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College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Career and Technical Education, Master of Education

Academic Information

This degree is designed to prepare career-ready graduates for career and technical education-related careers as well as provide continued growth and development for those already employed in career and technical education fields.

This flexible master's degree combines core courses in four areas: History and Philosophy of CTE, Research, Instructional Management in CTE, and School-Community Relations in CTE, with courses in a concentration that each student can customize to meet their own educational and professional needs.

Please note that this is not a secondary education certification program.

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Career and Technical Education, Master of Education

Careers

What Can I Do with a Master of Education in Career and Technical Education?

The Master of Education in Career and Technical Education is designed to prepare you for a career in career and technical education. Our graduates are CTE administrators, educators, and training and development personnel in secondary, post-secondary, and business and industry settings. You will take coursework in five core areas: Career and Technical Education, Research, Education Foundations, Curriculum or Administration, and Education Psychology. You will also take coursework in a selected emphasis area. Three emphasis areas are offered: Administration, Teaching, or Educational Technology. There are many course options to allow the degree to be flexible to meet the future goals of many diverse students. Your advisor can assist you putting together (and approving) a customized program of study that will prepare you for your growth in your current career or to meet your future goals.

Career opportunities that might be pursued:

Career and technical education administrator
Drafting and design technology educator
Educational specialist in secondary schools
Business management and administrative services

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Career and Technical Education, Master of Education

University Requirements

To receive a master’s degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject areas, consisting of at least 30 units of graduate-level courses. Many master’s degree programs require more than 30 units.

You must additionally complete:
- All requirements for your specific academic plan(s). This may include a thesis.
- All graduate work with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
- All work toward the master's degree must be completed within six consecutive years. The six years begins with the semester and year of admission to the program.
Read the full policy here.

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Career and Technical Education, Master of Education

Overview

In addition to University Requirements:

Complete individual plan requirements.

Minimum Units for Completion	30
Additional Admission Requirements	Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
Research	Individualized research is required.
Some online/blended coursework	Required
Progression Plan Link	View Program of Study
Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan	Optional

Purpose Statement

The purpose of the Career and Technical Education (CTE), Master of Education is to address the need for educators, practitioners, and occupational trainers in and advocates of career and technical education. For those already employed or educated in this field, completing this degree will provide a deeper understanding of the role CTE plays in preparing and maintaining a skilled and diverse workforce for a strong economy to continue to grow and develop as leaders and advocates in the field. The degree also prepares professionals who have occupation-specific knowledge/skills/experience to transition into the field as educators and advocates in formal education or business settings (including corporate trainers).

All graduates will have the knowledge and ability to

Advocate for the important role CTE has in society.
Identify and creatively solve critical issues in the field.
Be a catalyst for evolutionary growth in CTE to enhance accessibility, inclusion, and diversity in the field.

There are four core courses History and Philosophy of CTE, Research, Instructional Management in CTE, and School-Community Relations in CTE. These courses provide the foundation to grow and develop as leaders and advocates in the field, to use/critique/conduct research in the field, to employ the latest instructional and occupational training practices, and to foster/enhance/improve relationships between stakeholders and educational entities. Completers of the teaching concentration will additionally have the knowledge and ability to plan, develop, deliver, and assess instruction in an occupationally specific area. Completers of the technology concentration will meet the Arizona Department of Education requirements for a Computer Science endorsement and will be prepared to teach occupational programs in computer science fields. Completers of the professional development concentration will develop knowledge and skills in self-identified areas of need.

The CTE MEd degree is an online program delivered asynchronously, but students should expect to have 3 - 5 synchronous meetings with other classmates and/or instructors scheduled in each course. Because this is a graduate program, our students are busy and engaged adults who exercise self-regulation skills to complete tasks assigned in the program. This program does not require an entrance exam as a prerequisite and is not a thesis program. This program has an accelerated option for students in our BSEd CTE program.

