Bachelor's vs. Master's in Teaching (help!) (universities, class, GED, program)
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Do not get your Masters while teaching during your first two to three years of teaching. Your work as a teacher will suffer.
It depends on the wealth of the district in terms of prefering a master or bachelors teacher. Smaller, more rural districts will more than likely hire the BA's, bigger cities with higher standards will hire MA's, etc etc.
Just wait, teach, get the hang of it, then work with your school to do the graduate work in the summer. You won't have time to work on a Master's those first couple years, trust me. You'll be too busy to think as it is.
If you live in an area where getting a teaching job is very competitive, a master's degree might be necessary. I had considered becoming a teacher when I was in college 7 years ago, in New Jersey, and I took a couple of classes. My classmates told me most of the school districts, especially the nicer ones that paid well, were flooded with applicants, and that if you didn't have a masters degree and/or know someone, you had no chance of being hired, even to substitute.
Why not call the hiring people at a couple of your local districts, and see what they have to say?
Since you are so close to being finished with your BA, I suggest getting your master's in education. You should look on your state education department's website for the requirements. As someone pointed out, NCLB has resulted in lots of changes and you likely do need a major in an academic subject (i.e. math or English).
Areas differ greatly- nearly everyone in my masters' program got jobs with their degrees and were not at a disadvantage over someone who would be less "expensive."
I was fortunate to land a job as a teacher assistant in a high school while I was a grad student. The experience was good and while the money wasn't great (it would have been a struggle if I wasn't living with my parents) I learned a lot and I would recommend looking for something similar.
Hello! I'm currently an undergraduate student and will be receiving my B.A. in June, after which I intend to enroll in either a teaching credential program or a joint credential/M.A.T. program. The problem is, I'm hearing conflicting information regarding the benefits and downsides of starting a teaching career with a master's degree vs. only a bachelor's. My husband thinks that I would have a better chance of being hired if I only had a bachelor's, seeing as how the school would rather pay less for a teacher with a B.A. instead of having to pay a higher salary for a teacher with a master's degree under their belt. However, the M.A.T. description on my prospective school's website says that the M.A.T. degree provides graduates "with cutting-edge and specialized knowledge and skills that are valued by their employers, (and they) are recognized as teacher leaders".
Also, I've heard that it is easier to get one's M.A.T. before starting a teaching career, as I have heard horror stories of people who struggled with night classes plus their career and family responsibilities. The joint credential/M.A.T. program at the school I'm applying to only lasts 5 quarters (a regular school year plus 2 summer sessions), whereas the credential program takes only one year.
So, any advice/experiences/knowledge as to whether a Master of Arts in Teaching would be more beneficial than restrictive/unnecessary? Also, would having the Master's degree hinder me from starting my teaching career as opposed to starting out with a bachelor's? Thanks in advance!
Hello! I have just finished my Masters in Education. I am teaching second grade at a private institution but I had offers from the Cleveand Public School system also. I don't know your State's requirements on Education but here in the state of OH they want you to receive your Master's within 5yrs of receiving your Bachelors. If your undergrad is not in Education (mine was in Biology) and you want to teach it is much more beneficial to have your Masters and not just a certification. Here in OH it takes almost the same length of time to receive a Masters as it does a certification. GO for your Masters!!
I had a double major as an undergrad, but no education degree. Became disillusioned with public education and supposedly teacher glut in the mid-70's. Worked a year in the "real world" and realized I was meant to teach. Enrolled in a MAT/certification program that took 3 semesters. I did some undergraduate TA work, worked temp. agencies, overnight babysitting for older kids, and flexible retailing. My Master's was on my own dime, my parents did let me live at home for a small token of "rent". It was expensive, but so worth it. I got a job right away and have changed districts and states with my certification. (Getting certified in another state is another forum thread).
I've seen teachers suffer for years trying to do their school work, teach, keep up with obligations and work on their masters, and it's not pretty. Often they add the mix of marrying, starting a family, buying a home etc.
I don't believe having the MAT will make you "overqualified". Many districts will recognize it as a savings that they won't have to pay. You'll be required to take courses to move over on the scale, or in some states to keep your certification, but having the Masters going in is going to allow you to concentrate on just getting used to the overwhelming aspects of being a new teacher.
Many of the young teachers I taught with were opting to go for National Board certification, as opposed to working on a Master's. The incentives in NC were greater for the certification -- the State pays for teachers to seek the certification, will help them do the work by providing some time away from the classroom, and mentors.
To teach, in NC, with a Master's doesn't seem to gain the professional much -- perhaps $100 more per month, whereas the National Board certification is a 12% pay increase, and allows a teacher to only have to worry about certification renewal every ten years.
It was a lot of work, some jumping through hoops, but I enjoyed doing it for a number of reasons. It actually made me assess what I did as a HS English teacher, and why I was doing it. It meant a lot to me to complete the work, and spend time around other like-minded teachers at a week-long seminar designed to help candidates for the National Boards.
To qualify in NC, you must have at least three years' teaching experience, I think, and they want the experience to have been in one subject area and/or school. The school requirement can be waived, it seems, under special circumstances. Because the State paid for it, it was like a $2300 bonus that year.
National Board Certification really doesn't have anything to do with getting certified. I don't even think 3 years is long enough to qualify (I know it is, but 3 years is nothing al things considered.).
Get your master's first. It's extremely hard work teaching full time and studying for a degree. You will need all of your time to dedicate to your first years of teaching. Also to get hired by the absolute best districts/schools, they will want a master's degree. I personally wouldn't want to work for a district that didn't value higher education, and took BA-only applicants over those with a higher degree all things being equal...(first time teachers). Experience in the classroom is ultimately more important than a degree in the practical sense, but the degree is necessary. You'll probably need to get it anyway at some point for recertification (depending on your state) get it at the beginning and if you're so inclined somewhere down the road, get another MA or even a doctorate.
So, any advice/experiences/knowledge as to whether a Master of Arts in Teaching would be more beneficial than restrictive/unnecessary? Also, would having the Master's degree hinder me from starting my teaching career as opposed to starting out with a bachelor's? Thanks in advance!
As a HS teacher with years of experience in the public schools, my advice is to go for the joint credential/MAT program immediately. Once you're in the classroom, you'll find that teaching is a very high-energy profession and your motivation for attending demanding graduate courses after a long day's work will be greatly diminished.
Get that Master's degree now and be done with it. If your teaching credentials are in the right subject area like science or math, you'll be in high demand in most areas of the country. And in the best districts, the graduate degree will be a definite plus, not a minus.
Good luck!
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