A master’s degree in education is a course that’s designed to help you become a better educator, while also providing the tools that you will need to take up higher administrative roles across various educational settings.
As we take a closer look at some of the most important prospects that an MA program in education brings to professionals after completion, the relevance and importance of the course should start to become more obvious.
An MA in Education is Beneficial to Professionals Other than Just Teachers
It is a common mistake to assume that a master’s degree in education would only make sense to an aspiring or present teacher, but that’s not true by any means! Teachers will certainly benefit from a master’s degree program in education, but the following professionals, or those aspiring to assume similar roles will find it equally, if not more, beneficial when it comes to to advancing their careers:
- Students with an honour’s degree in any subject, aspiring to become educators
- Present teachers
- Administrators in schools and other educational institutions
- Education counsellors and advisors
- Teachers, youth workers, trainers and other educators, working in for-profit/non-profit settings
- HODs and other leaders in educative environments
- Educators willing to take up higher rungs in the national or regional educational policy making procedures
Completing an MA in Education is the Most Natural Progression Path for Educators
As long as you want to stay in the field of education, there simply isn’t a more natural way to bring about career progression. We already discussed some of the lucrative opportunities while discussing to whom an MA in education would hold the most importance, but the following should provide further clarification:
- Development of more advanced skills as a teacher
- Development of advanced skills that are important to those looking to take up administrative positions
- Advancement of instructional skills, specific to teaching/handling specific groups/subjects
- Ability to create cross-disciplinary education programs, for teaching and reaching students more effectively
- Choice to specialise; we will elaborate on these choices later in this article
- Higher chance of being employed by the most respected schools in the UK
Taking the Next Step in Career Development for an Educator is Now a More Practical Opportunity
A master’s degree in education is the most natural path of career progression for most educators. That being said, not everyone used to be able to pursue it, in spite of having the need and will to do so. The reasons why only a handful of educators in the past managed to get their MA in Education is due to the following:
- A full-time MA in education meant that students either had to quit or take time off from their occupations
- For many teachers, the above was not an option due to financial reasons
- Planning to take on a new student loan, while eliminating the main source of income is still out of the reach of many
However, much of the above is not an issue anymore, thanks almost entirely to the rapid development of online master’s degree programs in the UK. The professional, flexible design of such online MA courses makes it unnecessary to take time off work, spend money on extra accommodation expenses, or even waste time and money in commuting for that matter. Check out the University of Exeter’s exclusive online MA in education course at https://online.exeter.ac.uk/programmes/masters/ma-education for more information.
You will still have to find yourself a seat in one of these respected and accredited online MA programs, of course, and it’s important to remember that not everything offered online is legitimate or accredited. Look for something that’s being offered by a British university of significant repute and history to be sure.
A Vast Number of Choices in Specialisation Options
In case you have not been particularly aware of all the choices that a student has in terms of choosing their MA in education specialisation, you might feel a bit overwhelmed when you first take a look. The number of specialisms is good news, though, because those choices help you to pinpoint an advanced career path for yourself.
It would be difficult to mention all the specialisation options being offered by the various institutions across the UK, but the following list should be enough to provide a brief introduction:
Educational Leadership – An ideal course for present teachers with high aspirations and career goals. It allows them to rise up the ladder and assume the highest positions in their respective educational institutions/departments.
Professional Practice – Specifically designed for teachers who want to learn about more advanced techniques of teaching.
Pastoral Care and Pupil Support – Teachers learn how to provide guidance, support and care to students within the educational setting.
Education Psychology – Learning how one’s knowledge and expertise in psychology can be successfully applied in an educational setting. Do keep in mind that this is a cross-disciplinary course which may require the student to be a counsellor or a psychology graduate first.
Educational Study – Meant to be a course for researchers and scholars of education, it teaches students the analytical ability for scrutinising and critically evaluating the present education system in its many forms. Be it for research, or for bringing about reformations, Educational Study is a valid specialisation for both.
Combination Courses – Combination courses are often offered in M.Ed programs due to their versatility of application. For example, a course that combines the most important elements of educational leadership, special educational needs, language and literacy is going to prove extremely useful for widening the career opportunities of an educator even further upon graduation.
If becoming a teacher is your goal, do be aware that an MA in education is an advanced degree that opens up the opportunity to hold more important positions in the education scene, but it doesn’t automatically make you a teacher.In order to reach Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), Initial Teacher Training (ITT) will need to be completed first. However, someone with the appropriate ITT and a master’s degree in education is far more likely to be awarded a job and be paid higher than someone with just the basic training.
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