Quick Highlights
SOU’s Curriculum & Instruction and Reading & Literacy concentrations share the same 45-credit structure and $400/credit tuition, but they lead to very different work: Curriculum & Instruction is a broad instructional-design path open to licenced and non-licensed adults, while Reading & Literacy is a specialized, literacy-only track with an optional Endorsement route for licensed teachers who want Oregon’s Reading Intervention Endorsement.
At first glance, the differences between an online MSEd in Curriculum & Instruction degree and the reading-focused degree might not be clear. They share many similarities. For example, Southern Oregon University offers both as fully online MSEd tracks. Its Master of Science in Education with a Concentration in Curriculum and Instruction runs 45 credit hours. So does its Reading and Literacy program.
Day-to-day, though, the two prepare grads for different work. Curriculum and Instruction is the broader path. It’s a general instructional-design and curriculum-leadership track, open to non-licensed adults as well as teachers.
Reading and Literacy is the specialized path, built entirely around literacy instruction. It has an optional endorsement route too, for licensed teachers who want Oregon’s Reading Intervention Endorsement. This guide breaks down both programs honestly, so you can pick the one that fits your goals.
In short: one path goes wide. The other goes deep. The rest of this guide shows you why, step by step.
Program Snapshot
| Curriculum & Instruction | Reading & Literacy | Reading & Literacy w/ Endorsement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit hours | 45 | 45 | 49 |
| Total tuition | $18,000 | $18,000 | $19,600 |
| Per credit hour | $400 | $400 | $400 |
| Typical timeline | As few as 12 months | As few as 16 months | As few as 16 months |
| Teaching license required? | No | No (standard track) | No to start; yes before the READ 509 practicum |
| Elective breadth | 3 of 7 electives, any focus | None: Fully literacy-focused | None: Fully literacy-focused |
With those top-line numbers in view, the next sections unpack what each concentration actually asks of students day to day.
What Is the MSEd in Curriculum & Instruction?
Curriculum and Instruction is a curriculum and instruction degree for anyone who designs learning experiences. Classroom teachers aren’t the only audience here. A teaching license is not required for this program.
That makes it a practical online curriculum and instruction degree for training specialists and instructional coaches. For working adults, it’s a flexible way to earn a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction online. You don’t have to pause your career to do it.
The program totals 45 credit hours across 11 courses. That breaks down into 25 credit hours of core coursework plus 20 concentration credit hours. Two courses are required in the concentration: ED 551, Assessment Research and Strategies for Learning and ED 552, Differentiated Instructional Strategies.
Students then pick three electives from seven options. Two of those electives, READ 535 and READ 570, are literacy courses. Both overlap with the Reading and Literacy program.
Tuition runs $400 per credit hour, or $18,000 total. Courses are billed one at a time, so you only pay for terms you’re enrolled in. SOU lists the program at as few as 12 months for a full-time pace.
Unlike its Reading and Literacy pages, the Curriculum and Instruction page does not publish an extended-timeline figure. No estimate is invented here to fill that gap.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), instructional coordinators oversee school curriculums and teaching standards. They also develop educational material, implement it with teachers and principals and assess its effectiveness. That description maps closely onto what this concentration trains graduates to do.
Without a license, C&I grads often become a Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator or Training Specialist. Instructional Coach is another common path. Learning Specialist and Instructional Designer are common titles too.
With a teaching license, the same track supports District-Level Curriculum Leader and Teacher Leader roles. Program Administrator, Curriculum and Assessment Director and Curriculum/Instruction Specialist are common paths as well.
Instructional coaching keeps evolving as a field. ASCD notes that principals can build structured roles for teacher leaders. Those roles cover coaching and shared learning work. That’s the same kind of work many C&I grads step into.
What Is the MSEd in Reading & Literacy?
The Reading and Literacy program takes the opposite approach: every required course centers on literacy instruction and assessment. Broad instructional design isn’t the focus here. Candidates study reading, writing, listening, speaking and thinking across the curriculum.
The emphasis falls on the foundations of early literacy, commonly called the “science of reading,” and support for learners who struggle with literacy. That includes students who primarily speak a language other than English.
