Insights from the School of Education and Social Policy at Merrimack College
Once you’ve become a teacher, it’s difficult to imagine having the time and energy to enter an online master’s degree in education program. However, the benefits of earning the degree make it well worth the effort and with the option of online learning helps make it that much easier.
Merrimack College offers quality, accredited programs now available through an online platform, teachers can schedule college coursework and lectures around their busy professional and personal schedules.
Here’s three ways earning an online master’s degree in education is beneficial for teachers, especially in Massachusetts.
MTEL Prep
For teachers in Massachusetts, one of the largest benefits of a master’s degree program is that it can prepare you for the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL). The MTEL is required to earn a position as a teacher in the state of Massachusetts.
At Merrimack College, MTEL prep is part of the school’s master of education program. The school incorporates MTEL prep as part of the curriculum and provides a diagnostic exam to help students know where they need to focus their study time in order to pass the MTEL.
While difficult, the MTEL ensure teachers in Massachusetts are among the most qualified in the nation. Teachers are proportionately awarded to such high standards.
Better Salary
Although Massachusetts has high standards, it offers some of the highest salaries for teachers in the nation. An online master’s degree in education opens the door to earning some of the highest salaries available. Median annual wages for teachers in Massachusetts, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), are:
- $75,510 for kindergarten teachers
- $82,600 for elementary school teachers
- $80,020 for high school teachers
Ability to Specialize
Moreover, by earning a master’s of education an educator can specialize in their area of choice in education. For example, Merrimack College offers six different concentrations in online master’s degree in education programs for graduate students. They are:
- M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction
- M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education
- M.Ed. in Elementary Education
- M.Ed. in Secondary Education
- M.Ed. in English as a Second Language (Pre-K-6)
- M.Ed. in Moderate Disabilities (Pre-K-8)
Merrimack also offers add-on licensure programs in moderate disabilities and English as a second language.
In conclusion, these are three of the biggest advantages for teachers in Massachusetts who have decided to pursue a master’s degree in education. Earning such a degree helps educators hone their skills in a state that highly values teachers by compensating them appropriately and through Merrimack College’s online master’s degree in education you gain the choice of specialization and preparation for the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure.