You might wonder why an educator would pursue a Master’s Degree in Education when it’s seldom necessary for teachers in the United States. Some reasons include gaining more respect from colleagues, qualifying for better paying or more prestigious positions, or moving laterally in-house to career opportunities like school guidance counselors, curriculum directors, administrators, department heads and other advanced positions in public and private schools. Master’s degree programs can prepare students for careers outside traditional classrooms in multiple educational subspecialty fields. Some of these careers include educational consultants, corporate trainers and researchers. Master’s degrees can also bolster your résumé as an author.
Resource: Top 10 Best Online Master’s in Education Degree Programs (M.Ed.)
Tips for applying for a Master’s Degree in Education include:
1. Preparation
Don’t wait until the last-minute to apply for admission or prepare for the interview process. Send your application about six months before the deadline for each program to which you want to apply. Take time to research your options, and decide which schools interest you and whether you can take your classes in-person or online. Work on your pitch, and test your application with colleagues, students and other experts in your specific educational niche. Consider going beyond the obvious choices like the school you’re already attending or the closest school available. Many schools offer online master’s degree programs that save money. Apply to the schools that best fit your resources, admission test scores and undergraduate and real-world accomplishments at work or school.
2. Remember to Follow Instructions
It’s easy to get sidelined by extraneous accomplishments that you might have achieved or trying to use a single application for each school. Those attitudes are mistaken because you’ve got to tailor each application to what the school asks for and not for what you want to say. Read the application guidelines carefully, and respond accordingly. It’s important to give admissions officers what they want. If the instructions state that you should submit two letters of recommendation, don’t send more than two. If the school doesn’t provide guidelines for personal statements or essays, keep your personal statement to about 1,000 words.
3. Treat Your Application Professionally
Treat your application as if you are applying for job because that’s what most people applying for Master’s Degrees in Education eventually use their degrees to do. Sell yourself like a professional job applicant. You can consult LinkedIn profiles to get a general idea of how to present your accomplishments succinctly but persuasively. Avoid generalities, and try to be as precise as possible. Don’t say, “I feel that I should strengthen my skills to be a better educator.” Explain that you want to make a lateral career move or qualify for an administrative position at a better paying private school. If you want a master’s in education to advance career progression or reinforce your qualifications, outline what you specifically hope to achieve.
4. Spelling and Grammar
There’s nothing more embarrassing than sending off an application for a Master’s in Education with glaring spelling or grammatical errors. Even if you plan to teach math, art or science, your application needs to be free of typos, misspellings, incorrect constructions and awkward phrasing. There are many spelling and grammar checkers available online, so use several of them to find extra spaces and grammar and punctuation errors. You can’t rely on your word processor’s built-in spell-check. Don’t forget to proofread your work at least twice because automatic programs are never totally accurate. It’s best to wait a day between proofreading sessions so that your brain doesn’t automatically see what it thinks you wrote.
5. Secure Funding
It’s a big waste of time to apply for master’s programs that you can’t afford, so it’s important to research your funding options before applying to your preferred schools. Funding practicalities determine where you apply and how you’ll pursue your Master’s in Education. Your plans must be achievable financially, so research postgraduate funding sources, scholarships and loans versus the costs of pursuing your degree on-campus or online.
Pursuing a Master’s in Education
Master’s Degrees in Education — either as Master’s of Education (ME) or Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) — focus on making you a better teacher who’s more capable of imparting knowledge to others. These degrees also enhance your résumé when seeking employment opportunities or qualifying as an expert, so you should approach applying for the degree program like a professional job applicant.