Like Curriculum and Instruction, this program totals 45 credit hours across 11 courses. The core 25 credit hours are identical. The concentration itself is five of six required literacy courses.
Four are fixed: READ 512, READ 535, READ 570 and READ 580. The fifth is a choice between ED 544A and ED 545A. There is no elective breadth outside of literacy.
Tuition matches the Curriculum and Instruction rate: $400 per credit hour, $18,000 total. SOU’s calendar pages note the program can be finished in as few as 16 months. The stakes behind that coursework are real.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 31% of fourth graders scored at or above NAEP Proficient on the 2024 reading assessment. That was a drop from prior years. Programs like this one prepare educators to support literacy instruction and intervention.
Graduates pursue roles such as Literacy and Reading Coach, Instructional Designer, Educational Writer, Senior Editor, or Literacy Specialist. Notably, Instructional Designer appears on both career lists. That overlap is worth naming honestly, not glossing over.
Literacy coaching is a defined field of its own, not just a job title. ILA describes coaches as vital members of the literacy leadership team. Their day-to-day role keeps evolving, but the underlying goal stays constant: better teaching and learning through teamwork.
The Real Difference: Breadth vs. Specialization
The honest distinction here is breadth versus specialty, not better versus worse. Curriculum and Instruction trains generalists. They design curriculum, build assessments and coach teachers across any subject area.
Reading and Literacy trains specialists. They go deep on one thing: how students learn to read, write and comprehend.
Both programs share the same five core courses first. These span research methods, critical issues in education and study proposal and design. Curriculum design and educational change, plus culturally responsive practice, round out the list.
Only after that shared core do the two paths split. Curriculum and Instruction stays open to non-licensed adults. It also leaves room to specialize through electives, including two literacy courses.
Reading and Literacy is fully dedicated to literacy from day one. It has no elective breadth outside that focus. A Curriculum and Instruction student can sample literacy coursework as one elective path among several. Only Reading and Literacy goes all-in on it.
Think of it this way. If you want one deep specialty, Reading and Literacy delivers it. If you want room to lead curriculum work districtwide, Curriculum and Instruction keeps more doors open.
Neither path is more rigorous than the other. They’re simply built for different goals and both are strong choices. Either way, you leave with the same number of credit hours and the same core skills in research and assessment. The split only shows up in how deep you go on literacy.
The Endorsement Option
Reading and Literacy actually comes in two versions. There’s the standard track covered above. There’s also the MSEd in Reading and Literacy with Endorsement, which layers on Oregon’s Reading Intervention Endorsement.
The endorsement version totals 49 credit hours across 12 courses, one course more than the standard track. It costs $19,600 total at $400 per credit hour. It adds READ 509 Practicum as a capstone course, working directly with students and school staff on reading intervention.
No GRE or teaching license is required to start the program. But the endorsement itself is licensure-specific. Per Oregon Administrative Rules, it exists to show “an educator is qualified to teach prekindergarten through grade 12 assignments in Reading Intervention.”
Enrolling in the READ 509 practicum has its own rule. It requires an active Oregon preliminary or professional teaching license. It also requires a minimum of 18 completed endorsement credits beforehand.
Before You Apply
- Active Oregon preliminary or professional teaching license before enrolling in READ 509 Practicum
- Minimum of 18 completed endorsement credits before that same enrollment
- No GRE or teaching license needed just to start the Endorsement program
Teachers licensed outside Oregon should confirm their own state’s rules. The endorsement does not automatically transfer.
The Curriculum and Instruction has no equivalent endorsement path. It is not a licensure or endorsement-track program, so this trade-off is specific to Reading and Literacy.
The endorsement also unlocks its own career paths. Graduates pursue roles like District-Level Reading and Language Arts Coordinator or Reading Interventionist. Director of Literacy Programs and Adolescent Literacy Specialist are common titles too, in addition to the general Reading and Literacy career list above.
Career Outcomes Compared
Career outcomes show the breadth-versus-specialty split most clearly. Curriculum and Instruction grads tend to land instructional coach jobs, curriculum coordinator roles and learning-design positions. Those roles can touch any subject area or grade level.
