Champlain College in Burlington leads Vermont's short list with a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education, and the University of Vermont, also in Burlington, offers Advanced Specialties in Educational Practice with a Curriculum and Instruction pathway.
These are advancement degrees, chosen by people who already work with children, and they differ more in subject than in prestige. One is rooted in the early years and the other in classroom practice. Because each school is in Vermont, a resident pays in-state rates and arranges any fieldwork locally, while the Agency of Education, not the university, decides who holds a license.
Source: IPEDS, read October 6, 2026. Tuition is the 2023-24 in-state rate.
top score, Champlain College
61.1
median in-state tuition and fees across the 2 listed, 2023-24
$12,475
schools in Vermont with a ranked fully online master's in education
2
ranked programs in Vermont that lead to a license
0
This list covers fully online master's programs at universities located in Vermont, one per school.
The 2 Online Master's in Education Programs in Vermont
The 2 programs below are at schools in Vermont, scored at the in-state price and listed one per school.
1
Champlain College
Master of Education in Early Childhood Education
Burlington, Vermont
61.1- Private nonprofit
- No license involved
- Early Childhood Education and Teaching
- Degrees awarded
- 14 a year
- Yearly cost
- $10,710
- In-state rate
- $10,710, 2023-24
Vermont residents and nonresidents pay the same $10,710 a year in 2023-24 for the fully online M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education at Champlain College, a private nonprofit in Burlington. The college awarded 14 master's degrees in the latest federal count.
The 36 credits are built for working adults and can wrap up in about 1.5 years at the quickest. Because the degree carries no licensure component, a Vermont teacher who needs the Level I Educator License gets it from Vermont Agency of Education, Office of Educator Licensure. What the degree builds is graduate-level knowledge in early childhood education for people wishing to progress in their current roles. Vermont has been part of the NEBHE State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement since 2015.
2
University of Vermont
Advanced Specialties in Educational Practice, M.Ed. (Curriculum & Instruction pathway)
Burlington, Vermont
57.7- Public
- No license involved
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Degrees awarded
- 18 a year
- Yearly cost
- $14,240
- In-state rate
- $14,240, 2023-24
- Out-of-state rate
- $32,996
The University of Vermont in Burlington offers the Curriculum & Instruction pathway of its Advanced Specialties in Educational Practice M.Ed., where 30 credits split into 12 core and 18 pathway electives. Other pathways include Community Schools, Computer Science Education, Education for Sustainability, Reading and Literacy, Resiliency-Based Approaches, and School Library and Information Science. An ePortfolio with reflections tied to program learning outcomes serves as the comprehensive exam, and current UVM undergraduates can use an Accelerated Master's Pathway.
The degree is advanced study for educators, and the Level I Educator License is issued separately by Vermont Agency of Education, Office of Educator Licensure. Vermont residents pay $14,240 a year and nonresidents $32,996 for 2023-24, and the public university awarded 18 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 Vermont 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 Vermont?
An online master's in education at a school in Vermont costs a resident from $10,710 to $14,240 a year in graduate tuition and fees across these 2 programs, with a median of $12,475, 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 Each Vermont University Offer in an Online Master's?
Each Vermont university offers its online master's from a different angle. Champlain College is a private nonprofit in Burlington, and its Master of Education in Early Childhood Education centers on the youngest learners and the adults who work with them.
The University of Vermont is the public flagship, and its Advanced Specialties in Educational Practice, M.Ed. offers a Curriculum and Instruction pathway, which suits a teacher who wants to lead instruction. It costs more than Champlain at the in-state rate, a point the cost chart below makes visible, so the question for UVM applicants is whether the pathway fits their goals more closely than a lower-priced alternative.
How Does the Vermont Agency of Education License Teachers Who Hold a Master's?
The Vermont Agency of Education licenses teachers through a state-approved program and its recommendation, and a master's is one of several levels at which program completion earns eligibility. The first license is the Level I Professional Educator License, and a Level II follows after practice in Vermont and professional learning. Degree level does not sort classroom teachers, so a master's matters mainly for leaders and counselors.
For most candidates the agency's testing requirements mean the Praxis Core in reading, writing and mathematics plus a Praxis II in the endorsement area, all met before the application. Neither ranked degree is a first-license route. Before you commit to either, confirm your own path with the Office of Educator Licensure, which answers questions about endorsements and renewals directly. Our Vermont licensure guide covers endorsements and transfers.
A graduate degree can still matter in a Vermont career even when it does not change the license. It can support teacher leadership, coaching and curriculum work, and it is a requirement for the principal and school counselor endorsements, which sit outside the programs listed here.
What Does Studying Online at a Vermont University Mean for a Resident?
Studying online at a Vermont university means the in-state price the cost chart shows, and it means that observation or project work happens in your own supervisory union. Ask each program how fieldwork is documented and who signs off, because a small school may not have the staffing a program assumes.
Vermont joined NC-SARA in 2015 through the New England compact. For a resident planning a move, SARA does not address licensing-board approval, so a Vermont degree is not a license anywhere else. The school must still tell you, under federal rules, whether the program meets requirements in the state you are headed to.
Questions About Online Master's in Education Programs in Vermont
What Is the Cheapest Online Master's in Education in Vermont?
How Are Online Master's in Education Programs in Vermont Ranked?
Is an Early Childhood Master's From Champlain College a Vermont License?
Champlain College does not issue licenses, and its Master of Education in Early Childhood Education is not a first-license program, so a graduate who wants a Vermont endorsement should ask the Agency of Education which preparation and testing steps still apply.
Why Does Vermont's List Have so Few Online Master's Programs?
The list keeps only fully online programs at universities located in Vermont. That leaves two schools, which makes a close reading of each program page more useful than a comparison table.
Do Vermont Principals Need a Master's?
The Principal endorsement requires a master's degree, leadership coursework, supervised field experience and licensed teaching experience, according to the Agency of Education's licensing rules summarized in our licensure guide. Neither degree here is a leadership program.
Does a Vermont Master's Reduce the Praxis Requirement?
The agency lists substitutes for the Praxis Core, including coursework with grades of B or better, but they are described by rule rather than by degree level. Read the testing requirements page and ask the agency which substitute applies.
Where Do the Figures for Vermont Come From?
Tuition and degree counts come from federal records each college reports about itself.