Five Year M.Ed job placement

College Majors Education Majors
1

<p>Hello, all.</p>

<p>I am a history major at the College of William & Mary and have just finished my first year. I was hoping to go into secondary education for at least a few years as a social studies teacher. W&M has two degree options for secondary school certification: the regular undergraduate program that leads to a BA in history with secondary school certification, and a five year program that leads to a BA in History and a MA of Education. I came in with enough AP credits to complete the five year program in four years, which I was planning on doing. However, I've been advised by relatives that completing a masters in education without previous teaching experience is going to decrease my hireability after I graduate. Is there any validity to this statement? I'd ideally like to teach in Virginia or my home state of NJ, but I'm pretty flexible geographically as long as I remain on the East Coast.</p>

2

<p>Just a thought. 1) Find and talk to a good academic advisor. 2) Can you set yourself up to complete your BA in history in three years and get accepted in the Teach for America program? In five years you could have a degree + two years of teaching experience + a credential + scholarship money for the MA in Education + an excellent network for success as an educator + other opportunities. 3) If you aren’t accepted, complete the credential in four years while looking for a good job. (You could also try TfA again.) By then you’ll have a better idea if you want the MAE.</p>

3

<p>It appears things in NJ are breaking open for teachers. My D has one offer in hand, is a finalist in another and has just received a call to set up an interview in a third district. The district were she was hired has offers out to both teachers with bachelors as well as master degrees. She teaches English.</p>