Reading and Literacy grads skew toward literacy-specific work. Think reading coach, literacy specialist, or, with the endorsement, reading-intervention roles inside a school district.
If you’re researching instructional designer salary or curriculum coordinator jobs, both programs turn up in the results. That overlap traces back to the shared Instructional Designer title on both program pages.
Job titles alone don’t always signal which track a candidate holds. A district might post an “Instructional Coach” opening that could suit either a C&I or Reading and Literacy grad. It depends on the subject focus, not the job title.
Demand for this kind of work is real. ATD Research found that more than a third of talent-development organizations added headcount in 2024. Instructional designers were among the most commonly added roles.
For current pay ranges, check the BLS page noted above or ATD directly. Their figures update more often than any single search result, which matters before you negotiate.
One more tip: read the actual job post before you rule out either path. Titles vary by district and by employer. The required skills often line up with one program more than the other.
Which MSEd Concentration Is Right for You?
Choose Curriculum and Instruction if you want broad instructional-design and curriculum-leadership skills. This path fits you whether or not you hold a teaching license. It also fits you whether or not you want to specialize in literacy.
Choose Reading and Literacy if your goal is literacy-specific instruction, coaching, or intervention work. Choose the Endorsement version specifically if you’re a licensed Oregon teacher who wants the Reading Intervention Endorsement added to your license.
All three paths share the same core coursework and the same pay-per-course billing. You can pause a term without financial penalty. Multiple start dates run throughout the year and none of the three requires GRE scores for applicants who meet the standard 3.0 GPA minimum. SOU may request GRE scores on a case-by-case basis from applicants below that threshold.
Tuition is consistent across all three: Curriculum and Instruction, standard Reading and Literacy and the Endorsement track all run $400 per credit hour. Totals differ only because of the Endorsement track’s extra course: $18,000 total for the 45-credit programs, $19,600 total for the 49-credit Endorsement track.
A few quick scenarios help clarify the choice. An aspiring instructional designer without a teaching license fits Curriculum and Instruction. A classroom teacher who wants to coach peers on reading strategies fits Reading and Literacy. A licensed Oregon teacher chasing a formal reading credential fits the Endorsement track specifically.
Still unsure? If a masters in curriculum and instruction online is what keeps your options broadest, that’s your program. If you’re drawn to one specialty and want to go deep, Reading and Literacy is the safer bet. There’s no wrong pick here, just a better fit for where you want to go next.
Design curriculum, coach teachers and lead instructional change. Explore SOU’s MSEd in Curriculum and Instruction and apply today.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions people most often ask once they’ve compared Curriculum and Instruction and Reading & Literacy side by side. Here are direct answers to each.
Is a master’s in curriculum and instruction worth it?
It depends on your career goals. For non-licensed adults, the degree builds credentials a bachelor’s alone doesn’t provide, which matters most if you’re moving into curriculum design or instructional coaching.
What is the salary for a master’s in curriculum and instruction?
Pay varies widely by role, region and employer type. Rather than quote one figure, check the BLS statistics noted above or a similar authoritative source. Look for current, location-specific numbers there instead.
Can I take literacy courses in the C&I concentration?
Yes. Two of the seven C&I elective options, READ 535 and READ 570, are literacy courses. A Curriculum and Instruction student can sample literacy coursework without switching programs.
About Southern Oregon University’s Online MSEd Programs
Southern Oregon University offers several online Master of Science in Education tracks beyond Curriculum and Instruction and Reading and Literacy, including Early Childhood Education, Adult Education and Public Health Education. The university holds regional accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and U.S. News & World Report ranked its online master’s in education programs among the best in the country in 2025.
In 2016, The New York Times named Southern Oregon University a “hidden gem” of higher education, pointing to its strong faculty-student relationships and its focus on career-ready critical thinking. Graduates of the Curriculum and Instruction and Reading and Literacy concentrations carry that same preparation into schools and organizations nationwide, from individual coaching and coordinator roles to district-level leadership.
