Find a Job You Really Want In
The majority of people who get a master’s in education plan to become teachers. However, that’s not the only career path that you can take with that degree. There are many education-related jobs that are obtainable with a master’s in education. And depending on what your bachelor’s degree was in, there are other, more diverse options open as well.
Teaching also isn’t restricted to schools. People need training to do their jobs well, which is a form of teaching, and there are other specialized types of training as well. A degree in education also opens you up to work with children in many different settings.
Key Takeaways:
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A master’s in education opens up opportunities in teaching, education, training, and social work.
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Jobs in the education field tend not to pay well. There are exceptions to that, but as a rule, it isn’t a master’s to pursue if remuneration is the main driver of your career.
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As expected, the majority of careers that you can go into with an education degree are going to be centered around people. That means you need excellent soft skills, like communication, patience, and interpersonal skills.
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Education is generally considered in equal measures rewarding and challenging. As it is, many are said to be leaving the profession, which, while it opens up jobs for new graduates, may cause you to think about how much a career in education calls to you.
10 Best-Paying Jobs for People With a Master’s in Education
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Average Annual Salary: $77,000
This is a specialist HR position. Training specialists are responsible for training new employees in specific areas. To that end, they are also the ones who come up with the training materials. Additionally, they may need to gauge how much knowledge a new employee already has and alter their training program to suit that.
This job involves a lot of analysis as well, as training specialists are also responsible for determining whether or not the training programs are successful. As with most specialist positions, they’re also expected to stay up to date on the latest research and new training techniques.
Required Skills: Strong communication skills, ability to explain complex subjects to laypersons, and analytical skills.
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Average Annual Salary: $83,000
Unlike professors, adjunct faculty are often contractors, though they can also be part-time. They typically teach either introductory or preparatory courses rather than more advanced ones and are based on a semesterly or yearly arrangement. You’ll need to both teach your students and plan out lessons and in-class activities.
Required Skills: Time management, instructional ability, good communication skills, observational ability, and expertise in your subject matter.
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Average Annual Salary: $53,000
As the name suggests, curriculum developers help create curricula. While many of them have teaching experience, it isn’t necessarily a requirement. They provide recommendations to teachers and alter the curriculum to make sure it meets the current standards.
A fair amount of this job will be given and taken by teachers. You will need to be open to suggestions and questions about curriculum changes and learning standards. There will likely be pushback to procedural changes as well, which you’ll need to be able to manage.
Required skills: In-depth knowledge of the education system, strong communication skills, organizational ability, and listening skills.
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Average Annual Salary: $76,000
Clinical nurse educators instruct other nurses. This career path will really only be open to you if your undergraduate degree is in nursing, as the majority of the time, experience as a nurse is a must for this position. People in this role perform the standard teaching duties: educating, monitoring, and testing their students’ knowledge.
Required Skills: Strong communication skills, interpersonal skills, observational ability, and empathy.
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Average Annual Salary: $75,000
Epic is the most popular healthcare record system on the market today. As an Epic credentialed trainer, your main responsibility is to train medical personnel in the best ways to use the system effectively. You will also be responsible for upgrading the system and instructing the clients on the changes.
Generally speaking, Epic prefers that their trainers have healthcare experience or a degree in the field, but there are exceptions to this rule. In addition, there is a training program you must go through and an exam you must pass before being credentialed.
Required Skills: Computer literacy, good communication skills, patience, time management, and willingness to travel.
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Average Annual Salary: $80,000
As the title implies, someone in this position manages part of the HR department in a business. This will include being involved in recruiting, hiring, benefits distribution, and responding to any employee complaints.
HR is a very people-centric career path. You need to be able to diffuse disputes, be aware of all employment laws, and keep track of private information accurately and confidentially.
Required Skills: Good communication skills, interpersonal skills, organizational ability, and the ability to keep information strictly confidential.
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Average Annual Salary: $104,000
A marketing manager manages the marketing department – or a part of it, depending on the size of the business. Marketing is all about branding. You will lead your team in keeping a consistent brand and image for your product, as well as working with other departments as needed.
