With a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction, educators can go from employees with a general level of knowledge to specialists within the education spectrum. While being in the classroom is a passion for many who earn their teaching certification, it’s not the end of the professional road for those who want to specialize.
With so many specialties to choose from, deciding what to go to graduate school for can be an exhausting and overwhelming decision. There is a long list of Master of Education specialties that teachers in a variety of different primary, secondary, and post-secondary school settings can choose. Here’s what you can do with your degree if you’re a Curriculum and Instruction major:
What do Curriculum and Instruction Majors Learn?
Before you discover what you’ll be doing with an advanced degree that’s focused on instruction and curriculum, you need to know what you’ll learn while you’re in graduate school. Studying for a master’s degree is challenging and expensive. The better prepared you are, the more likely you are to make the right choice and ultimately succeed as a grad student.
Every program has its own set of core curricula. Any program worth enrolling in will offer at least the standard curriculum that’s required by an accreditation association like CAEP. This Master’s degree program focuses on a clear set of competencies that will help you develop mastery in the field. When enrolled in a CAEP-accredited program, you will have to complete courses in the following subject areas:
- Intro to Curriculum Theory
- Learning Theories
- Education Psychology
- Curriculum Design
- Curriculum Evaluation
- Assessment for Student Learning
- Differentiated Instruction
Related Resource: The Top 10 Most Affordable Accelerated Master’s in Education Online
Careers You Can Pursue With Your MEd
Once you have your Master of Education with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction career opportunities will open up for you. You can still work in the classroom or you can play more of an administrative role with your new qualifications. A few titles that you can hold with your new-found degree and what your duties will be:
- Instructional Coordinator – work within a school district to oversee the school curricula and the teaching standards to ensure that materials are effective for students to grasp subjects
- Education Specialist – works directly with teachers to adjust coursework as necessary and redesign lessons for the betterment of student learning and testing scores
- Curriculum Specialist – in charge of planning and supervising both the development and implementation of the new curriculum by working with subject coordinators, resource teachers, and other specialists
Salaries in Curriculum and Instruction
Potential income is very important when you’re looking to advance your education. You need to be sure that all the money spent on tuition, books, and supplies while advancing your degree is going to all be worth it in the end. That is why you should consider how much you will earn in some of the roles above once you land a new title.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, instructional coordinators average $63,750. Salary.com reports that curriculum specialists earn around $71,232 per year. Education specialists earn the lowest average income with a reported salary of $58,000.
Going to graduate school can be intimidating. For educators, it’s difficult to go from being the teacher to be the student. If you have a dream to work in curriculum development, it could be worth it to return to school to earn your Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction.
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