How to Choose the Right Master's Degree in Education
An advanced degree in teaching or education can result in faster career growth, more money and greater job satisfaction. Discover the difference between an MAT and MEd graduate pathway so you can pick the program that matches your passion.
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A bachelor’s degree in teaching is only the beginning of a rewarding education career, one that can touch the lives of countless students and give rise to a new generation of young people ready to change the world.
For those who want to expand that reach and deepen their impact, a master’s degree in education can equip teachers and administrators with new tools to make a difference in the classroom.
Whether it’s a master’s degree in teaching (MAT) or a master’s degree in education (MEd), an advanced degree can elevate your existing practice or launch you into a career with in-demand skills.
The benefits of furthering your education are abundant, but how do you choose the best master’s of education degree to suit your career goals?
The next step in pursuit of your purpose is just around the corner. Here’s how to find it.
Why Should You Get a Master’s Degree in Education or Teaching?
Like many careers grounded in a rich history of research and experimentation, teaching and education roles utilize lifelong learning and refinement to better serve their communities.
Leaders in advancing how young people flourish, teachers and educators use their advanced education degrees to champion new initiatives and styles of teaching, bolstered by experience and theory.
A master’s degree in education can benefit new and established educators by:
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Allowing for greater career advancement. Not only do teachers with an advanced degree earn more over their lifetime — up to 27% in most cases — but a master’s-level degree enables educators to further their career more quickly.
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Serving students better. Studies have shown that teachers with advanced degrees, especially those who pursue their MAT or MEd after some amount of professional experience, lead classrooms to better learning outcomes.
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Empowering specialization. The best master’s of education programs encourage teachers and administrators to perfect their areas of expertise, resulting in experts in the classroom.
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Helping shape education policy. Greater education and experience can result in a seat at the table when creating new strategies, techniques and curriculums that have the ability to influence schooling in your backyard or across the country.
MAT vs MEd: What’s the Difference?
While many teachers will begin their career by pursuing a bachelor's degree in education or a related program, advanced degrees allow for greater specificity in how exactly you want to make a difference.
Designed for teachers who want to shape education at the front line, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree prepares educators for a career in the classroom.
The MAT also empowers those who have a bachelor’s degree in another discipline to serve students by transitioning to a teaching career, putting their passions to work in the classroom.
With the ability to specialize in general or special education, MAT teachers can receive in-school experience while in studying, uniquely preparing them to manage classrooms and inspire students.
For already licensed teachers, the Master of Education (MEd) degree can add to your classroom preparation through special emphasis on creating education outcomes through curriculum development, administration, and counseling.
While these two degree paths do focus on different aspects of the education system, it’s important to note that both programs allow for opportunities to teach and impact education development.
What Jobs Can You Do With an MAT?
The most common route for MAT graduates is to enter or resume teaching in the classroom, with a master of arts in teaching affording them new skills.
However, beyond classroom instruction there are other opportunities for MAT degree holders to make a difference in the lives of young people.
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Specializations. Frequently interacting with students on an individual level, specializations in literacy, special education, and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) can help students thrive.
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Private tutoring. Supplementing in-class instruction, tutors in reading, writing, math, and more often have teaching experience and can use skills gained in their MAT to start their own practice.
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Education outside the classroom. Anywhere learning can be done, teachers can have an impact. Children’s museums, enrichment camps, or online video all afford MAT graduates to flex their prowess in nontraditional settings.
What Jobs Can You Do With an MEd?
While less frequently in the classroom, MEd graduates still have an impact on how young people can be successful through learning.
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Curriculum design. As social justice becomes more and more essential, it’s important that highly-educated and experienced professionals are redesigning learning outcomes for students to create inclusive and equitable spaces.
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Guidance counseling. Helping young people enter adulthood and discover their purpose, careers in guidance counseling make use of a foundation of child development and education theory to best prepare students for life after high school.
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School administration. Want to help lead schools and create equitable spaces for all students through leadership? An MEd is a great start.
At both the school and district levels, the skills gained during a master of education degree contribute to helping create successful students and satisfied, well-funded teachers.
How Much More Can You Make With an MAT or MEd?
Teacher and educator pay goes up the more experience you have, with added salary benefits coming as a result of advanced education and specialized skills.
In the Portland-metro area, starting salaries for teachers with only a bachelor’s degree in education ranged between $49,000 and $53,322.
MAT graduates can make more, however, with salaries for teachers starting with advanced degrees increasing to between $55,000 and $58,000.
After MAT degree holders begin to gain experience, pay rises much faster than if you only had a bachelor’s degree, with salaries between $80,000 and $91,000 for those with advanced training.
Salaries for MEd graduates follow a similar path, with advanced pay coming with more robust skills and experience.
That said, MEd degree holders can make substantially more if they transition to working at state or national-level education departments, helping to design curriculum and meet teacher needs.
You can get your advanced teaching degree online with our flexible MAT program! Submit your application during our rolling admissions period today!