Education Careers

Acquiring a Master of Education degree opens up a variety of career options within the education field. Many experienced teachers acquire master’s degrees to move into upper-level administrative positions. A master’s degree can also qualify you for jobs in special education. Additionally, many secondary school teachers acquire master’s degrees to increase their earning potential in their current jobs and educational careers.

Educational administration
A popular education related career choice is educational administration. Educational administrators are responsible for the coordination of teachers, students, parents, community members and others on a daily basis. The work requires high levels of organizational ability and managerial competence. In most public school settings, upper-level administrative positions including principal, assistant principal, and school district administrator require a master’s degree. Even in private school settings where there may often be some individuals in administrative positions with just bachelor’s degrees, the majority of principals still hold a master’s. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, during the 2007-08 academic year, high school principals made an average salary of $97,486 and assistant high school principals made $79,391. Further, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a marked increase in the number of available administrative positions due to impending retirements.

Special education
In the special education career path, teachers work with students with a variety of learning and developmental disabilities. Additional levels of education are necessary for special education teachers because this student population has both unique personal needs and learning styles. Some special education teachers coordinate with general education teachers to help develop learning activities and environments that integrate special ed students with the general student population, others work individually with special ed students who spend some of their school day in general educational environments. In 2008, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wages of special ed teachers working in high schools was $51,340.

Secondary education
Many individuals with master’s degrees work as teachers in secondary education environments. While these education career positions may not require a master’s, teachers with master’s degrees generally receive higher pay. Secondary school teachers are responsible for designing syllabi, teaching students, grading work, and communicating with parents and guardians about students’ progress. All US states require public school teachers to be licensed in addition to having appropriate levels of education. The average salary of a secondary school teacher in 2010 was $53,230 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.