Earning a master’s in curriculum and instruction can open the door to some of the most influential leadership roles in PreK-12 education. Emporia State University (ESU) offers three online Master of Science (MS) in Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) concentrations, each built around a different leadership path:
- Curriculum Leadership PreK-12
- Effective Practitioner PreK-12
- Instructional Coach/Teacher Leader PreK-12
Instructional leadership roles like these carry real, ongoing demand. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), instructional coordinators earned a median annual salary of $74,720 in May 2024, and the occupation is expected to add roughly 21,900 openings each year through 2034 as schools continue to invest in curriculum development and staff training. With three distinct concentrations, MS in Curriculum and Instruction candidates can choose the educational path best suited to the type of leadership position they want to pursue.
What Is the Foundation of ESU’s Online MS in Curriculum & Instruction Program?
Regardless of concentration, every MS in Curriculum and Instruction candidate begins with the same foundation of core coursework. Curriculum design and management sits at the center of that foundation, alongside teaching and learning strategies and multiple forms of effective assessment.
Much of this work draws on backward design, a curriculum-development framework associated with ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), in which curriculum leaders identify desired learning outcomes and assessment evidence before planning classroom instruction.
Core courses also examine the values and beliefs that shape educational systems and practice. Degree candidates study both systemic and personal bias in education, along with strategies for multicultural education and differentiated instruction for diverse learners. That work has a wide reach: public schools employed roughly 3.2 million full-time equivalent teachers as of the most recent count from the National Center for Education Statistics, and curriculum leaders trained to support increasingly diverse classrooms influence far more than a single classroom or school.
Every MS in Curriculum and Instruction candidate also studies the effective integration of educational technology into the classroom, from curriculum design and professional development to teaching and student learning. A core research course covers educational research methodology, teaching candidates to analyze existing research and apply their own action-research findings to real curriculum problems. Most courses include a hands-on component, letting candidates demonstrate new concepts through simulations and projects, and every candidate completes a practicum course near the end of the program, applying what they’ve learned directly in a PreK-12 setting.
MS C&I — Curriculum Leadership PreK-12
This concentration centers on the “design-down” approach to curriculum leadership, a high-achievement, outcomes-based method for building curriculum. Core coursework is paired with deeper study of organizational leadership in schools, student data evaluation, and advanced instructional methods and theory. The concentration is designed for future curriculum directors, curriculum coordinators, and curriculum specialists who want to shape instruction at the school or district level.
Structured preparation for that kind of role isn’t common. Research from the Wallace Foundation identifies leading instruction as one of the highest-impact areas for school leadership development, while also noting that coaching and mentoring in instructional leadership remain rare for most aspiring leaders. ESU’s Curriculum Leadership PreK-12 concentration is a 33-credit-hour program that can be completed in as few as 12 months, giving working educators direct, structured training in exactly that kind of leadership.
MS C&I — Effective Practitioner PreK-12
This concentration focuses on the practical implementation of well-designed curriculum through effective instruction. Beyond core coursework, candidates choose electives covering more advanced study of topics such as brain-based learning grounded in cognitive science, school leadership theory, and instructional strategies for collaborative, project-based learning environments.
As the name suggests, this concentration is well suited to teachers, teacher leaders, and department heads who want to strengthen their own classroom practice while becoming a resource for faculty development in their building. Like the other two concentrations, it is a 33-credit-hour program that can be completed in as few as 12 months.
MS C&I — Instructional Coach/Teacher Leader PreK-12
This concentration is built for educators who want to help fellow teachers improve their instruction and effectiveness. Candidates build on core coursework by choosing electives focused on student instruction as well as the professional development of other teachers, including leadership, mentoring, instructional coaching, and assessment.
That coaching role is well established in the field. Learning Forward’s Standards for Professional Learning frame teacher leaders as coaches and facilitators who help build schoolwide capacity for effective classroom practice, working alongside principals and other instructional leaders. ESU’s Instructional Coach/Teacher Leader PreK-12 concentration is a 33-credit-hour program with an embedded practicum, and it can be completed in as few as 12 months.
Which ESU Curriculum & Instruction Concentration Is Right for You?
The right concentration depends on the leadership role you’re working toward. Educators who want to shape curriculum and instruction at the school or district level often gravitate toward Curriculum Leadership PreK-12, while classroom teachers and department heads looking to sharpen their own practice tend to choose Effective Practitioner PreK-12. Educators who want to mentor and coach fellow teachers are typically the best fit for Instructional Coach/Teacher Leader PreK-12.
Whichever path you choose, an online curriculum and instruction degree from ESU is built to help you focus your graduate education on a specific professional goal, whether that’s becoming a teacher leader, a curriculum director, an instructional coordinator, or simply a stronger classroom educator. Teachers who complete any of these three concentrations leave prepared to improve instruction and student learning at their schools, which is, after all, the goal of good teaching.
Explore ESU’s online Master’s in Curriculum & Instruction programs and find the concentration that matches your leadership goals.
About Emporia State University’s Online Education Programs
Emporia State University has prepared teachers and school leaders for more than 150 years, and its Teachers College is accredited under the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) standards. ESU’s online MS in Curriculum & Instruction concentrations are built for working educators, with 100% online coursework, accelerated seven-week terms, and multiple start dates each year so candidates can build a schedule that fits their life.
Beyond C&I concentrations, ESU offers additional online master’s programs in education, including educational administration and special education, giving working teachers multiple paths toward advanced leadership roles. Each program follows the same streamlined, no-GRE-required admissions process, so educators can move from application to coursework without unnecessary delay.
