You may have had a great elementary education experience in your youth. This may have inspired you to make sure succeeding generations get the same—or even better—treatment. Or you may have suffered from poor teaching instruction. This could have impassioned you to ensure that future generations wouldn’t experience the same thing.
Motivation aside, a master’s degree in elementary education will surely help with your goals.
While a bachelor’s degree gives you the right foundations, your master’s takes it a notch higher. Here, you’ll be honing the quality of how you’ll be imparting knowledge towards others. Most aim to achieve this by being a teacher. Others opt to work as an administrative officer in an elementary school. Either way, a master’s degree only ensures that you get to do your job better. Furthermore, it will help you advance your career and ensure a better position for you in the field.
Aside from this, a master’s degree is also a helpful step to higher pay. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average median annual salary for elementary school teachers is $55,800, while instructional coordinators get a median of $62,460 yearly. People who finish their master’s degree in elementary education are expected to earn 5 to 10 percent more annually.
A master’s degree in elementary education also opens the opportunity to a more secure job with tenure, as well as higher chances for a promotion. This makes it an opportune time to get the degree. The high demand for it now is only expected to increase since the teaching profession has to continually adapt to technological and societal changes. In fact, the BLS reports that the demand for elementary school teachers is expected to increase by 6 percent in 2024.
Those who are able to finish their master’s usually succeed as grade school teachers. Most of them get to achieve tenure since a degree is normally required for it. Aside from that, they also have the opportunity to rise into administrative roles in elementary schools. This could as an assistant principal, principal, guidance counselor, or curriculum coordinator. Others who would rather not teach pursue business opportunities by offering tutoring services.
To qualify for taking their master’s, one must be a bachelor’s degree holder in education. Work experience in a classroom setting is also a sure advantage. The degree entails taking classes that focus on classroom strategies that deal with the best ways to instruct elementary students. This includes different approaches in teaching or in establishing school policy.
While residential programs offer more focus and a more hands-on approach, online programs might be more appealing given the lower costs required. This is especially more ideal for teachers who wish to practice their profession while getting their master’s degree.
A master’s degree in elementary education is, of course, not only beneficial for the grade school students you will eventually be teaching. This also means a step up for your own career, given all the opportunities you will be provided once you are able to finish the degree.
