If you’re a new teacher, a student pursuing your undergraduate degree, or a teacher looking to advance in your career, you may consider getting your Master of Education degree (MEd). A Master of Education offers various specializations from curriculum and instruction to school psychology. It’s important to know your interest in education to narrow down your area of focus.
An MEd can be tailored to fit your professional goals, whether those include remaining in the classroom or entering administration. Benefits of earning an MEd include:
- Career advancement within education
- Researching and implementing effective practices of teaching and learning
- Establishing goals for teaching and learning at the school and district level
If you are considering adding an MEd to your degrees, here’s what you should know.
Pathways to a Master of Education (MEd)
Some of the biggest questions teachers might have about getting their MEd include aspects of time, experience, and specialty focus. However, the specifics of your MEd can depend heavily on whether you choose to pursue your degree right out of school or to wait several years to gain teaching experience.
Enrolling in Graduate School Immediately
The benefit of enrolling in an MEd program immediately is that you never lose momentum as a student yourself. Additionally, you may be able to take your time in your degree program and learn “on the job” as you apply what you gain in your education to your own teaching.
The disadvantage of going that route is that it might be costly with a starting teacher’s salary. Plus, transitioning into the classroom for a new teacher can be tough. Once you’re in the program, you may not have time to get exposed to different specializations and may miss out on finding your perfect niche.
For instance, if you gain your MEd in a general specialty right away, but later decide to become a principal, you may have missed out on the chance to get your graduate degree in a specialty you can use.
Enrolling in Graduate School After Teaching a Few Years
Although the path will be different for everyone, Benjamin Brusie, a high school math teacher of 13 years who has his MEd in Instruction and Curriculum Design, advises potential graduate students to first gain some stability in their career paths.
He notes that because he became a teacher in 2009 when gaining a job as a teacher was very competitive and layoffs were frequent, he chose to wait until he had reached a point of stability in his career before deciding to pursue his master’s. He knew a master’s degree would be in his future, but he knew it was important to wait until the time was right.
For him, the decision came down to balancing the financial costs of the degree with the financial stability his job would provide. It didn’t make sense for him to start his degree in a role where he had any doubts about his long-term future. So, he waited several years until he was settled into a position he felt comfortable and secure in, and then he began applying to graduate school.
“I started my degree as soon as I knew I wasn’t going to get laid off and once I knew I would break even on the degree,” he explains.
“A master’s will provide you with a pay raise, but a $20,000 degree also isn’t justified until you know you’re going to be there for the long haul.”
Online vs. In-Person MEd
So which is better…an online MEd or on-campus? As you can imagine, a virtual degree is by far the most popular choice for this educational pathway, and for good reason. Teachers are busy professionals who are often juggling other outside commitments, such as coaching school sports, heading student activities and organizations, participating in school committees, and raising families.
Benefits of an online degree
For Brusie, who had two very young children and a third baby on the way at the time of his degree, an online degree made the most practical sense. He was able to continue his roles as Archery Coordinator for his school, be home with his family, and continue his other responsibilities, such as teaching summer school. And there was another added benefit for him:
“I’m already in a classroom all day as it is–I didn’t want to be in another one at night too!” he laughs.
Benefits of an in-person degree
Brusie highly recommends an online degree for teachers pursuing their MEd and notes that the only exception may be for a specialty graduate certification, such as a master’s in your subject matter, which could hold some benefits for in-person instruction.
Cost-Benefit Analysis of an MEd
As we mentioned earlier, the cost-benefit consideration is an important one to make with an MEd degree. Here are a few aspects you may want to keep in mind with this degree path.
Financial costs for new teachers
Many degree programs are in the $20-$30K range, with some going considerably higher. For a new teacher, that can be a very costly venture. The average salary for a new teacher varies depending on what state you are in but generally falls just under $40k. So, if the cost of your degree is more than your starting salary, it’s not an easy financial decision to make.
Loan forgiveness
Although the initial investment may be significant, there are support systems in place for teachers who want to pursue their MEd.
For instance, Bruise qualified for financial aid and although his degree cost him around $20,000 in 2011, he was later able to have his loans partially forgiven thanks to his qualifications as a mathematics teacher in a low-income school district.
Benefits of an MEd Degree
There are many benefits of obtaining your MEd, no matter which specialty you ultimately decide on. These can include:
Is an MEd Right for You?
An MEd might be right for you if you feel like you have reached a point in your career that will provide the financial stability and ability to pursue a graduate degree. The degree may also be right for you if you are required to take additional credits to keep your teaching certificate and are interested in the pay incentives and career enhancements it can provide.
Interestingly enough, according to data from the National Center of Education Statistics, the number of teachers receiving their Master of Education has remained somewhat constant over the past few years (146,432 in 2019) and has seen somewhat of a decline compared to a decade ago (185,127 in 2011). This may be due to the competitive nature of the educational field for teachers coming out of the Great Recession in 2008, as well as other factors such as teacher longevity for educators already in established positions. Many programs also offer a teaching credential and a Master of Arts in Teaching to help give an initial pay boost to starting teachers.
What the future holds for teachers isn’t entirely clear. Many experts are predicting that an already-existing teacher shortage will only be intensified by the repercussions of the pandemic. This may translate into both more opportunities for teachers to enter the field and higher pay incentives. So again, if you have your Master’s you may be in the position to gain higher earnings over time.
Tips for Pursuing your MEd
As you make the decision about whether an MEd is right for you, Bruise has some final tips.