Benefits of Master’s Program for Educators

Earning a master’s degree provides educators with many opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of their content. Teachers passionate about their grade level or subject area can acquire a deeper understanding of educational theory and practices. They will also acquire several additional skills that will enable them to provide quality education for their students and be viewed as a leader in the classroom with a higher degree of credibility.

While earning a graduate degree, a deeper understanding of educational theories and pedagogical skills will be gained, providing educators with a chance to reflect on their instructional practices and to adjust how they teach, assess, and give feedback to their students This results in overall better student outcomes.

Career Opportunities

In addition to gaining skills to become a more effective teacher in the classroom, an educator who earns a master’s in education will also have opportunities to advance their career outside of the classroom.

These opportunities include leadership roles such as a:

• Principal
• District administrator
• Instructional coach or specialist

Educators who would like to specialize in a different educational area, such as school counseling and school psychology, can do so by earning a master’s degree.

Other opportunities available to individuals earning a master’s degree include:

• Working in higher education
• Writing curriculum
• Designing instruction
• Educational consulting
• Becoming an educational director in the corporate world
• Working as an educational policy analyst or developer

Additional Advantages

A Competitive Edge

In addition to gaining skills and advancing your career with an opportunity for different positions, earning a master’s in education can give an educator a competitive edge when applying for new jobs and leadership roles.

Professional Development

It is also an excellent way for educators to receive professional development and renew their teaching licenses. Educators who have earned their master’s degree can also expect a salary increase. School districts typically offer a monetary incentive to educators who have earned their master’s degree by using a higher pay scale for those individuals.

What to Consider Before Pursuing a Master’s Degree

Before deciding to pursue a master’s degree a candidate needs to think about their professional goals, the time commitment needed for the program, financial responsibility, and mode of instruction.

Professional Goals

Before embarking on this journey, deciding what your professional goals are is essential. Really consider where you see yourself professionally in five to ten years. Will the program you are considering help you to get there? Exploring options, talking with colleagues, and talking with academic advisors is an excellent way to get information about the program you seek and learn how it may help you reach your professional goals.

Your Schedule

Next, you must consider your current commitments and how working on a master’s degree can fit your schedule. Can you dedicate the time needed to work toward your master’s degree? Master’s level courses can be fast paced with a lot of time spent reading, researching, discussing, and writing each week.

Make sure that you can carve out the necessary time that will be needed to dedicate toward coursework without affecting family and work commitments. With a bit of planning, taking on the extra responsibility of graduate coursework is feasible.

Mode of Instruction

Another consideration is the mode of instruction. Courses can be in-person, virtual, or a hybrid model including in-person and virtual. Choosing a program based on how you learn best and what can fit into your schedule is an important consideration before enrolling in a program.

Exploring an online program will greatly help with scheduling. Online courses can generally be completed at any time and there is the added benefit of not having to commute to campus, saving hours each week.

Finances

There is no doubt that earning a master’s degree will not only take time and effort to complete but can also become a significant financial commitment. Begin by looking at your budget to see what you can pay for your degree. Perhaps you have money set aside in savings to cover some or all of the program. If not, there are other options available.

Explore the available private and federal loan options. The Federal Stafford Loan and the Federal Grad PLUS Loans are possible options if you need to borrow money. These federal loans offer lower interest rates and fees compared to private loans. Other options may include employer reimbursement, private grants, and scholarships, so be sure to explore these avenues as well. Check out OAESA with Concordia University Chicago’s “How-To-Pay” page for more information.

Pursuing a master’s degree in education takes a lot of self-reflection, exploration, and planning but can be very advantageous.

Earning a master’s degree in education provides educators with:

• New skills
• Enhanced credibility
• An ability to become a leader in education
• The chance to take on new roles
• A pay increase
• So much more

Committing to earning a master’s degree in education will have life-long benefits for you and the students with whom you will work.

Ready to advance your career with a graduate degree? Check out our available graduate programs and get started today!

The post Advantages of a Master’s Degree for Educators appeared first on Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators.

Why did you want to work in education? What inspired you?

My whole life navigated me toward becoming an educator. When deciding on a major for college, there was no second choice, no decision which needed to be made as far as future careers were concerned: it was always the field of education! I now jokingly tell my students that I loved school so much when I was growing up that I wanted to keep going for the rest of my life, and so, I became a teacher.

I owe my love of school to all the wonderful teachers who cared for and taught me along the way. I was blessed to have teachers who not only loved kids but loved their content. It was through their love of literature, world history, languages, and music that I became bound and determined to become that same source of inspiration for students of my own one day.

