Over the course of a career, many professional educators attain degrees beyond the B.A. or B.S.
These are some of the most common post-graduate degrees offered by universities in the United States:
Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) and Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Although the terminology may differ from school to school, the M.A.T. generally describes a postgraduate degree that is undertaken before beginning service as a teacher, since it is intended to prepare candidates for the classroom. Alongside the study of core topics like educational psychology, teaching methods, and the sociology of the school, it includes a student-teaching practicum in a classroom environment. Most M.A.T. programs require at least one year of full-time study and lead directly to state licensure in a particular area (e.g. elementary education, special education, or a secondary school specialty like language arts or mathematics). For mid-career teachers, there are many master's-level programs that have different areas of focus or specialty, like curriculum development, speech pathology, or school leadership. Often teachers receive an additional salary increment for earning advanced degrees, and some schools or districts may subsidize tuition for their employees. M.Ed. programs are often completed by working teachers on a part-time basis over several years, and many secondary school teachers may also earn master's degrees or doctorates within their particular content area.
Education Specialist (Ed.S.) and Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
These degrees are typically pursued by practicing professionals who have already earned a master's degree. Ed.S. programs are roughly comparable to master's programs in credit hours from coursework and do not culminate in a dissertation based on original research, which is a central feature of doctoral degrees like the Ed.D. Such programs are typically undertaken many years into a teaching career and often function as a gateway to high-level positions like school principal or senior district administrator. Many professors of education hold the Ed.D., though the Ph.D. is also common.
