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Graduate Programs

Earn a Master of Education or Master of Arts in Teaching at UL Lafayette, from curriculum and instruction and gifted education to initial certification.

Take the next step in your career as an educator. Whether you're preparing to teach for the first time or ready to share your expertise beyond your own classroom, our master's programs help you grow in a specialized area: curriculum and instruction, gifted education, special education, or French immersion. Every program offers online or hybrid courses, and certified teachers can earn an M.Ed. fully online while they keep teaching.

Compare Our Programs

Compare master's programs in Educational Curriculum & Instruction
ProgramWho it's forFormatCredit hours
Elementary Education, MATCareer changers with a bachelor's degree and no teaching certificationTraditional, online, and hybrid courses; French immersion concentration available39
Elementary Education & Special Education Mild/Moderate Grades 1-5, MATCareer changers with a bachelor's degree and no teaching certificationFace-to-face and partially online36–39
Secondary Education & Special Education Mild/Moderate Grades 6-12, MATCareer changers with a bachelor's degree and no teaching certificationFace-to-face and partially online36–39
Curriculum and Instruction, MEdCertified teachers ready to improve instruction and lead other teachers100% online or hybrid, depending on concentration36
Special Education: Gifted, MEdCertified teachers with a year of full-time teaching experience or a current full-time teaching job100% online, two-year cohort30

Not sure which program fits? Contact the department with questions.

Become a Teacher: Master of Arts in Teaching

Have a bachelor's degree in a field other than education? An M.A.T. prepares you for initial teacher certification in Louisiana.

Become certified to teach grades 1-5 in Louisiana schools. The 39-credit-hour program covers educational foundations, reading, content methods, classroom management, and assessment, with a teacher residency and a research capstone. Courses are offered in traditional, online, and hybrid formats.

  • Elementary Education concentration: Prepares you to teach in elementary classrooms, with a research-based capstone reflection.
  • Elementary French Immersion concentration: UL Lafayette is the only institution in Louisiana to offer an M.A.T. in Elementary Education with a French immersion concentration. Grounded in Lafayette's Cajun and Creole cultures and the region's commitment to preserving its French heritage, you'll complete field hours in French immersion classrooms and a capstone comparing French and English. Students can also train at an immersion program at Sainte Anne University in Nova Scotia.

Learn about study abroad

Admission: Meet Graduate School requirements and pass the Praxis Core and Elementary Education content exams. French immersion applicants also need intermediate-high French proficiency, shown by a French degree, a DELF B1, or an ACTFL OPI rating of Intermediate High.

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Gain the initial skills to teach students with mild to moderate disabilities across the special education continuum of placements, and become certified in both general education and special education mild/moderate for grades 1-5. Coursework is offered face-to-face and partially online, with extensive field experience in the community. 36–39 credit hours.

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Prepare to teach students with mild to moderate disabilities at the secondary level and become certified in both general education and special education mild/moderate for grades 6-12. Coursework is offered face-to-face and partially online, with extensive field experience in the community. 36–39 credit hours.

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Advance Your Career: Master of Education

Already certified? Build specialized expertise and share it beyond your own classroom.

Designed for certified teachers who are skillful in their own classrooms and ready to share their expertise with other teachers, schools, and school systems. You'll learn to refine, reform, and develop curricula and instruction at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The 36-credit-hour program includes 18 hours of core courses, 15 hours in your concentration, and a research capstone.

  • Instructional Specialist (100% online, 8-week courses): Leads to Louisiana certification as an instructional coach, preparing you for roles like content coach, lead teacher, curriculum coordinator, department chair, peer evaluator, or induction specialist.
  • Teacher Researcher (100% online, 8-week courses): Moves you from classroom teacher to teacher-scholar and positions you for doctoral study in education.
  • Special Education Diagnostics (hybrid): Build in-depth skills in diagnosing learning and behavior challenges and using assessment data to plan instruction.
  • Special Education Mild/Moderate Elementary (hybrid)
  • Special Education Mild/Moderate Secondary (hybrid)

Admission: Meet Graduate School requirements, hold a valid teaching certificate, and submit three letters of recommendation that address your potential to become a teacher leader. The GRE is not required. Because some courses are offered only online, the program may not be available in every state.

Teachers may be eligible for the Teacher Tuition Incentive Program.

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Designed for elementary, middle, and secondary teachers who want to specialize in teaching academically gifted students and those with gifted potential. You'll learn the unique needs of gifted and talented learners and how to meet them through differentiated curricula. Graduates qualify for Louisiana certification to teach the academically gifted at the levels and in the subjects of their regular certification, and in enrichment programs at all levels.

This 30-credit-hour, non-thesis program is 100% online. You'll take two courses a semester with a cohort and finish in two years, followed by a written and oral comprehensive exam.

Admission: Hold a valid teaching certificate in general education, have at least one year of full-time teaching experience or a current full-time teaching position, and submit three letters of recommendation.

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Looking for a Shorter Credential?

Our graduate certificates in gifted education and instructional coaching meet Louisiana add-on requirements, and their credits transfer into our M.Ed. programs.

Considering a Doctorate?

The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, offered by the Department of Educational Foundations & Leadership, includes an Exceptional Learner concentration.