Chris Said:

Online Masters in Education?

We Answered:

It depends on what sort of certificate you are referring to in your question. Alternative cert. programs that are specificially designed for career switchers is a great way to accelerate your interest into classroom teaching. Some of those programs require that you are already teaching in a school system, so verify your substitute experience/affiliation is adequate.

A Masters in Teaching (MAT) will give you a stronger credential that translates into more money and opportunities for advancement. It will take longer. If your sub. experience isn't adequate for the cert. program, this is the way to go. Many Masters in Education (MEd) degrees do not satisfy teacher credentialing requirements so make sure you are enrolling in a program that will qualify you to teach.

Online learning as a good alternative for working adults, but my endorsement comes with a few caveats. Make sure the school you choose is affiliated with a bricks and mortar school that has a strong reputation in education programs. Some schools only offer masters in education online because they are not recognized by state Depts. of Ed to offer them on site. U of Phoenix is one that falls into this category.

I suggest that you ask a lot of questions about how an on-line program coordinates the student teaching requirements of a MAT. Expect to accommodate full time, day time schedules to fulfil your student teaching.

We need so many qualified teachers and I am delighted that you are interested in changing from one challenging career to another. I suspect your background will bring great experience into the classroom.

Good luck

Rick Said:

what are some good universities for online masters degree education?

We Answered:

I'm about to go to Graduate school for a Master's of Library Science at San Jose State University through their Cal-State University Fullerton program, which is mostly online. However, I seriously considered Drexel University which is completely online (and a very well-regarded school!) I'm not sure what else these Universities offer, but they are fully accredited and I think that because this is the information age, this is becoming more popular and schools are quickly moving to not just offer it but to have the best program possible!