Is an Ed.M worth it?

[culturalsushi]

Hi everyone, 

I hope you're all hanging in there during these crazy times! I am a third-year undergraduate who is interested broadly in the field of education, since I am interested not only in teaching, but also administrative positions, research positions, etc. My educational background is pretty diverse (biology, Spanish, and anthropology), and one day, I'd ultimately like to receive a PhD in some educational field. But for right now, I know I'm not ready for the doctorate and want to know more about Master's degrees in education. Because my career interests are pretty open, is it worth it to get an Ed.M? Are there certain types of Ed.M's that are more valuable (in salary, in knowledge, in career opportunities) than others? Also, are there any research-based education master's programs? I have some, but not much, experience in education research.

 

Thank you!

Edited December 31, 2021 by culturalsushi

[t_ruth]

There are research-based Education Masters (e.g., many in Educational Psychology), but you might be better saving your money (Masters are rarely funded) and instead finding a lab manager position where you will get exposure to education (or adjacent field) research and actually get paid. This would also give you some quick exposure to research so you can decide whether or not a PhD is right for you.

If you want to go into teaching and/or administration, a PhD is likely not the best eventual degree for you. You can get a Masters, but it might be better to get a teaching job first (there are some that will fund your Masters while you teach) and then decide whether this field is what you want.

[TCAlum]

Ed.M. vs. M.A. is also very dependent on the exact institution and program. For instance, at TC, a MA. program typically has 30-35 credits while Ed.M. is the advanced masters degree with much more credits. 

At USC Rossier however, I remember I was accepted to the Ed.M. program and that was the same length and credits as a typical M.A. somewhere else.