Dracos

First, I would recommend checking with the school district you plan on teaching in to see if a master degree offers any type of bonus. Many school districts offer an incentive, for example, I know of one that offers a $2000 bonus for a master and $3000 for a specialist/doctorate degree (as well as higher starting pay). Then, check to see what the requirements are for that incentive. Some may want a master degree in anything, some might expect to see it be within your specific content area (history). Since the curriculum for your MAT looks very similar to your undergraduate courses, I would personally recommend a master in any of those three areas you mentioned. If you're considering leadership positions someday, a master in Educational Leadership could be an excellent option as well. A master in Curriculum would open opportunities for curriculum/district positions as well. Cost is another important factor. I would not recommend taking out more than $20k in debt for an education degree due to the starting salary ranges. I know the American College of Education has affordable master degree programs online (I think under $10k for the entire program), and there's many other universities that have similar programs. Wishing you the best of luck!

If you're looking to "yolo" go for one of those programs and cost isn't a factor, I'd say go HGSE. Penn GSE, and Umich both have top ranked and highly respectable programs. I don't know which country is your native, or where you plan on settling, but Harvard has a worldwide name brand. Simply having it on your resume may open doors. My personal experiences so far being someone with a "prestigious" graduate school of education degree (from Johns Hopkins) has been that it has had a marginal impact, at best. The jobs I've been offered have been through my strong interview skills and relevant experiences rather than the name of the university on my degree. I do think that where I got my master degree has possibly helped me stick out in the "screening" phrase of interview process by making my resume stick out. Internationally, Harvard is a powerhouse. People might not know about how incredible Umich is, or the difference between Upenn and Penn State outside of the U.S unless they're an "academic" or someone really savvy about American universities. Harvard, however, is a name that definitely has a unique distinction. Have you looked at cheaper graduate schools of education, or programs which offer assistantships/better funding? Sure, the 1 year programs are nice because that's 1 less year you're in graduate school, but with how low many entry level education positions are, I strongly urge you to consider the implications of $50k+ in student loan debt if you haven't already. I know of people with over $100k in student loan debt working as teachers/administrators and there is a good student loan forgiveness route that many people utilize here in the states, but for someone internationally, the prospects of these degrees may simply not be worth it.

Are you looking to take a few courses, or earn an entire degree online? I don't think any of the Ivy Leagues offering master degree programs online. I know there are hybrid, and "executive" programs. I know Penn GSE has executive graduate programs, for example. These are programs for working professionals. Johns Hopkins isn't an Ivy League, but it has a top ranked graduate school of education and several online master and a doctorate program online. What are your long-term goals? With how much these programs charge for tuition, I personally wouldn't recommend any of them for someone looking to become a classroom teacher.

This is excellent advice here. All four of the programs you mentioned are phenomenal. In the field of education, you want to get as little debt as possible. @ Clear_Water - What are your long-term goals? What are you looking to do specifically within education? Are you looking to teach, go into education administration, curriculum, etc? If you're looking to teach long-term, where you attend graduate school really doesn't matter. I have a Master degree from Johns Hopkins, and it is something that is overlooked on my resume usually. In some fields, simply having a master degree (doesn't matter where it is from) is necessary for mobility. Sometimes having a degree from a reputable university can open doors, but I'd argue one's drive, initiative, pursuit of internships, and charisma are more important factors.

I agree with what Heather has said. My two cents... I have a Master degree in Educational Studies (fairly general), and I landed a position in Higher Education. My experiences as an undergraduate were key in getting this position. In my opinion, experience sometimes matters more in this field. I know of individuals with an Engineering background, Meteorology, and Theater who all entered student affairs. To the OP, I'd recommend Student Affairs graduate programs focused on student development. Student Affairs graduate programs go by many different names. Some are called Higher Education, but some are Student Personnel or Student Affairs Counseling (with an emphasis on student development). Many of these programs will offer assistantships which fund/offer great experience within the field. Look for a Student Affairs Counseling/Student Personnel program. Keep in mind one program can differ greatly from another despite having a similar name. Many Higher Education/Student Counseling/Student Affairs programs have curriculum that differs. Higher Ed programs focus on the administrative aspect, whereas Student Counseling/Student Personnel programs emphasize the development (career counseling, advising, etc). Best of luck!

