Ed.D Degree and career potential

[DallasLama]

Hey everyone, 

 

So I have really been starting to lean towards doing my education degree (i.e., teaching degree) once I complete my undergraduate degree. I was originally planning on going into psychology to pursue a doctorate, but I am reconsidering for various reasons. Firstly, I love teaching . Secondly, I love interacting with people at work (which teachers of course do), and thirdly, because I am interested in administration. I have a pretty good GPA and I suspect by the time I am done my degree it will be ~3.85 on the 4.0 scale. 

 

My question is, if I went on to become a teacher and did a masters and Doctorate of Education degree in the future (not PhD), what kinds of doors would that open for me? I have gotten a mixed bag of answers, so I figured I might as well ask the cafe community  

[Sandmaster]

The answer greatly depends on the graduate programs you attend. For example, most teachers that want to focus on their instruction will typically get their master's in their teaching subject, or something close and get certified to teach an additional subject. Some teachers will pursue more of the curriculum development (usually like an M.S. in curriculum and instruction for example) and become curriculum coordinators for their school. Others that are more interested in administrative work will take on courses to pursue their teacher leader (or mentor) certification and endorsement, or they will go the principal route. It all greatly depends. At the doctoral level (Ed.D. especially) they usually pursue administrative career paths at the school and district level. These are typically programs that lead to endorsements in principal and/or superintendent. Ed.D. programs can require so many years of service before they will consider you a competitive and qualified candidate and will usually require the school administration to recommend you for the program. It all greatly depends on the route you take.

You can get far with a master's in many places, but usually to reach the higher levels of administration you will need to eventually get the doctorate.

 

I hope this helps!

 

Edit: I just noticed you listed yourself in Canada. I am really not sure how the education system works there in terms of the education system, however what I have listed is for the US and I can only assume it is somewhat similar. Sorry if it really doesn't help!  I would continue to ask people who are in positions that you want to eventually pursue and are comfortable to talk to them to see the path they took. Again, there is usually no one single path to get there, just gives you an example.

Edited October 4, 2017 by Sandmaster