Would it be better if I double major in elementary education now or wait to get a Masters of Arts...

Graduate School
1

<p>I'm not exactly sure where to ask this question but here it is: would it be better if I double major in elementary education now as an undergrad or wait to get a Masters of Arts in Teaching for Elementary Education. I'm in my third year with senior credits and definitely want to change my path to teaching. I don't know if I would have enough credits to get a Bachelor's in Education now or if it would be better to apply for a Masters of Arts in Teaching? I have Spring 2015-Spring 2016 where I know I'm covered financially (with financial aid) for classes but expect if I double major my time will be extended another year or two. What would be the better option? </p>

2

<p>It would probably be better for you to get an MAT (or M.Ed).</p>

<p>Most MATs I’ve seen have been around 1-1.5 years; M.Eds tend to be 2. If you are a third-year senior now, let’s assume that if you added an elementary education major you’d be around for an additional 1.5-2 years (because you’d have to do a semester of student teaching, so you’d be cramming all of your new major courses into 3 additional semesters.</p>

<p>MA holders get paid more than BA holders, though, and many school districts are now requiring that elementary education teachers obtain an MA after a certain number of years anyway. If you are going to spend an additional 2 years in school, you might as well spend it getting the master’s instead of the bachelor’s.</p>

<p>The one caveat is that there is usually more financial aid available for undergrad first bachelor’s degrees. So if you are at an inexpensive public or have significant financial aid coverage that will extend for a fifth year of college, for example, it might make more financial sense to stay where you are. If you have federal grants like Pell that are covering you and will last 2 more years, it may make sense to do the BA in elementary ed now, and get the MA paid for you while you are working as a teacher. But if you would be paying for that additional year to year and a half, the MA would be the better investment.</p>

<p>My other piece of advice: teachers don’t need degrees from fancy grad schools, so if you do an MAT or M.Ed in elementary ed, it probably makes the most sense to go back to your home state and do it at a public institution there.</p>