Things You Can Do With a Masters in Education + Salary Outlook

Featured Programs:
Sponsored School(s)
Southern New Hampshire University Logo
Southern New Hampshire University
Featured Program: Choose from over 200 online graduate programs offered by this non-profit, accredited university. NO GMAT or GRE required!
Request Info

The Master of Education is a very popular degree because it enhances career prospects in the educational and other fields. It also is a popular graduate degree because of its flexibility. Earning a master’s in education makes you more employable and able to earn a higher salary in many fields.

The exact salary you may earn with a master’s in education will vary due to the many different jobs that are possible with the degree. According to Payscale.com, the typical salary with this master’s degree is in the $45,000 to $60,000 range, with the most common professions being elementary school teacher, high school teacher, instructional designer, and school counselor.

Some of the amazing things that you can do with your master in education degree include these:

  1. High School Teacher: Experienced teachers with their bachelor’s degree frequently earn their master of education so that they can earn a higher salary and move into leadership roles in teaching.
  2. Principal: Earn your master of education in educational administration if you want to move from the classroom to the principal’s office. You can typically qualify for principal and vice principal positions with this degree. This is one of the most common reasons that professionals earn a master’s in education. It allows experienced teachers to move from the classroom to the principal’s office, which brings more responsibility and higher pay.
  3. Post Secondary Instructor: Professionals with at least a master’s in education can often qualify for a teaching position at a college or university.
  4. Child Care Director: The skills and knowledge learned in your master’s program can make you an ideal candidate to offer support and leadership to children and teachers in a child care program.
  5. Educational Consultant: It is common for private schools to hire educational consultants to help them to manage classrooms, increase involvement of parents, raise funds, and motivate teaching staff.
  6. Private Tutor: Some experienced educators choose to move into private tutoring, which is very flexible and can be quite lucrative.
  7. Corporate Trainer: Corporations need motivated and skilled educators to keep their employees well trained. It is generally easier to retrain current employees than to hire new ones, so companies want teachers with a master’s in education to train their workers with new skills. A corporate trainer is responsible for the oversight of training programs, budgets and staff. They also are in charge of the organization of training programs, such as choosing course content and materials. Some in this field may supervise a large staff of training and development specialists.
  8. Lead Teacher: A master’s is one of the best ways to qualify for a senior or lead teacher role. A lead teacher often takes on more responsibilities than regular teachers, such as mentoring and coordinating other teachers, communicating new policies and developing curricula.
  9. Adult Educator: Teach and train adult learners on basic education, English, and prepare them to take the GED. Teachers with a master’s degree are usually the best candidate for these roles, as they are employed by colleges and other large educational organizations.
  10. Media and Technology Manager: Many educational software companies hire master of education graduates to develop educational software. They may be responsible for teaching other teachers how to use new technology to teach students.
  11. Developer of Educational Policy: State and local governments are increasingly interested in hiring experts with their master’s to develop, revise and promote new educational policies and rules.
  12. Curriculum Developer: Companies that develop textbooks often hire master’s in education professionals to develop new curriculum for books and other teaching materials. Advanced educators are needed to improve the quality of their teaching products.
  13. Registrar: The registrar at a college or university works with students to help them get registered for college classes and to choose a major. They also work in financial aid to help students to find the financial resources they need to pay for college.
  14. School Counselor: Some professionals with a master’s degree in education work in the school counseling office, providing educational and emotional support to students in elementary, middle and high school.
  15. Special Education Teacher: These are specially trained teachers who are able to work with students who have emotional, mental and/or physical impairment. They are trained to prepare, implement and assess Individualized Education Programs.
  16. Training and Development Coordinator: Focus on planning, directing and coordinating new teacher training initiatives. They also introduce new educational technologies to groups of educators and explain new teaching policies. They tend to work with teachers rather than students.
  17. Middle School Teacher: A bachelor’s degree can get you a middle school teacher job in many cases, but advancing into a lead teacher role at this level with a higher salary requires a master’s degree.
  18. Librarian: Some educators with a master’s in education may work as a librarian in a school and ensure that students and faculty have access to necessary resources for learning.
  19. Teacher for Home Bound Children: Some public schools have a small number of teachers who are available to teach in the homes of children or in hospital rooms. This service is for children who are seriously ill and cannot attend regular school.
  20. Online Teacher: The demand for skilled online teachers is growing every year. There are job openings for teachers who teach elementary, middle and high school students from home. Some students may be in other cities or states and want to take a certain type of school program that is only available online. This type of teaching opportunity is definitely on the upswing as more online education is becoming common.
  21. Homeschool Consultant: As more parents opt to teach their children at home, there is a growing market for consultants who can teach subjects that parents are not qualified to teach. You might be hired to teach PE, art or music, for example.
  22. Museum Educator: Former teachers with advanced degrees and years of experience often are hired to educate groups at museums. They are used to managing large groups of students.
  23. Grant Writer: Experienced teachers with master’s degrees often have the skills to write proposals for grants. Your communication and writing skills are important to argue for why an organization deserves funds.
  24. Prison Teacher: Many prisoners take classes while serving time. People with advanced teaching degrees may be needed as instructors for people who want to develop their skills and education. This type of teaching position may be desirable for some educators because the students are often highly motivated to learn.
  25. After School Program Director: Nonprofit organizations run after school programs to help to keep students occupied after they finish school for the day. They need skilled educators to direct these programs, and highly experienced teachers with a master’s degree can be the perfect fit.
  26. Career and Technical Education Teacher: These educators help students to look into and prepare for various occupations. Some of the most common types of careers they work on these days are information technology and healthcare. These teachers use many different modern teaching techniques to help students to develop new skills. Some teachers may have relationships with local businesses so that students can have real work experience to develop their job skills.

With a master’s in education, you have the opportunity to earn a good living and to make a huge difference in the lives of all types of students and people.

Additional Resources

References