In the academic year 2015-16, 786,000 master’s degrees were conferred in the United States by postsecondary institutions, and 19 percent of these were in the field of education. The average age of graduate students in Master of Education or Teaching programs is 33.2 years, according to the Council of Graduate Schools, and that means that many, if not most, of these graduate students are working full time while pursuing their advanced degree. Increasingly, these students are enrolling in online programs to earn their master’s degrees.
Online programs offer the flexibility that working professionals need in order to balance the demands of studying while working and maintaining family responsibilities. With all of the course material online, available whenever the student needs access, it’s not necessary to attend classes in person. Online discussions, message boards, study materials, support and communication with teaching staff make it possible for students to work at their own pace and complete coursework when it fits into their busy schedules.
It’s important, however, when choosing an online master’s degree program, to make sure that the institution offering it is accredited and has a good reputation. One way to ensure that you are making the right choice is to read the testimonials of students who have successfully completed their programs.
Lamar University
Home to the fastest-growing college of education in Texas, Lamar University offers a fully online Master of Education in Educational Administration degree program, ranked as a top, affordable online graduate education program by both U.S. News & World Report and GetEducated.com.
Lamar University publishes the testimonials of many of its graduate students. These are firsthand accounts from alumni who share their stories about their Lamar University online experience.
Ryan Burns is an assistant principal who graduated from the Lamar University M.Ed. in Educational Administration online program in 2016. “This degree has helped me reach a point in my career right now where I am truly happy and I feel like the sky is the limit,” Burns says. “I was immediately able to secure a job as an assistant principal and start working toward my goal of one day becoming a high school principal. My experience in the program prepared me for the job and really opened my eyes to issues administrators handle that I had never considered before.”
Burns would not have been able to obtain his master’s degree while he was teaching and coaching if he had to attend regular classes. He chose Lamar University because it had affordable options and was “a school that people had actually heard of.” Other more expensive options were from relatively unknown schools.
Patrick Nava earned his M.Ed. in Educational Administration online from Lamar University in May 2017. He says, “Between preparing lesson plans for multiple preps, preparing game plans for football games, and spending time with family, the hours can sometimes get very thin when trying to focus on other endeavors. Having an online option allowed me to work on my coursework when it was most convenient for me. Without this program, it would be very unlikely that I would have enough time to complete my graduate work without putting extreme financial burdens on my family.”
Many of Nava’s colleagues had earned their degrees through Lamar University’s online programs, and he compared what they had to say with what he heard about other online programs, and he took their advice. In addition, the convenience and affordability of the fully online program factored into his decision to enroll in the Lamar University program.
Learn more about Lamar University’s online Master of Education in Educational Administration program.
Sources:
National Center for Education Statistics: Graduate Degree Fields
