Funded Masters or Ed.D Programs

[patricknehistory]

Hello,

 

After realizing that pursuing a funded MA, if any even exist, or Ph.D program in history while teaching in a secondary school would be nearly impossible, my second plan is to pursue a masters or Ed.D/Ph.D in education. 

 

When I graduate with my bachelors degree in history with secondary education teacher certification, I hope to get a job as a middle school or high school teacher. After teaching for one year, I plan to return to school to earn a graduate degree, but I am hoping to find a funded masters or doctorate degree that would be possible to complete while still teaching during the day. Therefore, I would most likely not be able to work as a TA or GA to fund my education. 

 

Does anyone know of any funded, or inexpensive but reputable, masters or doctorate programs that are possible to pursue while teaching in a secondary school in the Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts area? 

[ctcpx084]

It seems like in "education", funded graduate programs usually include an assistantship or fellowship; the funding is a stipend for work completed. I know I applied at the University of Pennsylvania for this school year, and that's how their PhD programs were. I'd be totally shocked if you found an education doctoral program that was fully funded yet didn't include any work responsibilities.

[emilyrobot]

Yep, "funding" means you have an opportunity to work for your university, and they pay you in tuition or tuition + a small stipend. At my institution, the typical expectation is 20 hours a week, and GAs are expected to be available during school hours to collect data for their advisors. It's not compatible with full-time teaching. 

 

I said this briefly in your other thread, but I'll elaborate this time: your best shot, if you want to teach full-time and still work towards an advanced degree in Education is to find an employer who will pay your tuition. Many, many teachers pursue advanced degrees while they're teaching, often a class at a time in the evenings, because graduate credits bump you up the salary scale in most places. Some districts or individual schools offer some tuition reimbursement for their staff members, provided they are earning credits with acceptable grades. This is absolutely a question you should ask of prospective employers, in interviews or when you're negotiating a job offer. 

 

As far as "reputable", it depends on what you mean. Do you want to look good to employers? Do you want a name that will wow folks at cocktail parties? Do you want to look good to admissions committees for full-time PhD programs? The same school is unlikely to be "reputable" in all three senses. If you're interested in the first, administrators in your district will likely have opinions on the local schools of Ed (Program A keeps sending us incompetent student teachers, while folks on staff with a MAT from Program B are great at their jobs, etc.), so it's probably best to feel out those opinions once you're in a district.