Congratz! I am a UF undergrad alum, and absolutely love the community. Gainesville is a neat town to live in as well. If you have any questions about Gainesville or UF, feel free to shoot me a PM. UMD is an excellent university as well. I don't think you can make a "bad choice" here.

Awesome, glad to hear you finally made a decision and looking forward to hearing your insights about both. I think you'll be successful wherever you go with your attitude. HGSE will be very lucky to have you.

While I can understand your message, I don't think it was communicated effectively. These people asking for SOP feedback are genuinely interested in these programs, and don't deserve a condescending post with a pretentious tone. Using words with negative connotations such as "inconsiderate" is rude, and uncalled for on this type of forum that should have a positive and mature community. I do think you could have been more polite in recommending that someone starts up a 2017 thread. As someone entering the field of education leadership, I think it is important that you are also conscious of the words you use and how they can be interpreted.

I think he means the fully funded Ph.D opportunities. Is the masters a terminal degree? The $10k from Stanford may pay a small chunk of tuition, but you're probably looking at roughly $50k debt at least, right? If it is a two year program, that's close to 100k in debt. Student loan repayments would be about $1,000 a month. Do you think you could handle that? I think a fully funded Ph.D opportunity > any unpaid master degree opportunity from a prestigious university.

Doesn't hurt to try. What's the worst thing that can happen, an email with a polite "no"?

This is very difficult to answer because the roles at different institutions at the K12 level, and Higher Education level vary. One administrative position in one state in a K12 school might differ in many responsibilities, and the culture of the environments can differently greatly. I think that both K12, and Higher Education fields offer a vast amount of professional and career development. As a teacher, my district offers great career development to educators and school leaders. There seems to be mobility for teachers wanting to become assistant principals, principals, etc. As an undergraduate student, I've gotten insight into career development in residence life, admissions, and advising. At the university I attended, there was a huge emphasis for professionals working in student affairs to further develop themselves. A large emphasis on professional development, reflection, and some apparent opportunities for career development at the institution was prevalent. One of my mentors was an assistant director of admissions, and was able to become the director of admissions at a small college after working in her role for 3 years. Another reason why a person can't give you a cookie cut answer is because the sizes and cultures of Higher Educational institutions vary as well. My two cents is that working in the field of education offers professional and career development. Starting salaries in K12, and in Higher Education aren't very high, so that's something you need to understand and keep in mind. For example, in my location a starting teacher makes ($39k), a starting assistant principal makes about ($50k/yr) in the K12 setting, a starting academic advisor or admissions counselor at a university might make ($35k-$42k) in my state.

Sorry to hear about the big loans. Maybe if you keep bugging financial aid, they might be able to throw in some type of grant? Maybe try letting them about other schools you were admitted to, reiterate HGSE is your top choice, but that additional funds would be needed for you to attend. I wasn't accepted to HGSE, but I still think the network opportunity from the program is invaluable despite having to take on a large amount of debt. With that being said, the situation and "worth" of the program will vary from individual to individual depending on your program, and the career you're planning on entering, any preexisting debt you have, and any other degrees you may have earned. In my case, I consider my rejection a blessing because I'll already have a M.S from Johns Hopkins, and I have taken it as a sign to just enter the job market in my field. Taking on an additional $50k in debt, considering I will already have a Master degree doesn't seem all that rational in hindsight for my situation. Take your time to decide, maybe reach out to students in your program, or if you have any friends who have participated in the program they would be able to give you the most *real* responses. Think about your starting salary, and the benefits of having such a strong network for your career trajectory. Also, make sure you calculate how long it will take you to repay those loans. You might be able to minimize the costs of living by taking on some work on the side through tutoring, baby sitting, etc. I think Master degrees are money making schemes at many institutions, albeit, still an investment. The return has been diminishing due to an oversaturation in the market, however, and factoring the value of your degree and the amount of debt is so important. The fact that the HGSE program is only 1 yr long is a plus, since you're in grad school only 1 yr and that's 1 yr sooner you can jump in the job market.

