Whether you’re a passionate educator, an education administrator or simply interested in exploring the education field, a master’s degree is worth considering. As with all advanced degrees, a Master of Education (M. Ed.) in Curriculum and Instruction goes much deeper than a bachelor’s or licensure process, equipping you with skills that you can bring to both classroom instruction as well as professional training and other settings. You’ll learn how to assess and iteratively improve educational outcomes at all levels, both in your own courses and for programs taught by others.
Additionally, a master’s degree allows you to research areas of interest, structuring your studies around those areas and giving you a marketable level of expertise. Here are some of the key reasons why people choose to pursue an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction:
High Demand for Educators
One of the reasons people seek advanced degrees in education is the consistent and at times extreme demand for teachers at all levels. Economic uncertainty and other major changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have created a greater need for credentialed educators, and this shortage extends to administrative and support roles.
For those pursuing a master’s, this shortage can translate into more options for where and what type of institution they want to teach in, greater leverage to earn at a level commensurate with their expertise, and increased opportunities for career growth. While all of these factors vary depending on the type of education, the state, the institution, and other issues, they are all highly practical reasons why people choose to study instruction and curriculum design.
Potential for Greater Social Impact
Many people who study education choose this career out of a desire to improve the world, whether by helping children in the classroom, training adults in new skills, or working to provide opportunities to anyone who is disadvantaged. As a result, those who choose to continue their education and focus on the theory and practice of instruction design, pedagogy, and learning assessment are often looking for opportunities to apply their own desire to improve educational outcomes, equity or opportunity.
A master’s equips you not only with a stronger foundation in educational theory but also with the credentials to influence programs, teachers and institutions. If you wish for your skills and effort to have a greater impact, seeking further education can not only give you the ability to augment your capabilities as an educator, but also to put you in positions of greater influence where your decisions help many beyond just your own classroom. As an expert with a wider and stronger foundation in educational principles, you can work to improve the efforts of multiple programs, teachers or institutions. You might also be in a better position to make changes and improvements to any shortcomings your analysis uncovers.
Opportunity to Shape the Future of Education
Perhaps the most important change that the growth of the internet has brought is the ability everyone now has to access a huge range of information, whether instructional, practical, or for greater context and understanding. This has fundamentally changed the field of education, allowing for a much wider range of perspectives while also creating a demand for instructing students to assess knowledge for validity, purpose and origin. Teachers must now help students not only find information but sort out whether it can be trusted, which has created brand new curriculums and principles for the incorporation of technology into education and research.
Along with this is the ever-present need for technical education, which focuses on developing professional technical skills in software development, research, engineering and other fields. Without a formalized educational structure, there has been a change in the way these skills are obtained, whether through bootcamps, on the job training, or apprenticeships. All these new forms of highly technical studies require professionals with backgrounds in educational theory and curriculum design who synthesize the tools of education technology with long-standing and useful educational theory.
In a master’s degree program, you will have ample opportunities to grapple with these changes and learn how they can create better educational outcomes for students and institutions. You’ll also learn how to assess new education technology (edtech), utilize edtech effectively, and instruct other teachers in its use. These skills will help you drive education forward and efficiently incorporate new technologies and techniques as they are created.
Continue Your Education Journey at Columbia Southern University
Our programs are designed to allow you to learn these skills at your own pace and around your schedule. Columbia Southern University’s M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction is designed for working professionals who want to grow without putting their careers on hold. You can learn at your own pace and on your own schedule while building the expertise to drive positive change in education.
You’ll be empowered to utilize your passion for education while continuing your work in the classroom or administration. If you’d like to learn more about our program, take a look at our degree programs.
Multiple factors, including prior experience, geography and degree field, affect career outcomes. CSU does not guarantee a job, promotion, salary increase, eligibility for a position, or other career growth.
