Cato College soars in U.S. News and World Report 2025 rankings
UNC Charlotte’s Cato College of Education has been recognized as one of the nation’s top 10 programs in online graduate education, tying for the No. 9 spot on U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Online Master’s in Education rankings, released Jan. 21. This represents an increase of fourteen places from 2024 and marks the first time Cato College has received a top 10 ranking from U.S. News.
Several programs within the college were also specifically recognized this year. On the undergraduate side, our online Teacher Assistant to Teacher (Elementary Education) program is one of 10 fully-online programs that contributed to the university’s overall No. 3 Best Online Bachelor’s Degrees ranking. Schools are ranked according to their performance across five categories: engagement, faculty credentials and training, peer assessment, services and technologies, and student excellence.
“Across the disciplines represented in our Cato College, we are dedicated to removing barriers for future educators,” said Dean & Professor Dr. Malcolm B. Butler. “The recognition of our undergraduate online TA to Teacher program and our rise to the Top 10 Online Master’s Programs reflect our effectiveness in achieving this goal, proving that our students can become excellent educators from wherever they may be.”
On the graduate side, both the Special Education and Curriculum & Instruction Master’s programs were ranked in the Top 20 – the former at No. 13 and the latter at No. 15. This is the first year that Curriculum & Instruction has been ranked by U.S. News, and Special Education rose three spots from No. 16 in 2024. Both of these programs prepare educators for careers in or out of the classroom, well beyond a bachelor’s or an initial teacher licensure.
“Both the nationally recognized content expertise of our faculty and their ongoing devotion to improving our students’ learning have led to the external recognition reflected in the rise of our programs in this year’s rankings. Our master’s programs help develop the skills teachers need to be leaders in their schools,” said Special Education & Child Development Department Chair Michael Matthews. “In addition, our M.Ed. programs all are grounded in the latest research, much of which has been conducted by our own faculty members. This provides teachers in our programs with the ability to learn about new research as it is being done, and to apply its findings in their work with children.”
When asked how the rankings reflect the program, Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education Department Chair Lan Kolano emphasized the “unparalleled combination of academic excellence, innovative curriculum, and opportunities for students to use research to inform their teaching practices.” Like Matthews, she gave credit to Cato College’s award-winning faculty, and also noted that the curriculum is specifically designed to be virtual. “Many of the courses in the program are Quality Matters (QM) certified and taught by faculty who have been trained to design and deliver high quality online courses.”
Graduate Program Director Heather Coffey added, “The program offers five specialized strands: Elementary, Middle Grades, Secondary Education, Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), and Curriculum Leadership. Each strand has a community-engaged focus and is uniquely designed to prepare teachers and other professionals to be leaders in diverse educational contexts.”