Choosing a Masters

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by isassy, Mar 8, 2007.

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  1. isassy

    isassy New Member

    I have been wrestling a decision over what Masters Program to choose, for the last six months. My graduation from TESC is coming closer (one test left to be taken End of this Month) and I will be graduating with a Bachelors in International Business.
    I have been following discussions on this board for quite a while but decided to start my own thread.

    I have considered the following criteria:
    1. School must be Regionally Accredited.
    2. Preferably, school should be a B & M school. (although I will attend online)
    3. Shorter classes (other than 12 or 18 weeks) are welcome.
    4. Price is an issue, although I have some room for I am a Military student.
    5. Degree should be marketable.

    I have been looking into Instructional Technology because the degree sounds interesting but my fear is that my job opportunities are limited if I choose not to go into a teaching field.
    Would the corporate world appreciate such a degree?

    I do like the idea of a better known school (such as Educational Leadership Technology at George Washington University) but what really are: well known schools? Doesn't that depend on someone's perception or where they reside?

    I don't care for an MBA too much for I like to distinguish myself in my degree choice and an MBA is very common among graduate programs (that's why I chose International Business over Business Administration)
    Can anybody suggest good marketable graduate programs that follow the business direction or go along the Intructional Technology way? What about tuition, customer service, length of classes, reputation of school and/or program?
    I would really appreciate some input.

    Thanks already!
     
  2. macattack

    macattack New Member

    What job/career do you want to obtain and in what industry? Otherwise, it is impossible to say which program will be best to get your foot in the door.

    I know someone that wanted to get into HR / Training and got a education technology degree at NYU (not DL) and easily got a job with a large international corporation. So, yes, I would think industry would welcome such a degree in a HR / corporate training job. If thats your cup of tea.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 8, 2007
  3. macattack

    macattack New Member

  4. tmartca

    tmartca New Member

    There are jobs in the private sector for people with EdTech degrees. Macattack mentioned one example. I am looking for jobs in this area too. I have seen job postings for Instructional Designers from some companies like Yahoo and Verizon.

    As far as programs go, here are some programs from nationally recognized institutions:

    -Indiana University-
    http://www.indiana.edu/~ist/programs/masters/masters.html

    -University of Florida-
    http://education.ufl.edu/online/edtech/
    (Technically this is a Curriculum and Instruction degree with a concentration in EdTech)

    -PennState-
    http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/MasterinEducationalTechnology.shtml

    -Florida State-
    http://www.coe.fsu.edu/DistanceLearning/insys.html


    You can't go wrong with any of these.
     
  5. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Like the others have said, it all depends on what you want to do. Degree programs are a means to an end, not an end in and of themselves.

    I'm nearly done with the ETL program at GW, and I am not planning to teach. I recently started as Director of E-Learning at a university in the D.C. area, and while I do some support of distance learning, I mostly help train faculty on how to use different kinds of technology in the classroom, e.g., Blackboard, online resources, SmartBoards, things like that.

    I think you're wise to look at higher end schools, there are a lot of good programs out there from school whose names can't hurt. My program is very inexpensive for a top-25 school -- only about $350 per credit hour.

    Good luck,

    -=Steve=-
     
  6. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

  7. recruiting

    recruiting Member

    Bumping this thread-
     
  8. isassy

    isassy New Member

    macattack: i think i will stay with the business theme. My associates is in Marketing, Bachelors in International Business and I think it is best for me to stick with Business. HR is very likely for I am currently a Career Counselor in the US Army as well as an Instructor and I think with a Business Degree and a Masters in something related to this, I stand good chances to get into the Corporate world. I am interested in the International Market, so a Global Company would be good and my thinking behind Intructional Technology was that I could work somewhere in HR training people.
     
  9. isassy

    isassy New Member

    Capella Rocks: Wow, very interesting article and communication is no problem for me. I am an instructor as well as a Career Counselor and I had to take quite a few classes in communication in the Army (as well as College) I also would like to thank you for suggesting Instructional Design. This is the first I heard of it and I will do some research on this. It sounds awefully interesting and probably like a good match. Thanks.
     
  10. isassy

    isassy New Member

    Steve Foerster: Steve, you are studying what I was looking into. ETL from GW must be a tremendous benefit. My TA would cover 750 a class, so 270 per course would come out of pocket. You are right, it is a steal for a MA from GW. How long is the average time you spent to finish this degree. Are the classes hard or would you be able to take more than one class at a time?
     
  11. isassy

    isassy New Member

    tmartca: Thanks for those links. These schools really look good, Florida State seems to be popping up everywhere on this board, I think this school is very popular and has a good rep. I am also looking into Penn State.
    Thanks so much for all of your replies so far.
     
  12. lchemist

    lchemist New Member

  13. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I took three courses at a time, considered full time, which turned out to be a mistake. If you take two at a time, as I should have and as most people do, you will go start to finish in two years.

    -=Steve=-
     

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