After speaking with several professors and family members, I have decided to stray away from a Masters in the CRJ field. I already have a certificate, associates, and now a bachelors in CRJ, I guess it should be time to diversify a little….. The only other areas that I’ve been interested in are the M Ed and Masters in Liberal Studies programs. My goal is to stay employed in the CRJ field and possibly move into college level teaching down the road. Anyone knows what a Masters in Ed or Liberal Studies are used for???? What type of professionals would pursue these type of degrees, school administrators, etc? Would a MEd degree be appropriate for someone with 0 teaching experience? Thanks
If I have an area of expertise, this isn't it. Regardless of that I'll offer an answer. An MEd is primarily obtained by people who are currently employed as teachers as a way to get raises or otherwise secure their positions. My younger brother is a teacher and had to get his MEd in order to retain tenure. A Masters in Liberal Studies is typically used as a way to obtain a raise or a promotion as in the "I need a Masters in anything..." threads that sometimes appear on this forum. Also, it might be seen as being a ticket into a PhD program in some circumstances. Certainly, the MEd is seen most often in school settings. As to the question of getting an MEd without teaching experience, that's a more complicated question. For example I know people who have MEds with concentration in counseling and they work in the mental health field. Do you plan on going into teaching? That's probably the crux of the matter. Jack
As I understand it, if you want to teach as an adjunct, you must have a minimum of 18 credits at the graduate level in the field that you want to teach. Thus, while you may have a Bachelors degree in CJ, it will not enable you to teach CJ, even if you get a Masters in education. This seems to be a common misconception. What field do you want to teach in?
Thanks for the replies. I would like to go on teaching CRJ part-time in the college level a few years down the road and full-time when I retire from the CRJ field, which is a long ways away. The few professors who advised me not to get a MS in CRJ are not adjunct if that makes a difference.
Just to add, I was also considering doing substitute teaching in the Secondary level part-time. I know you don't need a MEd for this but thought it would help and add to the resume.
The M.Ed. is not exclusively a teaching degree. It is often used as a counselig degree (for non-school counselors). It is also used for degrees in rehabilation counseling. There may be other subject areas. The problem is that in some states it is a political decision about what the masters degree will be...not an academic decision. There are some states where the primary state universities are the only state schools allowed to offer an MA or an MS. Regional schools (which were traditionally education/teacher institutions) are restricted to M.Ed. or MAE or MSE, even if it is a non-teaching degree. For example in Nebraska, the small state colleges used to be restricted to MAE or MSE. My own alma mater offered an MAEd. They are now petitioning to offer an MA in non-teaching areas, but are having a political battle. A couple of addiional thoughts. There are schools that offer master's degrees in college teaching or community college teaching. Also, there are some colleges that offer an Ed.S. or S.Ed. in criminal justice (Central Missouri for example) . This is a degree about half way between a master's and a doctorate. In many places you can use it to teach in a 4 year college.
