification, instructional coaching, and Christian-school administration — with the specific pathway shaped by your concentration choice.
School and District Leadership
Step into principal, vice-principal, instructional coordinator, or district-level leadership roles via the Instructional Leadership concentration.
Instructional Coaching
Move into instructional coaching, teacher development, or curriculum coordinator roles — the focus of the IL concentration's Instructional Coaching emphasis.
Classroom Teacher Certification (Career Switchers)
Pair the Teaching and Learning concentration with the optional certification courses for state teacher certification — useful for career-switchers entering teaching.
Christian School Leadership
Bring formal graduate preparation into Christian-school leadership, principalship, or executive director roles.
Special Education Leadership
Pursue special education coordinator, SPED teacher, or SPED administrator roles via the IL concentration's Special Education emphasis.
Higher Education Teaching
Build foundation for teaching in higher education through the IL concentration's Teaching in Higher Education elective (EDU 635) — particularly for those entering adjunct or community college teaching.
The MAEd is built for working educators — manageable credit load, sensible scheduling, and two distinct concentration paths that serve different career goals.
Two Distinct Pathways
Instructional Leadership for school leadership and coaching; Teaching and Learning for classroom certification and advanced teaching.
Five Total Emphases
Specialize further within each concentration — Bible / Instructional Coaching / Special Education under IL; Elementary or Secondary Ed under T&L.
36 Credits — Two-Year Format
Designed to be completed alongside teaching or administrative work — the credit load is manageable for working educators.
Biblical Worldview Integration
MCT 500 Introduction to Biblical Worldview, MCT 600 Advanced Worldview, and the IL Bible Emphasis bring formal worldview formation into the program.
Action Research and Directed Student Teaching
The IL concentration includes Action Research Practicum (EDU 650); the T&L concentration includes Directed Student Teaching/Capstone (EED 610 or SED 610) — both put graduate work to real classroom use.
The MAEd is built for working educators. Here’s how students start.
Apply to Graduate Studies
Submit your graduate application to ACU's School of Graduate Studies.
Start Your ApplicationChoose Your Concentration
Decide between Instructional Leadership (school leadership, coaching, specialized leadership) and Teaching and Learning (classroom certification, advanced teaching).
Get Your IVP Fingerprint Card
Arizona requires an Identity Verified Prints (IVP) card before EDU 517 and most education-related practicum work. Plan for this in your first semester.
Begin With EDU 500 and EDU 517
EDU 500 Tests and Measurements and EDU 517 Curriculum and Instruction form the MAEd core and are gateway courses for both concentrations.
The MAEd offers two distinct pathways — leadership and coaching, or classroom certification and advanced teaching — both built for working educators. Apply or reach out today.