The five best concentrations for a master’s in Education can lead to a number of highly rewarding careers in the field. Whether you’re intent on becoming an adjunct professor or live in a state where teaching K-12 requires a master’s degree, obtaining a master’s degree in education can lead to a number of highly rewarding careers. In addition, obtaining a master’s degree in education can lead to higher-paid positions with better benefits ranging from full health coverage to pension and severance pay.
Five Specializations for a Master’s Degree in Education
Whether you’re interested in the relationship between education and technology or are fascinated by linguistic function, there is a vast array of specializations to choose from.
- International Teaching
- Social Justice
- Educational Technology
- Educational Leadership
- ESL
1. International Teaching
International teaching focuses on education in the global south, non-western nations and especially in developing nations. This degree is explicitly designed for educators who are intent on teaching in foreign and developing nations, and often students in this program will spend some or even most of their studies learning and teaching abroad. While this specialization is only offered at a few universities, many more institutions are working to develop a curriculum to offer it to master’s degree candidates.
2. Social Justice
The social justice specialization closely examines the role of social justice in the educational setting. It studies trends and impacts of systemic and oppressive institutions as they pertain to education such as racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and much more. The function of the concentration is to enable educators to identify systemic problems within the educational context and work to implement policies and practices that will improve or even eliminate these problems, as well as to assist students in seeing and treating one another as equals and as equally valuable.
3. Educational Technology
Technology and education have become irrevocably intertwined. A specialization in educational technology prepares educators for not only creating new technological tools and systems for facilitating and improving education but implementing those tools in classroom settings in a cohesive way. In addition, those who study this concentration may teach future educators methodologies for learning and utilizing new and emerging technologies in their classrooms, as well as assist schools in developing technologies that will expand and improve curricula.
4. Educational Leadership
An expansive role that connects educators, parents, and students alike, educational leadership focuses on overseeing and maximizing resources to achieve a set of educational goals via collaboration amongst the scholastic community. Educators who pursue this concentration may seek out administrative roles in school settings, such as principal, department chair and superintendent, as well as work in human resources for school departments and colleges.
5. English as a Second Language (ESL)
Education has become more globalized than ever, and with many flocking to western nations from unstable and war-torn regions, the ESL specialization has resulted in a tremendous number of jobs in education. Educators who specialize in ESL may work in classroom settings with children or adults, as well as in one-on-one tutoring sessions assisting English language learners and English as a second language students according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Because ESL is such in-demand specializations, jobs demanding the relevant skills are often accompanied by a generous salary.
From teaching in foreign countries or creating educational tools behind the scenes, each of these master’s in education specializations offers unique opportunities to shape the world of education – now and in the future.
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