A Masters in Education (M.Ed.) is a great degree for you to have to help you further yourself as a teacher. The short answer to the question “Do I have to have teaching experience to get my Masters in Education?” is no, but there are some things to take into consideration when deciding when and how you should complete your Masters program.
What is an M.Ed?
An M.Ed is a Masters degree you can get from almost any college that has a teaching program that focuses specifically on pedagogy, methods of teaching, philosophy of education and educational technology. This program can be either a few short credit hours to completion or involve a longer commitment to complete (upwards of a year or two).
Why should I get an M.Ed?
Having an M.Ed makes you more marketable as a teacher and can appeal to potential employers because it shows that you are an expert in your field. More often than not, schools will choose someone with an M.Ed over someone who just has an undergraduate degree in the same field.
Do I need teaching experience?
Generally you do not have to have teaching experience to complete an M.Ed degree program. However, it is strongly recommended by many people that you get several years of teaching under your belt before pursuing this. The reason many people encourage having these years under your belt is because knowing what to expect out of education when you decide to continue your education will help you get more out of the degree program.
If you do not have the experience in the field, you will still get the same degree that other, more experienced teachers will receive. The only difference will be that you might not be considered as much as expert as them because all you have is theories and no real world experience.
While many schools and counties do like teachers that have continued their education by completing an M.Ed, if you have no experience teaching before completing the program they might pass you over for someone that does have the experience, even if they don’t have an M.Ed.
Resources for you
There is a lot of information out there regarding this topic and you can find information to support having the experience and not having the experience, but a site that might be helpful in helping you make your final decision is Teach. This entire site is devoted to the teaching profession and making sure prospective teachers have enough information to make an informed decision about degree programs.
A Masters in Education is a great degree to have because it allows you to be an expert in education and better help your students. While it is not required that you have teaching experience it is highly encouraged that you have several years of teaching behind you before you decide to pursue your M.Ed.
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