<p>I'm wondering if anyone has advice/opinions about how much a grad school's "prestige" and name-value matters in terms of getting a master's degree in education (elementary or secondary, I'm still deciding). Will attending a more prestigious grad school affect my job prospects?</p>
<p>I certainly appreciated the quality of education I received at an Ivy in undergrad. I did very well academically, and I have some teaching experience under my belt, so I think I have a fighting chance getting into schools like Columbia Teacher's College and the like, but going to a state school would be so, so much cheaper.</p>
<p>It may affect your prospects a little, especially if you are planning on going into education leadership. I mean, even when applying for teaching jobs, it’ll never hurt you to have TC on your resume.</p>
<p>HOWEVER. If you are trying to be a teacher - any kind of teacher, but especially one in a critical field like math, science, bilingual education or special education - just opt for the M.Ed from the less expensive place. Teachers certainly don’t make enough to pay back TC-type loans, and most places will hire public uni graduates at the same rate as graduates from other top privates. And there are some very good public unis that offer M.Eds; the fact that they’re public doesn’t necessarily mean that they are lesser.</p>
<p>You don’t need to get an Ivy League master’s in order to be a teacher.</p>
<p>Get your education master’s in the region you want to teach. Some states prefer graduates from certain universities. Unless you’re planning to work as a professor or program officer for a foundation, it does not matter where you get your education master’s for teaching certification.</p>