MAEd in the Philippines: Schools, Cost, and Career Effect

TL;DR: A Master of Arts in Education (MAEd) or Master in Education (MEd) typically runs 30-42 units, costing roughly ₱500-1,500 per unit at state universities and ₱2,500-5,000+ per unit at private schools such as UST and Ateneo, per each school's published rates and third-party program comparisons. Philippine Normal University alone offers more than a dozen MAEd majors under its official AY 2025-2026 graduate brochure. For DepEd teachers, the degree is not required to get hired, but it earns points in the initial ranking system and specific graduate units are a documented requirement for reclassification into higher posts such as Teacher II, Teacher III, and Principal I, per DBM circular guidance.

Anyone searching "MAEd" or "MA in Education" is usually asking one of two questions: what does it cost and where can I take it, or does this actually move my career forward at DepEd. This guide answers both. It covers the master's in education landscape specifically — majors offered, admission requirements, and per-unit tuition at PNU, UP, and private universities — and then walks through, with the actual governing guidance cited, how graduate units and a completed MAEd affect DepEd's Teacher I ranking score and, separately, reclassification into higher-paying posts. If your goal is simply "how to become a teacher" in the first place, start with our how to become a teacher guide instead; this one assumes you already have a teaching license and are deciding whether graduate study is worth the cost.

How Much Does an MAEd Cost?

Cost depends far more on the school type than the specific major. UP Diliman's official Schedule of Semestral Fees for Graduate Students, effective First Semester 2024-2025, lists most non-business graduate colleges (Arts & Letters, Asian Center, Human Kinetics, Social Work and Community Development) at ₱500 per unit for regular local graduate students, with Islamic Studies at ₱300 per unit — the general baseline that education-related programs at a state university fall into. UST's MAEd, per a third-party program comparison, runs closer to ₱2,500 per unit, working out to roughly ₱22,500 for a 9-unit semester. Ateneo's graduate programs are cited in the same comparison as the highest of the schools reviewed, at roughly ₱5,000 per unit.

Disclaimer: tuition figures change by school year and by program, and third-party comparisons are estimates rather than official rate cards. Confirm the current per-unit rate directly with each school's Graduate School or Graduate College office before enrolling.

What Majors Are Offered Under an MAEd or MA in Education?

PNU, the country's National Center for Teacher Education, offers one of the widest major lists under its Graduate College for AY 2025-2026: Master of Arts in English Language Education, Reading Education, Literature Education, Mathematics Education, Science Education (Biology, Integrated Science, Chemistry, Physics), Child Study, Counseling, Social Science Education, Values Education, Early Childhood Education, Educational Assessment and Evaluation, Educational Leadership and Management, Educational Technology, Curriculum and Instruction, Elementary Education, Special Needs and Inclusive Education, and Education in Music Education, alongside a separate Master in Library and Information Science and Master in Physical Education (with sub-majors in PE in Schools, Dance Education, Coaching and Sports Pedagogy, and Fitness and Exercise Education). Other universities, including UP and private schools, offer overlapping but not identical major rosters, so confirm your specific target specialization is actually offered before applying, rather than assuming every school offers every major.

Where to Take a Master's in Education, and What the Program Looks Like

PNU is the obvious first stop as the National Center for Teacher Education, but it is not the only one, and comparing a second program tells you a lot about what you are buying.

UP Diliman's College of Education runs an MA in Education with 23 areas of concentration: Art Education, Biology Education, Chemistry Education, Curriculum Studies, Educational Administration, Educational Psychology, Educational Technology, Elementary Mathematics, Environmental Education, General Science, Guidance, Health Education, Language Education, Mathematics Education, Measurement and Evaluation, Non-Formal Education, Philosophy of Education, Physics Education, Population Education, Reading Education, Social Studies, Special Education, and Teaching in the Early Grades (K-2). The College states plainly that it offers graduate studies "leading to the degrees of Master of Arts in Education (MA Ed) and Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD Ed)" — so the doctoral rung above it there is a research PhD, not an EdD.

