With a passion for education and the desire to work with middle or high school students, a degree option for career advancement and gaining additional knowledge in instruction can be obtained through completion of a Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Education. There are a number of options for completing this degree, enabling educators to find the right path for their personal and professional goals.
Careers with a Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Education
Graduates with a Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Education will be prepared to work in classrooms and help students from grades 6 to 12 learn various subjects. In each program, an educator or future educator will complete not only courses in education but also courses in a degree specific area, which is required for certification and licensure in states throughout the country. For additional information on licensing requirements for secondary education teachers, visit the National Education Association website.
Different institutions may have different subject specific opportunities for future secondary educators. Common options include science, physics, English, mathematics, social studies, music, and foreign language. Other institutions might offer more specialized programs such as computer science, business, and art education.
Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Education Curriculum
Future educators at the secondary level who are pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching will complete a number of education course work. Examples of these courses include educational structure, human development, adolescent cognitive behaviors, contemporary perspectives in education, educational psychology, and teaching at the secondary level.
Additional course work might also include courses such as urban education policies, teaching ESL learners, data driven instruction, special education frameworks, teaching exceptional learners, and diagnostic assessment. These types of courses are helpful for preparing educators to handle a number of different classroom situations and student needs in order to best ensure the ability to help each and every student be successful throughout middle and high school.
Secondary education teachers are also required to specialize in one specific subject area in order to be highly qualified and meet the requirements for licensure in public school systems. Subject specific area courses might include English and mathematics, for example. English educators enrolled in these graduate programs might take courses such as adolescent literature, comprehension and content reading, Shakespeare, and literary criticism. Mathematics educators, on the other hand, would complete courses such as calculus, geometry, discrete mathematics, statistics and probability, and the history of mathematics to fulfill the subject specific requirements to complete this graduate degree.
Additional Requirements
Like an undergraduate degree, most master’s programs in education also require the completion of observation and field work hours in a classroom. This enables educators to gain knowledge in various settings and environments, while also observing different perspectives from other professionals in the field. In addition, graduate students in this program also complete a semester of student teaching. In most states, completion of these requirements is necessary in order to meet the qualifications for licensure.
Related Resource: Master of Educational Leadership
Whether looking to work in a middle school or high school, the Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Education gives educators the opportunity to gain advanced knowledge and skill in order to lead a classroom and effectively ensure that all secondary students get the best possible education.