Choosing a concentration in graduate school is an easy way to focus on a specific topic of interest, and as an education major, you can specialize a Master’s in Education in Instructional Design. Instructional design is a topic that dates back to the 1940s and involves using a basic model with several phases when working with students. Completing an advanced degree gives you the skills needed to teach at the college level, work in curriculum development and in schools across the country.
What is Instructional Design?
Before choosing to specialize a Master’s in Education in instructional design, you need to look at what that term means. This field begins with a simple and basic model and then adds in other elements to create classes and courses, curriculum for students and other projects and experiences throughout the field of education. It involves analyzing, designing, developing, implementing and evaluating a design. You might look at how to teach art, music, science or another topic to elementary school children and later implement and evaluate the design you conceived. As instructional design changes frequently, your program will teach you how to identify those changes and make changes in the program you develop.
Choosing a Specialty
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that college professors make more than $68,000 a year, which is more than what other teachers make. Finishing an instructional design program lets you make a higher salary and specialize in the topic. Other students may take courses and enter program designed for educating elementary students, high school students or middle school students, or they enter programs that focus on teaching one specific subject, including math, science or history. To specialize a Master’s in Education in Instructional Design, you often need to take an independent study course or an internship to gain experience teaching in a different area. Some schools will also let you select two areas of specialization, and other schools give students the chance to take courses from multiple disciplines.
How Long is the Program?
The traditional Master’s in Education program is a 30 credit hour long program. As a full time student, you can complete the program in just two years, but if you enroll as a part time student, it might take you three years or longer to finish your studies. The amount of time you spend in the program also depends on whether you take the thesis or non-thesis track. Students on the non-thesis track must take additional courses and spend more time taking classes, while thesis students earn credits for a larger research program or classroom project that they complete during their last year.
Instructional Design Courses
As an instructional design student, you can expect to take courses on each topic associated with the field. Instructional design courses teach you the theories and fundamentals of using this type of design in classrooms and schools. The measurement and evaluation courses that you take show you how to look at what previous researchers did in the past, how to evaluate the changes you made and how to measure the changes that you brought to that program or classroom. You’ll also take courses on the fundamentals of research, writing and working with students.
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Instructional design is a specialty for graduate education students, but only a small number of schools in the country offer this topic. Before you decide to specialize a Master’s in Education in Instructional Design, make sure you know what the topic entails, how it can impact your future career goals and the courses that you might take.
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