Student Learning Outcomes

Engage in dialogue with professionals and stakeholders regarding the implications of the evolution of CTE (including its definition in federal law) for schools, learners, businesses, and society.
Explore and define personal beliefs, vision, and role in CTE to craft a personal philosophy statement to guide their practice and to share with others.
Research, compile, and hypothesize current critical issues within the field and develop innovative strategies and solutions with stakeholders.
Articulate the purpose and importance of and develop a plan and resources to foster/enhance/improve relationships between stakeholders and educational entities at the local, state, and national levels.
Analyze both formal and informal communication tools for their effectiveness, impact, application, and benefits and effectively maximize their use with limited resources to promote and advocate for specific program(s) and the overall field at the local, state, and national levels.
Effectively communicate and utilize research in the field to solve problems and advocate for CTE including engaging in scholarly dialogue with professionals and other stakeholders using common research design (including methodologies) terminology.
Design educational research to address a problem in the field.
Explore how inclusion values and makes room for diversity and develop action strategies that promote equity, remove barriers to educational choice, and create environments where all students can succeed.
Identify and describe innovative instructional and occupational training practices and make inferences to their relevant applications in their current or future role in education.
Research and evaluate publications and professional organizations in CTE and their content area to become and remain engaged and informed in their fields.
Professionally represent qualifications, including a diversity/inclusion statement, for the field of CTE with a current resume or vitae.
Integrate the use of a wide variety of multimedia technology tools into their teaching practice.

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Career and Technical Education, Master of Education

Details

Graduate Admission Information

The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Admission requirements include the following:
- Transcripts.
- Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale ("A" = 4.0), or the equivalent.
Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.

Ready to apply? Begin your application now.
International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.

Additional Admission Requirements

Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

- Responses to personal statements.

Master's Requirements

This Master's degree requires 30 units distributed as follows:
- Required Coursework: 12 units
- Concentration: 18 units
Take the following 30 units:

- Students must complete 24 units of formal letter-graded coursework.

Required Coursework (12 units)
- CTE 591, CTE 691, CTE 692, CTE 696 (12 units)
  - You must present an action research project based on work completed in the CTE 691 course.

Concentration (18 units)

In consultation with your advisor, select from either CTE courses or approved interdisciplinary coursework that comprise a coherent area of study, which may include EPS, EDF, and EDL courses.

Areas from which you may select concentration courses include, but aren't restricted to, curriculum and instruction, higher education, educational technology, human resource development, CTE Administration, and/or advanced coursework in your occupational area to meet HLC (or other) accreditation requirements.

We offer courses for this plan via web-based delivery only. There are no other delivery methods for this program.

Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Program

- This program is available as an Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan wherein a student may start a master's degree while simultaneously completing their bachelor's degree.

- Students enrolled at the Online campus for both undergraduate and graduate programs are eligible to complete the Bachelor of Science in Education in Career and Technical Education 90-30 and start a Master of Education in Career and Technical Education at NAU.

- Students must apply to the master's program by the graduate program's application deadline, meet all admissions requirements listed in the policy Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Programs, as well as the admissions requirements for the specified master's plan to be considered for admission. Admission to programs is competitive and qualified applicants may be denied because of limits on the number of students admitted each year.
  
  Be sure to speak with the Master's Program Director/Coordinator regarding your interest in the accelerated plan.

- Students accepted into the Accelerated Program should complete the following requirements:

- Master's Requirements
  
  This Master's degree requires 30 units distributed as follows:
  - Required Coursework: 12 units
  - Concentration: 18 units
  Take the following 30 units:

- Required Coursework (12 units)
  - CTE 591, CTE 691, CTE 692, CTE 696 (12 units)
    - You must present an action research project based on work completed in the CTE 691 course.

- Concentration (18 units)
  - Select from the following (15 units):
    - CTE 401*, CTE 431*, CTE 455*, CTE 486*, CTE 491*, CTE 492*, CTE 496*, CTE 503, CTE 532, CTE 561, CTE 565, CTE 576, CTE 583, CTE 592, CTE 593, CTE 594, CTE 595
  - Additional graduate level units with advisor approval (3 units)
    - May include 3 units of EPS, EDF, and EDL courses
  *No more than 6 units from CTE 401, CTE 431, CTE 455, CTE 486, CTE 491, CTE 492, or CTE 496
  
  We offer courses for this plan via web-based delivery only. There are no other delivery methods for this program.

Additional Information

Some courses may have prerequisites. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Career and Technical Education, Master of Education

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Academic Information
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Campus Availability

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Career and Technical Education, Master of Education

Academic Information

Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Career and Technical Education, Master of Education

Careers

What Can I Do with a Master of Education in Career and Technical Education?

Career opportunities that might be pursued:

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College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Career and Technical Education, Master of Education

University Requirements

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Department of Educational Specialties

Career and Technical Education, Master of Education

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College of Education

Department of Educational Specialties

Career and Technical Education, Master of Education

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Graduate Admission Information

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Master's Requirements

Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Program

Additional Information

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Department of Educational Specialties

Career and Technical Education, Master of Education

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