Total Cost * Next Start Date Completion Time † Semester Credits Total Cost * Lead Adult Learners to Career Success
Empower adult learners with advanced teaching and training principles that support effective development and growth. The master’s degree in adult education at ACE equips you with the essential skills to identify adult learning needs, develop engaging training materials and evaluate performance. You’ll become an expert in supporting and achieving professional development goals within an organization or business.
Relevancy is key in today’s technology-savvy landscape, and this program prepares you to use it to create engaging learning experiences. You’ll also develop relational and interpersonal communication skills to connect with adult learners and empower them to meet goals. Become an educator positioned to make an impact in growing organizations globally.
The M.Ed. in Adult Education and Training focuses on providing students with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead the development and training of adults in a variety of organizational and community settings. The coursework will provide students with a foundation of knowledge regarding adult learning principles that they can apply to education and training of adults in the workplace. The program provides students with opportunities to identify learning needs within an organization, develop training materials, build instructional and training skills, and evaluate the efficacy of training activities in meeting the goals of the organization. The program includes a focus on the use of technology tools to promote engaging and effective adult learning experiences.
Here are the courses you’ll take when working towards this program. If no focus of study option is selected, you can choose any 3 courses from the study options below.
Visit the College Catalog to see all courses.
The Capstone Experience is designed for candidates to demonstrate and document the impact of their knowledge and competencies gained throughout and as a result of the M.Ed. Adult Education and Training program.
This course examines cognition, specifically the psychological processes of how individuals think and remember as applied to developing judgment and reasoning throughout the learning process. This course will also explore critical thinking as a process reflective of Bloom's Taxonomy incorporating active learning by formulating ideas, gaining knowledge and comprehension, making appropriate applications, and moving into higher levels of learning through analyzing, evaluating, and creating.
By creating new dimensions of thought to establish meaning and relevance, the ability to conceptualize promotes transferability. This course builds foundational understanding of practical approaches to teach conceptualization while also developing personal and professional knowledge and skills in interrelations, multiple perspectives, concept map development, generalizations and terminology across disciplines. A focus on synergistic effects moves learning across domains into multiple contexts for use in novel situations.
Students in this course will apply learning theories and instructional design principles across face-to-face, blended, and online environments. They adapt instruction to each setting including collaboration and assessments. Learners create products, set expectations, encourage interactions, select strategies and materials, and design evaluations.
Students in this course will design effective curricula within their professional fields. They apply principles of curriculum alignment and backward design to develop comprehensive curriculum maps. Topics include how to conduct needs assessments, plan curricula, and develop learning activities or resources for in-person, blended, and online learning environments.
This course examines the theory and research of andragogy, with an emphasis on the historical influences, practical applications, and critical analysis. Topics include fields of practice, schools of thought, clarification of concepts, and emerging issues and challenges.
This course examines a variety of learning and teaching strategies to enhance adult learning. Students analyze methods suited for adult learning in different settings, apply knowledge of adult learning theories, and explore ways in which adults learn critical thinking.
This course focuses on theories and processes of measuring student learning to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs. Students conduct a program evaluation and apply the results to develop an improvement plan.
This course provides an introduction to the historical developments, theoretical perspectives, fundamental approaches, and real-world practices of evaluating adult learners. Students learn to apply a variety of methods to assess learning outcomes effectively and to analyze assessment data to improve teaching and learning.
This course explores theoretical foundations and practical applications of adult literacy development in organizational and community settings. Students will learn to assess literacy needs, design effective instructional interventions, and integrate digital technologies to enhance adult literacy acquisition. The course addresses multiple dimensions, including functional, digital, financial, and critical literacies, while emphasizing workplace relevance. Through applied projects, participants will design literacy initiatives that address authentic challenges and leverage technology to create engaging learning experiences for adult learners.
This course prepares educators to become proficient consumers and practitioners of research in educational settings. They will learn to evaluate existing research, conduct action research, and apply scientific inquiry principles to address current educational challenges. Educators will develop skills in data-driven decision-making and learn to use research as a tool for continuous improvement in their organizations. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to integrate evidence-based practices into their work, enhancing their effectiveness as educational leaders.
We believe in full transparency with our total cost of attendance. No hidden fees. No surprises along the way.
Continuing your education is a big decision that involves an investment of your time and money. We recognize that, which is why we're committed to ensuring you experience a positive return on that investment.
You only pay the cost it takes for us to deliver your education, nothing more. By keeping our tuition low, we’ve helped our students see a $19.20 return in future higher earnings for every $1 they invested in their ACE education.1
Because of our low tuition and total program cost, 87% of our students graduate debt-free.2 Popular payment options include paying by course, paying by month or paying in full. Visit our payment options page to learn more.
You deserve a great return on your educational investment, and we deliver master's degrees at a total average cost of $10,000*. We also award over $1.2M in scholarships and grants each year.
Tuition & ROIWe are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Our faculty work in the industries where you work and are committed to your success, contributing to our 84% graduation rate.3 Our curriculum equips you with practical strategies you can apply right away, as well as skills to help you advance your career.
Success StoriesOur virtual campus and convenient start dates provide you the flexibility you need to achieve your goals at a time and place that works with your busy schedule. Our student support services are available 24/7 and tutoring is included at no additional cost.
Support Services
Because we don’t have a physical campus, our students don’t need to pay infrastructure or facility fees. We also keep our operational costs low by not participating in Title IV federal funding. We pass all these savings along to our students.
Due to our engaging online format, you’ll connect and learn from industry peers worldwide. And even though you’re learning online, you won’t feel alone thanks to student discussion boards and online forums.
Learn strategies and skills you can apply immediately and leverage for future career advancement. Employers of ACE graduates report a 96% satisfaction rate,3 while 98% of our students felt their professional skills were stronger after graduation.3
Every course is created by our in-house curriculum and production team working in tandem with our academic leaders. Plus, all courses follow a consistent structure. No outdated coursework, no surprises.
*The application fee is valid for one year from date of submission.
**Additional evidence may be required to fulfill state requirements, including but not limited to verification of professional experience, test scores, or an interview.
All applicants must submit, to the Admissions Office, an official evaluation from a NACES-approved organization.
All applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate competence in the English language as demonstrated in one of three ways:
2Internal research conducted November 2025
3Across all ACE Programs. See Student Right to Know. Accessed May 28, 2026
4Education Data Initiative. Accessed January 28, 2026
Our Enrollment Counselors are here to answer your questions and walk you through the enrollment process.