Required Skills: Strong verbal and written communication skills, an emphasis on aesthetics, and attention to detail.
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Average Annual Salary: $55,000
At least a bachelor’s degree is a requirement to become a therapist, and it can be in any relevant topic – including education. Therapists need additional training and some experience – usually as case managers. Your main job is to listen to your clients and help propose solutions to their problems.
Required Skills: Excellent communication skills, seriousness about confidentiality, and an interest in helping others.
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Average Annual Salary: $50,000
As the name suggests, executive assistants assist executives. This assistance can range in scope greatly, but it often includes setting up meetings, reminding executives of their schedules, and dealing with paperwork and documents. Executive assistants keep track of and keep the executives organized and on schedule.
Required Skills: Strong organizational skills, communication skills, and being familiar with the company and the executives they assist.
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Average Annual Salary: $62,000
As a speech-language pathologist, you are an expert in language and speech disorders. Your main duties would be to diagnose both children and adults with speech disorders and generate treatment plans to help them overcome them. As each patient is unique, it can require some creativity to create the best treatment plan.
The majority of speech-language pathologists find their work incredibly rewarding as they’re able to help people overcome their struggles. It’s a job that requires a lot of observation, assessment, and analysis.
Required Skills: Analytical skills, observational ability, good communication skills, patience, and empathy.
10 Entry-Level Jobs for People With a Master’s in Education
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Average Annual Salary: $33,000
Preschool teachers work with children younger than five. Most of your duties will revolve around caring for your young charges, but you will also work on basic instruction skills, such as learning to read, basic arithmetic, and social skills. Preschool is vital to most parents as it’s a way for their kids to have quality childcare while they’re at work.
Required skills: Patience, familiarity with young children, communication skills, and it helps to be first aid and CPR certified.
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Average Annual Salary: $48,000
Most students only really dealt with a guidance counselor if they were in trouble or planning to go to college. However, guidance counselors have a suite of responsibilities that involve taking care of students. They will offer mental, academic, and emotional support. They’re also familiar with administrative issues, so they can correct problems.
Required Skills: Patience, empathy, communication skills, knowledge of colleges and the application process, and analytical skills.
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Average Annual Salary: $35,000
This is an administrative position. School secretaries take care of maintaining paperwork and the school calendar, as well as answering the phone and responding to inquiries. They will also welcome visitors to the school, in addition to making announcements and taking care of other administrative duties as needed.
Required Skills: Strong organizational ability, customer service skills, communications skills, and patience.
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Average Annual Salary: $29,000
As the name implies, teacher’s aides assist teachers in the classroom. Their duties can vary wildly and from day to day but include helping set up the classroom, assisting students with class activities, and sourcing materials needed for a lesson. They may also guide a part of the class during a lesson or activity.
Depending on the class and age of the students, a teacher’s aide may help with behavioral issues, hygiene, or administering needed medications to students.
Required Skills: Strong communication skills, observational skills, empathy, knowledge of child development, and patience.
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Average Annual Salary: $36,000
Someone in this position usually works with at-risk youth. Most youth counselors will help young people work through the problems in their lives, as well as offer additional resources where applicable. They often work for a charitable organization, but they will also sometimes be employed at a summer camp or other similar establishments.
Required Skills: Empathy, patience, strong communication skills, the ability to build trust, and it helps to be certified in first aid, CPR, and other emergency aid.
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Average Annual Salary: $50,000
Social workers help others. There are many types of social workers, from those working in foster care to addiction treatment to those working with at-risk youth. You will need to get to know your clients, gain their trust, and do your best to get them the assistance they need, whether it’s new housing, additional financial support, or navigating legal pitfalls.
Required Skills: Strong communication skills, empathy, and patience. It’s also helpful to be CPR and first aid certified.
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Average Annual Salary: $52,000
As an elementary school teacher, you would work with children from kindergarten to fifth grade – though most teachers are assigned to a single grade. You’d be responsible for your class, both in their emotional and educational growth, as well as keeping them safe while in your care.
