For teachers with master's degrees did you advance in position if you wanted to and did your pay raise signifi

Question

I am guessing that with a bachelor's degree in education you can only teach and maybe move up in position after many, many years. But I have heard that this is different for teachers with masters degrees. I have heard that you can move up to counselor and principal within 2-3 years, plus it is said that if you keep teaching with a master's your pay raises a lot. Is all of this true? And can anyone tell me about the master's degrees in education and the different types and how long it would take? I am asking all of this because I am thinking about majoring in secondary education, but I do not know if I would get a master's degree or not afterward, is it worth it financially? I would appreciate any responses concerning this question and anything about the field of education and advancement in it.

Answer 1

The increase in pay varies from district to district (at least in Texas it does).
In the small town outside Austin where my wife taught the district paid the tuition for courses towards a masters and paid an extra $1,000 each year for teachers who had a masters.
In the small town 20 miles away where I taught teachers with a masters received no extra pay.

At Texas State University, a Masters of Education in Math requires about five or six education courses and seven or eight math courses. I assume the requirements are similar for masters degrees in other subjects or at other universities. Texas State accommodates working teachers by offering all the courses necessary during the summer or in the evenings during the school year. Again, I assume other universities do the same.

My opinion: Get a bachelors, start teaching, then work on your masters while you teach. The ideas you study in your courses are much more engaging when you have classroom experience.

As weechi said, a principal or counselor job requires a masters, but it is a degree specific to that job. My advice for these is the same. Start teaching first, then decide which of these degrees you want to pursue.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I did a Master's in Education with a focus on curriculum. I had 5 years to complete it. It wasn't required for teaching and I didn't want to move into admin, but it did raise my salary significantly. I did it just in cse a day would come when I wanted to move out of the classroom - I'm still waiting for that day.

Answer 3

It depends on your state. In New York, you must have a Master's degree to teach. You have 3 years to get it after getting your first job. As far as pay goes, it will increase your wage in some districts but not in others.

Answer 4

in one district, i made 1,500 more per year, in another, only 700. no, didn't move up faster either, although i guess if i wanted too...i could. you can't be a principal without an admin degree, and you can't be a councelor without a counceling degree.