Graduate programs in the field of education are offered in U.S. colleges and universities at the master's, specialist, and doctoral levels. Like graduate programs in other disciplines and fields of study, graduate programs in education require baccalaureate degrees as a prerequisite. Degrees are typically awarded after students complete specified program requirements.
From 1997 to 1998 education was the most popular field of study at the master's and doctoral level. According to the U.S. Department of Education, slightly more than one-quarter (114,691) of the 430,164 master's degrees awarded in 1997 to 1998 were in the field of education, and at the doctoral level, approximately 15 percent (6,729) of the 46,010 doctoral degrees awarded were in education. Men earned slightly fewer than one-quarter of the master's degrees (24%) awarded in 1997 to 1998 and at the doctoral level men earned 37 percent of the degrees. Whites represented 77 percent of the master's degree recipients in 1997 to 1998, followed by black non-Hispanics (9%), Hispanics (4%), non-resident aliens (3%), Asian or Pacific Islanders (2%) and American Indian/Alaskan Natives (1%), with students who did not report their race/ethnicity representing 5 percent of master's degree recipients. At the doctoral level, whites earned 71 percent of the doctoral degrees, followed by black non-Hispanics (11%), nonresident aliens (8%), Hispanics (4%), Asian or Pacific Islanders (2%), American Indian/Alaskan Natives (1%) and students who did not report their race/ethnicity represented 3 percent.
Education Degrees
Similar to psychology and social work, but unlike many other graduate-level fields of study, students who enroll in education graduate programs choose between a research path and a professional practice path and in some cases, a path that combines research and practice. Traditionally, the research path is designed for people who want to examine and evaluate educational practices and research, with the goal of preparing students to become college faculty or researchers, while the professional path is designed for people who wish to practice in the field in positions such as school principal, school superintendent, chief financial officer within a primary or secondary school, a dean of admissions, or a dean of student affairs at a college or university. This difference between the applied and the research-oriented degree is reflected in the types of degrees. The master of education (Ed.M.), the specialist in education (Ed.S), a degree intended for teachers, counselors, and administrators who wish to pursue graduate study beyond the master's level, and the doctor of education (Ed.D.) programs prepare students to apply knowledge and scholarship toward addressing problems in educational settings. In contrast the master of arts (M.A.), the master of science (M.S.), the master of arts in teaching (M.A.T), the master of science in education (M.S.Ed.), the doctor of arts (D.A.), which is intended to develop pedagogical skills along with scholarly achievement and research excellence, and the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) programs prepare students to engage in research and scholarship on education to create knowledge.
Certificate programs are yet another post-baccalaureate educational option. Examples of some of the certificates include a post-baccalaureate certificate program (nondegree) and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS). Most candidates for the CAGS have earned a master's degree. The CAGS often serves one of the following two purposes: (1) an end goal for individuals who seek advanced training without having the pressure or the time commitment of a doctoral degree program or (2) an intermediary step before students formally apply to a doctoral program.
Graduate education instructional programs cover the spectrum of the educational landscape from pre-kindergarten to adult education. The National Center for Education Statistics Classification of Instructional Programs has classified fifteen program of instruction areas in education:
education, general
bilingual, multilingual, and multicultural education
curriculum and instruction
educational administration and supervision
educational/instructional media design
educational assessment, evaluation, and research
international and comparative education
social and philosophical foundations of education
special education and teaching
student counseling and personnel services
teacher education and professional development: specific levels and methods
teacher education and professional development: specific subject areas
teaching English or French as a second or foreign language
teaching assistants/aides
education, other
Within each of these sixteen categories are finer classifications of areas of instruction.
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