What is the difference between a degree in Education and a degree in Teaching? Does a certificate or MS in Education (say from CSU Hayward) be of great benefit (added value) if one wants to teach at the university level? Taking into consideration that the person has a RA Ph.D. in BA. Thanks, Eli
In order to teach in college one does not need an education degree or teaching degree -- simply a higher degree in the subject one is to teach. And with a PhD in anything, one usually can get away with teaching anything else at the college level. Perhaps that's why 5 out of 8 college instructors don't have a clue about effective instruction. In some states, one can teach graduate courses with a masters degree. In my state (VA) a doctorate is required to teach graduate courses. So I teach grad courses online for CSU The higher ed system is even worse than the K-12 public school system these days. The only difference is that people actually pay for incompetence in higher ed classes. If you're talking about K-12 -- that too is changing. Education degrees are not what they used to be. And with the teacher shortage, one needs a teaching certificate, not a teaching degree. Many states are now hiring anyone with a bachelors degree in ANYTHING to teach K-12 -- then requiring 3-5 methods courses over a year or two as a condition of employment. These methods courses are the requirements for a state teaching certificate. CSU's MS in education will prepare you to teach online. It's also great background for any college teacher who is teaching f2f classes too. You'll learn many useful strategies and methods for teaching f2f and online from the program. Neither a teaching/education degree nor any doctorate translates into effective teaching. But take a gosh-awful college prof and require a few methods courses in teaching and s/he just MIGHT improve (IF there's someone looking over their shoulders to make sure they don't slip back into laziness in the classroom). ok -- I'm getting off the soapbox now
Well it really depends on the program. But a common division that I have seen is the MAT (Teaching) vs. the MA in Education. The former is really a teaching credential with an extra course or two, whereas the later may involve many more courses. It can be a kind of a practical vs. theoretical thing, with the MAE being much more focused on theory. It would probably not be of much value in getting you a position, unless you want to teach in a teacher preperation program. However, either may well make you a better instructor by bringing you up to date on the current accepted best practices in education. Both programs are really designed for teachers who want to become better teachers and to rise on the pay scale (in k-12 more credits=more money). Regards, Jeff
