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Thank you very much. This has been the most insightful response I have received regarding the degree.
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I have an Ed.D. I have worked on research projects with the Department of Education, and conducted research on my own and with colleagues that was presented at state, national and international conferences.
I was a full time student, with a fellowship. Scholarship was my full time pursuit. I had to take more research hours than is required in many PhD programs. I had to pass a research proficiency examination, to show that I had good understanding of statistics and understood solid research principles.
That's quite impressive. Most of the Ed.D. programs I have noticed are part-time evening or online programs.
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A Master's degree is not a terminal degree.
I don't know. Would you also argue that an MFA is not a terminal degree? From what I was told, a master's in ESL has been considered terminal in that it's the highest teaching degree in the field. There are no Ph.D.s specifically in TESOL. Maybe if you search long enough you may find some obscure for-profit institution claiming to the offer a Ph.D. in TESOL. But for those who want to continue research in Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism, the traditional pathway is a Ph.D. in Linguistics or Cognitive Science. But just to obtain a full-time faculty position at a post-secondary English language institution, an MA in TESOL is all that's required. The problem is that full-time ESL jobs at the post-secondary level are scarce. As I am writing this, highedjobs.com has over 200 part-time/adjunct ESL positions listed, with only 45 full-time positions nationwide.
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Do you think a person with an Ed.D. is a lesser "doctor"? Maybe those administrators pursued a degree at an institution that lacked rigorous requirements.
I don't believe a person with an Ed.D. is less worthy of the title "doctor" than someone with a Ph.D. I just got the impression that academia may favor the Ph.D. over the Ed.D. It appears that if the end goal is eventually become a college professor, the chances are greater with a Ph.D.
You are correct in that program rigor varies. Some Ed.D. programs, like the one you completed, require a dissertation, while others only require the completion of a capstone project.
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My Ed.D. has been quite valuable. I learned a lot during my residency at the university. I learned even more while conducting my research and writing my dissertation. That work helped me learn how to learn, and to respect learning and those who are truly learned. It helped me earn the respect of my peers and some of my adversaries.
But I value the ability it's given me to help others, especially teachers who help students, and parents who had no one else to turn to when they were fighting for their kid's rights and future.
If you don't want those things, you shouldn't be pursuing an Ed.D. Just my opinion.
Of course it's helped me earn a lot of money, too. But that's not the point.
I am now looking at programs that offer coursework and research opportunities that will benefit me as I seek to become a better teacher and also grow professionally in Education. In five years or so, I'd like to transition out of the classroom and into a leadership role. Furthermore, my district has funding for teachers to pursue high education and I want to take advantage of it while the going is good.
Last edited by youngprodigy21; 10-05-2019 at 01:27 PM..
-It prepares candidates for administrative roles rather than academic research roles, as with a Ph.D.
-It is much more conducive to the full-time teacher, as most classes, if not all, are held during the evenings on a part-time basis.
-The research is not as rigorous as a PhD., which makes a completion a lot more doable while also balancing a full-time teaching load.
Here is what I would like to know.
-Is the degree necessary in my situation, for if I ever wanted to move out of the K-12 classroom and into an administrative role as either a curriculum designer, instructional coach, program director, or ELL supervisor? This is considering that I don't already have an M.Ed. but rather an M.A.
-In general, are the job prospects in the respective fields better for Ed.D.'s than Ph.D.'s? For example, is a person with an Ed.D. more likely to land an administrative job of his or her interest than a Ph.D. graduate looking to land a tenure track professor position?
Here is my situation. I have a master's in English and a master's in TESOL. I currently teach middle school ESL. The master's in TESOL is considered a terminal degree in English language teaching, yet the job market for post-secondary ESL instructors in the United States is rather scarce. I would like to eventually move to a district office job or full-time community college position. Teaching post-secondary education full-time would be my dream job, but I am not holding with breath to it.
In the district where I work, I know some school principals who have Ed.D.s. They are usually ones that began teaching with a master's degree that wasn't an M.Ed. So going back for a doctorate sufficed the M.Ed. requirments for a principal's license and also gave them the "doctor" title. But I have no desire to work as a school principal. So what other doors might an Ed.D. open for me that an MA TESOL and years of relevant work experience can't already?
Academically and intellectually, very little.
However, within the bubble of public schools, Ed.D.'s put in the pool for the best admin jobs. There, it is considered a doctorate. Outside of the public school bubble and related industries, very few Ed.D.'s have much market value.
However, within the bubble of public schools, Ed.D.'s put in the pool for the best admin jobs. There, it is considered a doctorate. Outside of the public school bubble and related industries, very few Ed.D.'s have much market value.
S.
Yes, the Ed.D. appears to be the PhD of the K-12 public school bubble.
However, within the bubble of public schools, Ed.D.'s put in the pool for the best admin jobs. There, it is considered a doctorate. Outside of the public school bubble and related industries, very few Ed.D.'s have much market value.
It can be your ticket out of the classroom. Openings for non-PhD or non-EdD candidates are very hard to come by in anything except straight classroom teaching. It also puts you on the highest salary tracks.
In IL it is the key to unlocking the riches of the kingdom. Which is to say it puts you on the administrative track which will allow you to get actually rich off the public purse for very, very little work. However you are not a real doctor and it is pretty much a total joke outside the school system and even within it, everyone knows it is a total joke. So if you want something that is of innate value or something to tie your identify to, or to be proud of, this is not it. However if you want a fat paycheck and to be part of the administrative burden imposed on society, then this is your ticket; a retarded monkey can get one. Literally on the block I have a home in, in IL, I have 4 people with Ed D, and these people are about as bright as a steaming pile of dog droppings. I am routinely amazed at how dumb they actually are.
Once again, my comments are about IL. Perhaps outside of IL it is different.
A: Depends on who you are working for and how they see it. When I got out of the service at the end of the Cold War, the CIA recruiter wanted everyone to have a Masters degree. It didn't matter in what, just to have one for a Masters showed a higher level of thinking.
B: A relative has an Ed.D. and he seems to be doing rather well. Of course, he's in one of those jobs that he can't talk about.
In IL it is the key to unlocking the riches of the kingdom. Which is to say it puts you on the administrative track which will allow you to get actually rich off the public purse for very, very little work. However you are not a real doctor and it is pretty much a total joke outside the school system and even within it, everyone knows it is a total joke. So if you want something that is of innate value or something to tie your identify to, or to be proud of, this is not it. However if you want a fat paycheck and to be part of the administrative burden imposed on society, then this is your ticket; a retarded monkey can get one. Literally on the block I have a home in, in IL, I have 4 people with Ed D, and these people are about as bright as a steaming pile of dog droppings. I am routinely amazed at how dumb they actually are.
Once again, my comments are about IL. Perhaps outside of IL it is different.
I would say that the quality of your post pretty much says all we need to know.
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