Measuring Value in an M.Ed

[neat]

Hi all, 

I'm new to the ed forum on grad cafe, and am looking for a bit of advice from some of the more seasoned folks on this page. I'm currently in a master's program in religion and am interested in teaching at the high school level after graduation. I have a couple years of previous ed experience via AmeriCorps, and will have the appropriate experience to teach something in the vein of religion, humanities, introductory philosophy, etc after completing my current program. 

I'm interested in M.Ed programs for some more specific coursework in pedagogy and curriculum design, but from my research thus far, it has been difficult to measure the value of this proposition. M.Ed's and their equivalents seem generally expensive, and they don't necessarily offer tangible benefits (I know that it would offer plenty of value in the course work, but I mean in the sense that it doesn't offer a specific credential, etc). All of that to say, do people generally find these degrees to be worthwhile (especially as a second master's degree)? I know that I would enjoy it, but i'm not sure if it's a wise use of time and money. 

[Sandmaster]

On 10/16/2018 at 11:56 PM, AdMeliora said:

Hi all, 

I'm new to the ed forum on grad cafe, and am looking for a bit of advice from some of the more seasoned folks on this page. I'm currently in a master's program in religion and am interested in teaching at the high school level after graduation. I have a couple years of previous ed experience via AmeriCorps, and will have the appropriate experience to teach something in the vein of religion, humanities, introductory philosophy, etc after completing my current program. 

I'm interested in M.Ed programs for some more specific coursework in pedagogy and curriculum design, but from my research thus far, it has been difficult to measure the value of this proposition. M.Ed's and their equivalents seem generally expensive, and they don't necessarily offer tangible benefits (I know that it would offer plenty of value in the course work, but I mean in the sense that it doesn't offer a specific credential, etc). All of that to say, do people generally find these degrees to be worthwhile (especially as a second master's degree)? I know that I would enjoy it, but i'm not sure if it's a wise use of time and money. 

While I can not speak to K-12 as my domain is higher education, I know that a lot of people usually do a M.Ed. as their first master's not as a second one. What I have typically found with teachers who have a second master's - they usually first get a master's in their specific content discipline and then get the teaching job (assuming they already have the license and certification requirements for that state) and then wait and do a second master's in education and curriculum specific once the school district is willing to pay for it (to avoid the some of the cost). The problem is, if you do not have the requirements to teach in your state you might find a private school who doesn't require the license or certification process, but public schools will. You can look into a post-bac program and see if that option is cheaper. Initial Teacher Licensure students are still typically eligible for federal and state financial aid, but are limited to the undergraduate aggregate level/amounts.

Just some food for thought.