Rhode Island is small enough that one university carries its entire online master's list. The University of Rhode Island in Kingston offers a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages with a Bilingual Dual Language Immersion focus, and it is the program a Rhode Island resident can reach at the in-state rate without leaving the state's own public system.
That makes the page narrow and specific. It explains who the degree suits, what the Rhode Island Department of Education still asks for before a certificate is issued, and what changes when your coursework is online but your classroom is in a Rhode Island district.
Source: IPEDS, read October 6, 2026. Tuition is the 2023-24 in-state rate.
top score, University of Rhode Island
52.7
median in-state tuition and fees across the 1 listed, 2023-24
$17,450
school in Rhode Island with a ranked fully online master's in education
1
ranked programs in Rhode Island that lead to a license
0
This list covers fully online master's programs at universities located in Rhode Island, one per school.
The Only Online Master's in Education Program in Rhode Island
The program below is at school in Rhode Island, scored at the in-state price.
1
University of Rhode Island
Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages / Bilingual Dual Language Immersion (TESOL/BDL)
Kingston, Rhode Island
52.7- Public
- No license involved
- Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor
- Degrees awarded
- 22 a year
- Yearly cost
- $17,450
- In-state rate
- $17,450, 2023-24
- Out-of-state rate
- $31,952
Kingston is the base for the University of Rhode Island's Master of Arts in TESOL/BDL, an online degree that runs mainly asynchronously. Tracks cover public school ESOL, public school Bilingual Dual Language Immersion, and education outside U.S. PreK-12 schools, including international settings. The major paper is a research-based action project on a real school or district problem, developed across three courses.
Coursework is based on TESOL professional standards and the Rhode Island Dual Language Program Standards. The degree suits candidates who are already certified, those pursuing certification at the same time, and those seeking international posts, and reciprocity requirements are the candidate's to confirm with the Rhode Island Department of Education. Residents pay $17,450 a year for 2023-24, and nonresidents pay $31,952. URI awarded 22 master's degrees in the latest federal count.
How We Rank
Every eligible program is scored out of 100. Each figure becomes a percentile against the 1771 ranked programs, and the percentiles are weighted as below. The methodology page explains each choice.
- Degrees awarded: 50%. Master's degrees the program conferred in the latest reported year, counted up to 50. Past 50 a year a program is clearly established and more volume adds nothing.
- In-state tuition and fees: 50%. The university's graduate in-state tuition plus required fees for a full-time year, 2023-24, the price a Rhode Island resident pays. Lower cost scores higher.
Reading the cards. The tuition figure is each school's in-state graduate rate for a full-time year, 2023-24, with its out-of-state rate beside it where the two differ.
Source: federal IPEDS records, read October 6, 2026. Tuition and fees are each school's graduate in-state rate for 2023-24. Scores are our own.
What Does an Online Master's in Education Cost in Rhode Island?
The listed program costs a Rhode Island resident $17,450 a year in graduate tuition and fees for 2023-24. These are full-time yearly charges at the in-state rate, and many universities bill online students per credit instead, so the program's own figure may differ.
What Does the University of Rhode Island Offer in an Online Master's?
The University of Rhode Island offers an online master's built around teaching English to speakers of other languages, titled Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages / Bilingual Dual Language Immersion. The title tells you the audience: educators who work with multilingual learners, whether in an English-as-a-second-language classroom or in a dual language program that teaches in two languages.
This degree does not itself lead to a first teaching certificate, so read it as a specialization for people who already teach or are building toward a credential by another route. Before you assume it adds a certificate area, ask the program which Rhode Island endorsements its graduates have gone on to hold, and get that answer in writing.
What Does Rhode Island Still Require After a Master's From a Rhode Island University?
Rhode Island requires a certificate from its Department of Education in addition to any master's from a Rhode Island university, and the first full credential is the Initial Educator Certificate. The department publishes a chart of Praxis tests and passing scores organized by certificate area, so the useful step is to look up the area you want and work backward from its test list instead of assuming a degree settles it.
Candidates who have knowledge and experience but not a completed preparation program have another door. The Credential Review pathway runs through the department or through consortium institutions, and the University of Rhode Island is one of them. The review waives no testing, so current requirements still apply.
Our Rhode Island licensure guide covers the exams, the Praxis Bridge option and the principal and counselor credentials in more depth.
What Is Different About Studying Online at a Rhode Island School as a Resident?
Studying online at a Rhode Island school as a resident means you pay the in-state rate that the cost chart above prints, and you do the practical parts of a teaching degree in your own district. Observation hours, practicum visits and any coaching tied to a classroom happen where you live, so line up a cooperating school and a supervisor early, and ask who at the university approves them.
Rhode Island joined NC-SARA in 2015 through the New England compact. For a resident, that matters mostly later: if you move, SARA lets a participating school keep enrolling you, but it does not carry a Rhode Island certificate with you. NC-SARA states plainly that it does not address licensing-board approval, so the receiving state's agency decides.
Federal rules add one more safeguard. Under 34 CFR 668.43, a school that promotes licensure must say which states its program meets, and that includes the one you may move to.
Questions About Online Master's in Education Programs in Rhode Island
What Is the Cheapest Online Master's in Education in Rhode Island?
How Are Online Master's in Education Programs in Rhode Island Ranked?
Which Rhode Island Agency Certifies Teachers Who Finish an Online Master's?
The Rhode Island Department of Education issues certificates, not the university. Its Initial Educator Certificate is the usual first credential. Ask the university's certification contact how graduates are recommended and who sends the paperwork, then confirm the same steps with the department before you enroll.
Do the Praxis Tests Change if My Master's Is in TESOL?
Rhode Island's testing list follows the certificate area rather than the degree title, according to the department's chart of tests and passing scores. A TESOL master's does not by itself tell you which Praxis exam applies, so match the certificate you want against the chart and check with the department.
What Happens to a Rhode Island Online Degree if I Move Out of State?
Your degree stays yours, but a Rhode Island certificate does not follow you. The new state's agency sets its own rules, and NC-SARA membership only governs whether a school may enroll students there. Before moving, ask the university for its written licensure disclosure covering your destination state.
How Should I Judge a Single-University List Like Rhode Island's?
A short list is easier to judge on fit than on rank. Read the program page for the courses and field requirements, compare them with the certificate area you need, and speak to an advisor at the University of Rhode Island before applying.
Where Do the Figures for Rhode Island Come From?
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
- IPEDS Institutional Characteristics, 2023-24
- Rhode Island Department of Education, Educator Certification
- RIDE, How to Get Certified
- RIDE, Required Certification Tests
- NC-SARA, Professional Licensure
- 34 CFR 668.43, Institutional and programmatic information (eCFR)
Tuition and degree counts come from federal records each college reports about itself.