Teachers also develop lesson plans, observe their students’ learning, and correspond with parents where needed. While only in the classroom for part of the day, they still work a full-time schedule with classroom and lesson prep, as well as caring for their students.
Required Skills: Patience, interpersonal skills, communication skills, leadership ability, and observational skills.
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Average Annual Salary: $44,000
A facilitator’s main job is planning. They are the ones who take a program and deal with all the logical aspects of it, as well as making sure everyone is doing everything they should be. They keep events organized and on track, which requires checking up on different people on a regular basis. In a sense, they’re a type of manager.
Required Skills: Strong organizational ability, communication skills, time management, interpersonal skills, and the ability to multitask.
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Average Annual Salary: $33,000
Tutors assist students with their classroom lessons. Most tutors work with students on a part-time basis, helping them with the subjects that they struggle with. However, they can also help them if they’ve exceeded their expected learning level. Many tutors have additional jobs, but it is possible to be one full-time.
Required Skills: Time management, communication skills, knowledge of lessons, and interpersonal skills.
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Average Annual Salary: $55,000
As the name implies, reading teachers specialize in teaching reading skills. They often work with very young children to help them learn to recognize letters. However, they are also equipped to work with older students who may have difficulty reading due to disabilities such as dyslexia.
Required Skills: Patience, empathy, communication skills, and instructional ability.
Education Master’s Degree Options
While the majority of us think of teachers when someone brings up education, there are myriad other aspects to the education system. There’s the bureaucratic process of running the schools and districts, analysis, and building of curricula, and deciding on what students need to know and understand in different grades.
If you’re not sure whether to pursue an education degree, here are some other options to look into instead.
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Educational Administration. This degree is perfect for you if you’re interested in the administrative side of the education system. If you’d prefer to work on running the school rather than running a classroom, then this is an excellent choice.
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Student Counseling. This primarily leads you to become a guidance counselor, but there are other options as well, such as a youth counselor, or social worker.
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Developmental Psychology. While not focused on education, developmental psychology looks into how the mind develops as children grow up. In many cases, it can serve a similar purpose.
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Curriculum and Instruction. If you’re interested in how curricula are derived and the process of instruction, then this should be your focus. The creation of curricula is crucial to the teaching process, especially when we want children to get similar educations nationwide.
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Multilingual Education. This is largely for those interested in teaching students a foreign language, such as Spanish class in high school. However, more preschools are moving towards working on teaching young children a second language, and this would be beneficial for that as well.
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Educational Assessment. Someone has to determine whether or not the current curricula and teaching methods are effective. That is what assessments are about. It’s how people determine how well students are learning and if they’ve learned what they need to.
Master’s in Education Jobs FAQ
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What can you do with a master’s degree in education?
The primary job for those with a master’s in education is a teacher, but it also opens doors to other jobs in the education system, as well as those based on instruction. A master’s in education doesn’t limit you to education entirely, either, as you’d still be qualified for jobs in marketing, PR, and HR.
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What skills do you need for education jobs?
As the majority of careers you get with an education degree are focused on people, soft skills are paramount. Communication skills, interpersonal skills, patience, and organizational ability are the main skills you’re going to want to have.
If you wish to be a teacher or instructor, then it’s also important to have leadership skills. Being able to get a class to listen to you and follow your instructions will be necessary in order to do your job.
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Do employees with a master’s in education get paid more?
Education isn’t a degree that’s paid well, so that means that those with a master’s in education don’t necessarily make more money than those with a bachelor’s. Of course, there are myriad factors involved in this, but as a rule, if you choose to pursue a master’s in education, it shouldn’t be because you’re seeking higher pay.
Author
Di has been a writer for more than half her life. Most of her writing so far has been fiction, and she’s gotten short stories published in online magazines Kzine and Silver Blade, as well as a flash fiction piece in the Bookends review. Di graduated from Mary Baldwin College (now University) with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.