The structure is where a "master's in education" stops being an abstraction:

UP Diliman's College of Education publishes its own rate at ₱500.00 per graduate unit, plus miscellaneous fees of ₱1,415.00 for a regular semester or ₱665.00 for the midyear term, an entrance fee deposit of ₱130.00, and a ₱78.50 student fund — with foreign students paying an additional Education Development Fee of USD 500 per semester and USD 200 for the midyear term. Admission runs through the Master's Admission Test in Education (MATE), after which admitted students must complete at least 9 units in their first semester or year with a general weighted average of 2.00 or better.

Set against PNU's own admission route — the GCAT entrance exam, a GPA/GWA certification of 85%, 2.00 or B or better, and three recommendation forms — a clear pattern emerges across Philippine MAEd programs:

• An entrance test is normal, not exceptional (MATE at UP, GCAT at PNU), and it is program-specific rather than a single national exam.
• A GPA floor around 85% / 2.00 / B is the common bar for master's-level entry in education.
• Thesis is the default at research-oriented universities, and it is worth confirming whether your target program offers a non-thesis or comprehensive-exam track before enrolling, because that choice changes your completion time more than anything else.
• Total units cluster in the 30-42 range, so multiply by the per-unit rate before comparing schools — a ₱500-per-unit 42-unit programme and a ₱2,500-per-unit 36-unit programme are roughly ₱21,000 versus ₱90,000 in tuition alone.

One check worth doing before you pay anything: confirm the specific program is a CHED-recognised graduate program, since CHED maintains a registry of recognised graduate programs and recognition is per-program, not per-university.

Disclaimer: program structures, entrance exams, and fees are set by each university and revised between school years. Confirm the current program of study and rate with the Graduate School or College office before enrolling.

What Are the Admission Requirements for an MAEd?

Requirements are broadly similar across schools but with real GPA cutoffs. PNU's official Graduate College brochure requires, for master's-level applicants: an undergraduate Transcript of Records, a Certificate of GPA/GWA of 85%, 2.00, or B or better from the school registrar, a 2x2 photo, and three recommendation forms from current or former employers, professors, or mentors. Applicants then take PNU's own entrance exam (the GCAT), which carries a ₱400 fee, before receiving results and proceeding to enrollment. Other universities generally follow a similar pattern — transcript, GPA threshold, recommendation letters, and an entrance assessment — though the exact GPA cutoff and exam name differ by school.

Do I Need an MAEd to Get Hired as a DepEd Teacher?

No. An MAEd is not a prerequisite for an initial Teacher I appointment. Under DepEd's current hiring framework, most recently codified in DepEd Order No. 7, s. 2023, applicants are scored against roughly six criteria totaling 100 points, and Education is one of them, worth 10 points, alongside Training (10), Experience (10), LET/LEPT rating (10), Interview, and Demonstration Teaching (the two largest categories). A bachelor's degree is the baseline for the Education criterion, and additional graduate units add points on top of that baseline — but DepEd's publicly available summaries of the Order do not spell out the exact point value attached to a specific number of completed master's units versus a full degree. What is clear is that graduate study is additive, not a gate: you can and do get hired as Teacher I without one.

Disclaimer: DepEd hiring criteria are periodically updated at the national and division level. Confirm the current point breakdown and cutoff score with your target Schools Division Office before assuming any figure here still applies.

How Does an MAEd Affect DepEd Salary Grade Movement?

This is where a master's degree has a genuinely documented, traceable effect, separate from initial hiring. DepEd distinguishes between promotion (moving into a vacant, higher-graded item) and reclassification (upgrading an existing filled position without a vacancy), and both are governed by DBM circular guidance, specifically DBM Budget Circular No. 2018-3 and No. 2005-5, as summarized by TeacherPH's guide to the rules. The unit and degree requirements step up meaningfully by rank:

Reclassification itself is only allowed after three consecutive years of at least Very Satisfactory performance, or two consecutive years of Outstanding performance, from the teacher's most recent appointment date — so graduate units alone do not fast-track anyone without a sustained strong performance record on top. On the promotion side (a genuine vacancy, not a reclassification), DepEd Order No. 034, s. 2025 restructures the broader career ladder into an expanded track — Teachers I through VII (Salary Grade 11-17), Master Teachers I through V, and School Principals I through IV — built around a merit-based comparative assessment where, per a summary of the Order, higher degrees or additional graduate units earn extra points relative to a bachelor's-only applicant for the same post.

