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Last Updated: July 25, 2021

Degree Programs in Education

Educational degrees are taken by candidates who wish to learn about the process of imparting education ranging from the administrative aspects of it to the basics of teaching elementary students. There has been a growth in the percentage of people taking up educational degrees year after year due to the never-ending demand for teachers and other educators. According to the US Bureau of Labor, the numbers for career growth by the year 2026 in the profession of teaching is 7% for Elementary school teachers and 8% for Middle School and High School Teachers.

While this option offers candidates with a permanent career right after their course completion, it also lets candidates learn more about the educational system in place and have a direct impact on the lives of hundreds of students. The other perks of taking up education is that of never having to work long hours or do overtime on weekends. The jobs offered after this course will always be cut out perfectly and often includes even summer vacations.

Bachelors in Education

A Bachelors in Education can be taken by candidates either after completing their degree in a subject of their choice or alongside a degree of their choice depending upon the institution the candidate chooses to study in. Some institutions even offer candidates the option of enrolling in a B. Ed program directly after their high school. The program is entirely dependent on coursework that is completed during the duration of the course and hence the duration of the course can range anywhere between 1 to 5 years depending upon the candidate.

B.Ed., though at an undergraduate level, has different streams the candidate can choose to learn about. These are generally divided according to the different levels of the educational system. The streams are that of elementary school, middle school, and high school education from where candidates can choose the field they want to study and work in. Depending upon the level they choose from, candidates can either specialize in specific subject areas or they can take up degree courses in Liberal Arts before pursuing B.Ed.

General Admission Requirements

Every college/university has its own set of eligibility requirements when it comes to admitting students. Despite this, there are general requirements that most colleges have in order to provide admission to candidates. The requirements include- In order to receive admission for a Master’s degree, candidates will have to complete a 3-year degree program in the country. International students will have to complete an additional year of study to match the 4-year equivalent of the US undergraduate educational system. It can also be noted that while most colleges require a GRE score, there are universities that accept low GRE scores and sometimes do not even have GRE as a requirement. It is advised that candidates look for the eligibility requirements of the colleges they are applying to individually before applying to not miss any important documents.

Masters in Education

While candidates who want to pursue a career in teaching will specialize in their subject areas or Liberal Arts and then take up a B.Ed., candidates who want to become a part of the administrative framework of academia will often move higher up the ladder and enroll in a Masters degree in education. A Master's degree offers candidates the option of advancing their knowledge in very specific fields of education making them eligible for highly specific administrative tasks.

The Master's degree will have different concentrations the candidate can choose from to learn only about what is their main focus under the field rather than a study based on broad classifications of the educational field. A Master’s degree in education deals with aspects like educational policies and laws along with finances and other administrative and managerial elements.

Concentrations/Specializations for Master's in Education

Due to the vastness of the field of education, a Master's degree in education will contain different concentrations or specializations that candidates can choose from. The specializations that candidates choose during their Master's will be the basis for the kind of career options they will have after course completion. The general specializations offered are-

Specializations and the Job Opportunities

The specializations that candidates choose from will directly reflect on the career options candidates will have once they have completed the course. Each specialization deals with different aspects of education that can either pertain to teaching or administrative duties that are required in an academic setup. While the most common career choice candidates will have after pursuing a course in education is teaching, the other specializations are equally important in the field and are equally sought after in the job market.

The most common specializations and job opportunities are as follows-

Educational Administration and Supervision

This specialization focuses on the skills and learning that are necessary to take up administrative and supervising roles within academia. Taking up this concentration will open up career options like Instructional coordinator, assistant principal, principal, educational administrator, etc. which will all be positions of power and leadership and mostly do not involve teaching. Around 50,000 people are employed within this field every year in the country. Candidates who have specialized in this field will have an average salary of $50,000 per year.

Educational Assessment- Evaluation and Research

While the administration and supervision course deals with the theoretical aspects of leadership and the most pragmatic applications of the said theories, learning educational assessment will offer candidates with knowledge in decision-making concerning administrative decisions in academia. This field is data-driven and requires learning methods of evaluation. It also requires extensive research for obtaining the data that will eventually be used in the decision-making process. The career options for this field include being an analyst, educational administrator, and researcher. Candidates most often get an annual salary between $40,000 and $86,000 on average.

Educational/Instructional Media Design

This concentration stresses the techniques and principles of developing instructional products related to academia which can be in the form of visual media or written content. This content is based on educational resources and can include video, film, art, text, recording, computer software, 3D objects, virtual reality classrooms, etc. The most common job opportunity for candidates who have taken this specialization is that of an audio-visual collection specialist and instructional coordinator. The average salary for people in this field is around $51,000 per year.

International and Comparative Education

This specialization focuses on international education by comparing different educational systems from across the world. They have to do extensive research on the curriculum and marking system of education in different countries. Their career options include being college/university administrators, instructional coordinators, and education administrators. They often receive an annual salary of $59,000 on average.

Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education

This specialization focuses on education by considering it a cultural and social institution. They also look at education as a humanistic inquiry object and will have professions that are interdisciplinary in nature. Specializing in this field can help people be economists, political scientists, education administrators, and even sociologists though a separate degree in each of these fields will be necessary for practicing the profession. They generally receive an annual salary of $50,000 on average in the country.

Special Education and Teaching

This course focuses on the provision and design of teaching as well as other various educational services to adults or children with disabilities or special learning needs that would prepare students to work as special education tutors. They will have the career option of being a special education teacher which has an annual salary above $50,000.

Student Counseling and Personnel Services

This field stresses the organization as well as counseling provision, assistance, administrative services, and referral to pupils in adult education facilities and postsecondary educational institutions, which would prepare them to work as professional counselors. Candidates who have specialized in this field will be able to be licensed counselors, college-pupil affairs professionals, school counselors, psychometricians, educational researchers, etc. They have an average salary of around $52,000 annually.

Teaching Assistants/Aides

This field prepares candidates to assist a tutor in a normal classroom setting or in offering supervision and instruction to special pupil populations, like bicultural/bilingual students, adult learners, students learning English, and special education pupils. By being a teacher’s assistant they will be able to receive an average annual salary of around $20,000.

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education

This specialization focuses on the design and structure of the ways in which bilingual adults or children receive educational services. The execution of educational services that have been written down as policies are done with the aim of raising bicultural people. The course offers candidates the training required for teaching in two languages owing to the increase in the number of bilingual programs across the country. Candidates can be adult and vocational education teachers with an average annual salary of around $51,000 based on the place they are employed in.

Curriculum and Instruction

This specialization is based upon the notion that every curriculum that has been designed required a revamping from time to time. The course teaches candidates to explore, develop, and execute curriculum changes for different subjects by conducting extensive research on subjects that are redundant to courses and adding subjects that are gaining prominence over time. This is done with the intention of increasing student achievement both inside and outside the academic space. People who have studied this course can be instructional coordinators or even postsecondary teachers and receive an annual average salary of around $61,000.

Teaching English/French as a Second/Foreign Language

This is a course that stresses the practice and principles of teaching English/French to pupils who aren't proficient in the languages or those who don't speak, write or read French/English, and prepares people to work as administrators and teachers. They generally receive an annual salary of around $51,000 on average.

Top Schools for Master’s in Education

The best schools that provide Master’s degree in Education according to the USnews are-

Career Prospects in Education

The different career prospects for candidates who have completed their studies in education are-

Becoming an Educator