EDUCATION DEGREES

Overview

East or West, developed or developing, secular or religious; wherever you go in the world, education is considered to be one of the central roles of society - and teaching, by extension, is considered almost universally to be one of the most noble and respectable professions. 
Like all such professions, it is a big job, for which practitioners must be trained to a high level using the latest techniques. Whether it’s the all-round skills needed to teach younger children or the subject-specific expertise necessary to train students preparing to enter higher education, it is crucial that teachers get it right.
Add on the pressures of dealing with young people facing the challenges of growing up, and you have a profession which is not for the faint-hearted. Ergo, neither are degrees in education.
Not all education degrees are of the teacher-training variety however. Many look at the system from the outside, analyzing current and past education systems and debating their strengths and flaws.
The goal of these courses is ultimately about improving education, drawing on research looking at everything from the way children learn to the best governmental structure for schools and how to keep the teachers themselves motivated.
Aside from the almost universal acknowledgement of its importance, attitudes and approaches to education differ around the world, and accordingly – except in special cases – you need to train where you intend to work.
Training methods also differ, with many countries concentrating teacher training at graduate level. As ever, then, it’s important to think carefully about your future plans before committing to a degree.
Studying at master's or PhD level? Read our graduate-level guide >

Specialization

Primary education: Primary school is a crucial stage in a young person’s mental and social development, and therefore being a primary school teacher is a big responsibly. However, it can also be very rewarding.
As well as studying the professional aspects of being a teacher, a degree in primary education will give you a basic grounding in the subjects you will be teaching your precocious charges. Courses will feature placements, so you’ll get a hands-on taste of the working world too.
Secondary education: Unlike the more general requirements of primary school teaching, secondary school teachers need to be fairly expert in their subject area – as you’ll know, young people can be pretty clever! Therefore, secondary school teacher training will need to take place alongside another subject.
Alternatively, you might complete a bachelor’s degree in the subject which you want to teach and then do a graduate qualification in teaching after. Placements will also form a key part of your training.
Education studies: Education studies is, as the name suggests, the study of education itself. It is an interdisciplinary subject, looking at things like the psychology of learning, the role played by societal and sociological factors, and the history of education.
Study this if you want to understand the bigger picture, and perhaps work towards changing it for the better – be it in an administrative, managerial or research capacity.
Special education: This is the branch of education which trains teachers to deal with students who have special needs. It is an extremely challenging discipline, as – even more than usual – each child will have their own specific individual needs.
But if you’re cut out for it, it can be very fulfilling, giving you an opportunity to make a real difference. And, by virtue of the fact that it is not for everyone, it can also offer very strong employment prospects.

Career Options

No matter what the economic climate, teachers will always be in demand. Training as one, therefore, will render you eminently employable. 
And you can add on to this that, in more than one country in the world, there is a noted shortage of teachers – particularly in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects. So if you’re looking to shore-up your career prospects, you could do a lot worse than to enter the teaching profession. 
The same applies for those working in education but not as teachers. Where there is mass teaching, an infrastructure will be required. 
Management, governance and administrative positions, as well as advisory roles will need to be filled. If you were truly dedicated to the improvement of teaching techniques, then a research career within the academy is also an option. 
Understanding the general principles of education can also be useful for those who work in any sort of position which involves working with young people, or generally sharing knowledge (think museum curators, for instance). 
Management, human resources, and research are also options for an education graduate.

Key Skills

A degree in education will furnish you with a number of skills, including:
• Vocationally inclined training for a career in the education sector
• People skills
• A framework for keeping up with an ever-evolving profession
• The ability to deal with sensitive issues in an informed manner
• Interdisciplinary skills
• Expertise in a subject or across a spectrum
• Firsthand experience of the field you’re about to enter
• Organization and planning skills

Masters in Bilingual Education: Alumna Profile

Since completing a Masters in Bilingual Education at Columbia University's Teachers College, Marie Bouteillon has worked as a bilingual kindergarten teacher in New York, spending her mornings in English and her afternoons in French.
"I have always loved working with students," says Marie, "and after hearing about the benefits of receiving a bilingual education, I became passionate about teaching students to read and write in two languages."
But Marie doesn't just work with any students. She's chosen to work at the PS 58 Carroll School in Brooklyn, as a kindergarten teacher, which means for eight hours a day she's surrounded by five and six year olds.
"My official title is French-English Kindergarten Teacher. I teach all subjects to one group of 24 five- and six-year olds. Half of my students are bilingual students and the other half only spoke English when they first entered the program in September 2007. I teach in French in the mornings and in English in the afternoons."
Teaching is known to be one of the most rewarding careers, but it takes patience, tolerance and a love of both education and children - the well behaved and the not-so-well behaved. For Marie, teaching also allows her to work with an amazing group of students, parents and colleagues. "Every day I learn something new. That's exactly why I chose teaching: I love being challenged on a daily basis."

Broad skills base

Her Master's in Bilingual Education from Columbia University taught Marie pedagogical skills, public speaking skills and classroom management skills. Skills that equipped her to work in the dual language programs the New York City Department of Education opened in Fall 2007. 
"At college, we were not only taught to teach, we were also trained to critically evaluate bilingual programs across the world. I used the knowledge and tools I had acquired at Teachers College to develop the French-English dual language program in Brooklyn."
Marie's involvement in bilingual education goes outside the classroom as well. "I work very closely with the French Embassy, my school administration and parents to expand the program. We have received a lot of demand from both Francophone and Anglophone parents to increase the size of the dual language program.
"As a result, I have secured French books for the classrooms and the school library.  So far, we have received over 700 books from the French Embassy and another 100 donated by parents or Education Francaise a New York (EFNY), a French parent association."

Spreading the word

Marie has also been responsible for informing new teachers about the program and for the last six months has been working in what she fondly calls "a fish bowl".
"We were filmed by TF1, the number one French television channel, on the first day of school, and the CUNY TV Service. I have welcomed many educators and researchers from France and the United States to observe my classroom and I've also introduced three French Senators to our wonderful work."
But with any job there are challenges that must be faced and Marie says her biggest challenge to date has been meeting the requirements of a new legislation passed in 2001 by the US Congress.
"No Child Left Behind (or NCLB) is a legislation that was put in place to hold schools accountable for student progress. Unfortunately, policymakers - few of which ever worked in a classroom - created it, and it set unrealistic expectations for our students. This has required teachers to record everything and anything they do with children - an enormous amount of paperwork. I truly hope the law is amended or abolished soon."
Marie says that teachers are a scarce resource in the US and that more and more positions are offered in bilingual education each year with very few people being qualified for the jobs. "Teaching is a profession where connections help you get into good schools. It's also a profession where you often find solutions outside of your classroom: by doing research on it or talking to colleagues. It really is a field where a master's degree can only enhance the quality of your professional life."
More about studying education at graduate level >