It's worth cross-checking this against current pay: under the 2026 DBM salary schedule (National Budget Circular No. 601), Teacher I-III sit at Salary Grade 11-13, while Master Teacher I-IV sit at Salary Grade 18-21 — a five-grade jump that, as that guide notes, "typically requires years of service, a strong Individual Performance Commitment and Review rating, and often a master's degree to reach." The expanded DO 034 s. 2025 ranks are a newer restructuring rolling out alongside this schedule, so confirm with your Schools Division Office which framework currently governs your specific item.

Where Can You Take an MAEd — Online or Weekend Options?

Because most MAEd students are working teachers, Philippine graduate programs in education are built around that reality far more than most other graduate fields. Weekend and evening class blocks are standard rather than an exception, and a growing number of programs — including fully online cohorts at several universities — let teachers in provinces far from a graduate school's campus enroll without relocating. The tradeoff is usually pace: part-time weekend or online study extends a 30-42 unit program well past the 1.5-2 years a full-time student might take. Confirm the actual delivery format (fully online, hybrid, or face-to-face weekend) with each specific program, since this varies by university and even by major within the same school.

Is an MAEd Worth It If You're Not Chasing a Promotion?

Not every MAEd student is climbing the DepEd ladder. Some pursue it to deepen subject expertise, to qualify for college-level teaching (most CHED-recognized colleges require faculty to hold at least a master's degree in the subject taught), or simply out of interest in a specific major like Educational Technology or Counseling. If your goal is squarely DepEd promotion or reclassification, the unit and degree requirements above give you a concrete target. If your goal is broader, weigh the real cost (₱500-5,000+ per unit across 30-42 units) against what the specific major actually opens for you, rather than pursuing a generic "MAEd" credential without a target use for it.

How to Decide: Practical Steps

• Identify your actual target position first. If it's Teacher II, III, Principal I, or higher, look up the exact unit/degree requirement for that specific rank before choosing a major, since the requirement is rank-specific, not blanket.
• Compare state versus private cost honestly. The gap between roughly ₱500/unit at a state university and ₱5,000/unit at a private school compounds across 30-42 units — confirm the total program cost, not just the headline per-unit figure.
• Confirm the delivery format fits your work schedule. A weekend or online format that actually accommodates your teaching load matters more than a school's general reputation if you cannot physically attend weekday classes.
• Track your performance rating alongside your units. Reclassification requires a sustained Very Satisfactory or Outstanding rating on top of the graduate units — a master's degree alone does not substitute for that record. Our DepEd teacher ranking and promotion guide covers how the assessment is scored.
• Decide early whether you will continue to a doctorate. Principal II and above attach doctoral-unit requirements, so if that is your ceiling, read our EdD vs PhD comparison and doctorate guide before choosing an MAEd major that does not feed into the doctoral programme you will want.

Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare tuition and reviews across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.

Sources

• Philippine Normal University — Graduate College Admission Brochure AY 2025-2026 (official)
• UP Diliman College of Education — Master of Arts in Education (official)
• UP Diliman College of Education — Graduate Programs (official)
• University of the Philippines Diliman — Schedule of Semestral Fees for Graduate Students, 1st Semester 2024-2025 (official)
• TeacherPH — DepEd Promotion and Reclassification Guidelines
• Helpline PH — DepEd Order No. 034, s. 2025: Updated Rules on Teacher Promotion and Career Progression
• TeachPinas — DepEd Hiring Guidelines: Teacher 1 Ranking Process
• OEd Post Grad — How Much Is a Master's Degree in the Philippines?
• SchoolFinderPH — Teacher Salary in the Philippines
• SchoolFinderPH — DepEd Teacher Ranking and Promotion
• SchoolFinderPH — EdD vs PhD in Education