Advice for a Newbie to Education

[CoffeeKofenya]

Hey all, 

Just looking for some helpful advice as I'm considering a field change. 

 

Background- My undergrad is in history and economics, and I did an MA in History. Feeling a little burnt out after grad school, I am currently working a corporate job in data management. I'm thinking about going back to school, doing a master's in education. I'm really interested in educational policy- probably with a heavy focus on research. 

 

Question- do you think my background would draw weird looks if I applied to an education program? How likely do you think it would be to gain admission to a competitive program? (if it helps, undergrad gpa was 3.4 at a fairly good public school, grad gpa of 3.9 at the same school, gre scores in the 95-ish percentile)

 

 

Side note- If anyone has suggestions for some introductory reading in educational policy, I'd love that too! 

[ZeChocMoose]

Education programs tend to draw people from a wide variety of academic backgrounds.  I know in my master's and doctoral cohorts, there were few people that had education bachelor's degrees.  The main thing that tends to tie people together is that they have experience in the education field.  You don't mention your experience -- do you have any?

 

You also mention that you are interested in education policy, but that is a broad topic area.  In education policy, it tends to divide into K - 12 issues or higher ed issues usually. (There is also some K - 16 issues but that deals with the transition from high school to college generally.)  Then, the field further divides into specific subtopics such as policies around educating teachers, or policies around how to finance schools, or policies around access to higher ed.  Which subtopic area(s) interest you the most?

 

Once you have those answers - it will be easier to develop a compelling narrative in your SOP about why a master's in education is right for you.