Type of Graduate Degree
 

I am contemplating going back to school for a master's degree and possibly a doctorate. I am thinking in the area of education. Specifically, I would like to be a professor of educational methods or foundations. I have done a search and not found a discussion of the types of degrees.

I have noticed that many schools have both a traditional MS or MA and PhD in different areas of education. Additionally, I have seen the MEd and EdD.

My question is this: Which is better? Is one better than the other? Does it depend what you want to do? Who should I ask?

I don't know if I can make an appointment to talk to an advisor at a school I don't attend or plan on attending.

Any advice is appreciated.

So, you need to actually focus your research on how to get in your programs of interest.

One degree program may have more work than another program.

It is also who the professors are at your school of interest. The trade journals ususally contain that information, i.e. Chronicle of Higher Education to start.

The people you need to speak to are the professors. What will be your project? Will it be quantitative or qualitative research. Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years? The more focused you are, the better off you will be.

Have you designed curricula? How does a district decide what reading books to use for all students? How are these "exit exams" and "No Child Left Behind" assisting in the learning for our children?

Do you have an educational question you must know the answer to?

These are the kinds of things they ask in grad school education. When you are walking thru the door knowing these things, it only bolsters your application.

Hope this helps you some.

Thanks for your reply.

My actual question was about an MS or MA v. an MEd or a PhD v. an EdD.

I have noticed that most schools offer all four (or five) degrees and I was wondering which is the "preferred" degree for scholarly work.

An M.S. will make you do qualitative research generally that takes 2 years to complete.

An M.A. will allow to just work on a project and take a test to get your degree.

An MEd, is an administrative degree that takes 2 years.

A Ph.D. is a 4 year research degree. You will need a quantitative research with Stats. Generally you present your findings and you have to prove them to graduate. It is hypothesis driven.

An EdD is a 4 year degree with qualitative research and is an administrative type of degree. Generally you present your findings and graduate.

Most graduate degrees require some kind of research.

You will have to review the literature
You will have to write a proposal and present it
You will have to do the research and calculate the statistics
You will have to write it up in a final thesis or dissertation
Then you will have present it

This all for comprehensive exams and qualifying exams. And all this after classes.

For what it's worth, I am getting my M.S. right now in school counseling, and we had to take a comprehensive exam to graduate, but there was no research projects or thesises (whatever the plural of that is ;) ) required :)

For our M.A. in Counseling (School, Marriage and Family, or Community) you have the option of a comp exam or a thesis.

If you're ever considering teaching college, you will probably need a degree in your content matter rather than an Ed.D. Most colleges I know of will rarely consider an Ed.D (except for the education department). Most professors I know haven't even had any education courses.

Which is exactly where I would like to be a professor. I would like to teach educational methods. So, basically, I want to teach future teachers how to teach.

Thanks for answering my actual question. It seems like to be a professor I should go the MS, then PhD route, even if just to be safe.

I advise you to contact the specific MS, MA, PhD, MED and EdD programs to find out their different requirements from which to make comparisons. GC responses will be oversimplified and partially accurate.

Generally speaking, this http://www.alleducationschools.com/f...-education.php often distinguishes an EdD from a PhD.

It is sometimes the case that EdD and PhD programs only differ in the prestige associated with "PhD." There are a couple of programs that I can think of whose students were unhappy with being EdD recipients so they urged the department to switch to a PhD. This sometimes required little more than a change in title. In another case, the program had to add an additional graduation requirement because students expressed a desire to become researchers/professors versus becoming teachers/administrators/other type of practitioner. Some programs are considering moving to a strict PhD title and offering 2tracks because of this. More flexibility.

That's my suggestion.

The M.S. vs M.A. thing isn't important. Just look at each program's requirements.

Good luck.

Which is often what matters when you are looking for a job at a university (that and publishing).

I had thought of contacting the programs in which I am interested. First, I think I am going to take the GRE so I'll know what "tier" of school I will realistically be targeting.

Same for us :)

Well no program likes to be told their program sucks especially by someone seeking admission into it...

And professors, graduate students et al. have been known to contact other school's programs notifying them how this lunatic interested potential student wants to get into a graduate program... I've seen it done numerous times. Grad programs talk all the time...

So, since I work at a major University as faculty, I think I'd know what I am talking about on how to play this game and what it takes to be considered for admission to graduate school... Search my posts if you need to.

And I have gotten several people into Med Schools and Grad Schools due to my teaching methods...

GRE (as well as other standardized tests) are good and will allow you to knock on the door. But it is ultimately support by your department and all kinds of smarts that will retain you and allow you to graduate.

I would certainly never tell someone that their program sucks. Anyone who would lacks manners, common sense, and people skills. I am unconcerned about graduate programs contacting one another about me, as I will not be a "lunatic" if and when I contact them.

It's great for you that you are faculty at a major university and very nice of you to help others get into graduate programs. I appreciate the insight in your posts.

However, the fact remains that I was simply asking if other people on this board had any insight into which degrees (an MS/MA and a PhD v. an MEd and an EdD) would be better for one hoping to become a professor. Your answers, as full of information as they were, were nonresponsive to the actual question that I asked. Other posters responded to my actual question, which I appreciate.

Neither did I ask how to get into a program, nor for an explanation of the pedagogical, research, or workload differences in the degrees. I am aware of the admissions process and what a graduate degree entails, as I already have one.

I simply asked what degrees (once I have earned them) would be more beneficial for a career at the university level. I will obviously do more research before I start the admissions process.

Additionally, I am aware that my GRE score is only one component of my application and certainly will not be a factor in retention and graduation once I have entered a program. I will simply use my score as a way to narrow my search before I contact specific programs. There is no sense in contacting Columbia, Stanford, and Harvard if I score in the 400s on each section. That is all I was suggesting about the GRE

You said, "which is better": What does that mean to someone like me? The degree or program? The program makes the degree that is how a University system operates that way generally. And generally, they only educate those who will give back to them. So, your organizational skills in educational foundations and curricula--did you ACTUALLY SET UP a program--that is the kind of thing that will dictate what kind of program you want to get into toward your favored degree.

If you think that having a Doctorate is the end all be all in degrees for professorship... At my university I have seen differently already. So, by the time you get your application together and start submitting your applications, the ballgame will change on you...

Most professors in the future will probably be who does the best blogs on the internet. Most learning will occur long distance and on line. The activities to learn, like laboratory classes, will be offered as 3 week intensive course. And if robotics steps in, it will change a lot of it.

And in the endgame, it all depends on how you speak to your advisor or committee and they tell you about advancement to candidacy in any doctorate program. Some tests may not be graded...