Ah, your specific program should be contacting you about pre enrollment information and any events around the Preview event, classes, assistantships, etc The Higher Ed program has sent us information about applying for assistantships, the course schedule, etc..Have you heard back about your scholarship app yet? Fingers crossed for you.

http://www.gse.upenn.edu/accepted

Ah, so we're in the same boat! Does this edge you to Penn a bit more? The welcome email they just sent out with upcoming assistantship info gives us something to look forward to.

Ah, well I appreciate that info. I really appreciate you giving us the heads up about decisions coming out today Elve. I've read a little about the Special Studies program. That would be clever for someone to apply to that, and then use the interdisciplinary nature of that program to take the classes they want. When applying to HGSE, I was leaning toward Higher Education or Prevention Science. Perhaps I might have done better going the other route, but hindsight is everything. At this point, I'm mostly leaning toward: 1- Applying for entry level advising positions with my M.S 2- Penn GSE's Higher Ed Program (Which includes a built in Assistantship program that doesn't sound too bad at this point )

Congratulations everyone who got in, and best of luck! I was rejected, although this makes my decision a bit easier. I'm already finishing up a M.S through JHU, so I'm thinking this probably wouldn't have been the wisest move for me anyway and I'm interpreting it as a sign to try to go straight into applying for positions in higher ed after finishing my degree. Penn's Higher Ed program is still very tempting, but I don't think I want any additional debt and don't really need another master level degree especially with my undergrad experiences. Gah! Decisions...decisions...

So, it sounds like many people are expecting decisions to be released tomorrow. With Penn releasing their Higher Ed decisions earlier this week, I would be inclined/hope HGSE would follow with tomorrow. Did someone say something about some events going on at HGSE in late March for admitted students? If so, then tomorrow would seem likely. Anyway, fingers crossed for everyone and best of luck!

Very good points Heather. The internship experience, and extra courses are something that I overlooked. My program also offers a guaranteed assistantship of some sort at Penn, however, HGSE doesn't seem to offer that (or doesn't advertise it at least). That's awesome that you managed to get your current master for so cheap. The CUNY/SUNY university systems are awesome in NY. I'm originally from Harlem/Queens (lived in both places growing up). Wow, $500/month vs $1000/month is a huge difference. I bet there are some many comparably cheap places to live in Philly. I haven't decided about attending the visitation day yet, but I'm contemplating it. In terms of job prospects, I agree with you that in academia the difference might be negligible. To the public, however, I feel like the Harvard name easily sticks out over Penn. Whenever I've heard UPenn mentioned, people always mistaken it for Penn State. It seems like there's so many factors to consider. Have you reached out to any students yet? I've talked to one student from HGSE, but haven't been able to talk to anyone at Penn yet in my program.

Finances would be a very important factor. In this economy, I don't think I'd be willing to take on $50k in debt to pursue a master (especially after already about to complete one). I understand that there's also grad assistantships available, and I'd be curious to see if/how much those fund and if they cover any significant portion. I think HGSE would be worth the debt over Penn (HGSE is slightly cheaper). Have you visited yet for either program? I see you're looking to study International Ed. We do sound alike (currently teaching and working toward a masters as well haha)

I just got an email from Penn, and was accepted to their MSED Higher Education program with the $13,500 merit scholarship. I applied to the counterpart program at HGSE and I'm waiting eagerly next week before I make my decision. I'm also contemplating just going straight into the job market for work experience. I'm currently a teacher, and unsure if I want to do another grad program. (I am finishing up a M.S in Ed at the moment) Oh, decisions decisions...

Good decision. Penn has amazing programs, but if you've gotten into a Ph.D program that you're after then it wouldn't make sense to go to Penn for a Masters and take out debt. Congratz on your offer! Congratz on your acceptance! --- I've applied to Penn's Higher Ed Masters in Oct I believe, but haven't heard back. Anyone else here back yet?

Like others have suggested, I think you can get a res life position in student affairs easily with your experience and degrees. There are some institutions which are really strict on a higher ed/student affairs/ed leadership requirement, however, I think experience ultimately matters more. Definitely apply for full time jobs, and possibly some grad programs to explore your options.

I don't think this can possibly be a bad thing Heather. If anything, it shows that you've done your homework and reinforces the *why* HGSE in my opinion.

Thanks for the thoughts. I've applied to a few grad programs, but I think I'm also going to apply to some full time jobs to see what options are out there.