Why did you choose OAESA with Concordia University Chicago for your M.A. school leadership degree?

I earned my first master’s degree from a traditional college 12 years prior to attending Concordia University Chicago through OAESA. At that time, I wasn’t married, didn’t have kids, and didn’t have my children’s extracurriculars to attend each night. So, going to a traditional college, which met in person once a week for several hours, was feasible. However, this time around, when I began at OAESA, my life looked very different: I was now married, had four children, and held the role of being a chauffeur each night shuttling my kids to their activities. I knew if I was going to go back to school, it would have to be with an online school which moved at a realistic pace.

After much research into online programs for Ohio educators wanting to become administrators, I was happy to find OAESA with Concordia University Chicago. It was the exact balance of family, work, and school that I could balance at this hectic point in my life. I knew I could handle one class at a time where I could interact with others. I am not the kind of person who could do a self-paced class with no sense of community; it just isn’t who I am. So, when I found OAESA’s program, I knew I had found the program that would work with my life. 

What skills did you gain or sharpen through your program at OAESA with Concordia University Chicago, and how do you use them today?

I would say my writing skills were sharpened the most in the OAESA program. With each new class that I took, the professors would build upon the last requirements as far as professional writing expectations were concerned. I would start each new class and discover some new facet of writing. By the end of my program, when I had to write my final research paper, I was so proud of the professional writing that I was able to produce. Never did I picture myself as being able to write a huge 76-page paper; however, with the school’s scaffolding in place to write this paper piece by piece over an extended period of time, I was shocked to see that I had indeed written a paper to be proud of!

How has your master’s degree impacted you in terms of your current position or a position you’d like to attain in the future?

My master’s degree had an immediate and profound impact on my current position. Throughout my internship last year, I took on the role of designing, implementing, and managing a positive recognition program for my school. My principal couldn’t have been more pleased with my efforts. The school board, community, and students reacted so positively to my efforts that the school created a supplemental position for the work I began in my internship. It was satisfying to see that people appreciated the effort I was putting in to my internship project and wished to keep going even after my internship was completed.

What was a challenge you faced during your school leadership program, and who or what helped you overcome it?

A challenge I faced in my leadership program was learning how to manage my time more efficiently. I have always multi-tasked in my life: going to school and working throughout high school and college, teaching and holding a second job early in my career, and finally, teaching and being a first-time-mother…to twins, no less! I thought I could handle anything!

However, when this program started, I realized that I needed to improve my time management. I had to juggle being a teacher, a mother, a student, an intern, and a supporter of my kids’ activities simultaneously. It was quite tricky to maneuver. I learned that I cannot do it all to the best of my ability without asking for help. So, when I had classwork to do, I would call a babysitter to come play with my kids for a few hours so that I could work while I was at home knowing they were happy and being looked after. It was humbling at first to think that I couldn’t do it all, but then I realized I was doing it all! Asking for help wasn’t a sign of weakness, it was a strategy I needed to use in order to achieve my goals. 

What was the biggest takeaway from your school leadership program?

My biggest takeaway from the educational leadership program was that I learned that I am a leader with a voice. I have always had strong opinions and thoughts about education, but I have held my ideas close to my vest so as not to rock the boat, but through this program I realized that what I have to say is important and needed to be heard by others. It was an epiphany when I understood that being a leader can make a difference, even in the smallest actions that one takes. Decisions that a leader makes are like throwing a rock into a pond; each decision has the ability to ripple through a school. So when making those decisions, it is important to always keep the students at the center of your decisions.

What would you tell (or what advice would you give) prospective students considering the M.A. school leadership degree program at OAESA with Concordia University Chicago?

If you are considering an educational leadership degree program at OAESA with Concordia University Chicago, I would highly recommend moving forward. The registration process, the speed of communication when I had questions, the talented and selfless professors, and the stellar education I received throughout this program left nothing to be desired. I truly feel this program was made with the life of a busy teacher in mind. I highly recommend choosing OAESA with Concordia University Chicago.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

My final thought for those considering a future at OAESA with Concordia University Chicago, I say take the plunge! I dragged my feet for a number of years vacillating between wanting to go to school and talking myself out of it by making excuses that I was too busy or there would be a better time to start. I realized in retrospect that there was never going to be a perfect time to start school. So, if you find you are in the same boat as me, just choose a time when you are prepared mentally to take on a huge challenge that has the possibility of changing your future and go! I wish I had taken the leap to return to school years prior to actually doing so!

The post Alumni Spotlight: Maria Call, M.A. in School Leadership appeared first on Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators.