There are lots of good reasons for earning a master’s degree in education online. Being able to carry on a teaching career while taking graduate classes is major. Working from home saves money and time. And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, elementary and middle-school teachers with an advanced degree in education earn 43% more than their peers with only a bachelor’s. But the online format comes with a number of challenges. Knowing about these beforehand can help smooth the path toward the master’s degree.
Related Resource: Top 10 Best Online Master’s in Education Degree Programs (M.Ed.) 2016
Here’s a list of five of the greatest challenges you’ll face in your online graduate program, along with some suggestions for how to manage them.
Is the Online Program Accepted in Your State?
In the United Stated, the standards of public school education are determined by state governments. Each state has different requirements for its teacher education. If you earn education certification in one state and then move to another and seek a teaching position, you must demonstrate that your degree meets the requirements of the educational system in the new state. This situation doesn’t change with online degrees. In most cases the burden is on the student to determine whether the online master’s degree they’re working on meets the standards of their state’s educational system.
Can You Find the Time for Graduate Work?
Teachers don’t work on a nine-to-five schedule. They arrive at school long before classes begin and often stay behind to direct extra-curricular activities after classes are over. Their evenings are devoted to class preparations and marking papers. No matter how committed you may be to finishing a graduate degree, it’s going to be a real challenge to set aside time on a regular basis to put in the work. Try to enroll in synchronous classes, those that require you to be online at the same time as the professor and other students. When your attendance is mandated in this way, you’re more likely to prioritize your graduate work.
Is the Online Program Accredited?
When pursuing a degree online, determining whether the program you’re investing in is actually worth the effort can form a major challenge. In order to be recognized as legitimate, universities must be accredited by one of a dozen or so federally recognized accreditation organizations. The problem in online education is that a program can claim to be accredited without being accepted by one of these recognized agencies. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation is the place to start your investigation.
Does the Program Meet Your Educational Needs?
Online graduate programs in education are generally very broad in their focus. If you have a particular area of education on which you’d like to focus, it can be a challenge to find the training you need. Look for a program that allows you to customize your graduate degree. You may not be able to get just the right concentration, but you’ll be able to find a special direction that suits you.
How Can You Stay Connected to the Classes?
If you earned your undergraduate degree at a four-year brick-and-mortar university, staying connected with your degree goals was aided by a real classroom, other students, and a professor with whom you interacted often. Being a student meant having a kind of professional identity. A major challenge in earning an online degree is maintaining this sense of identity, especially when circumstances at work or in your personal life become demanding of your time. Carving out time to be a student may then seem like a selfish choice. Regularly switching identities from a professional who teaches to a student who learns can take real commitment, but is vitally important for your graduate success.
There’s no denying that earning an online master’s degree in education brings many challenges. With some care and attention, however, these challenges can be met and overcome. The results are well worth the effort.
