Online Colleges for Education (General)

Education Online Colleges

Traditional and online education programs offer a variety of degrees related to teaching, administration and other aspects of education. Some schools offer associate degree programs in education to prepare students for bachelor's programs or to equip them with an education credential to supplement a degree in another subject. To become an elementary or secondary school teacher, it's not necessary to have a bachelor's degree specifically in education. However, a bachelor's degree in some subject plus a teaching certification is generally required to teach in public schools. Colleges and universities often offer teacher certification programs for those who have an undergraduate degree and want to transition into a teaching career. Other certificate programs equip established professionals with knowledge and skills related to a specific aspect of the education industry, such as how to best incorporate technology in the classroom. Undergraduate and advanced programs offer broad-based degrees like the Education Specialist degree, which will prepare students to lead schools or spearhead the education efforts of large organizations. There are also more specific degrees, like the master of education in corporate training, which focuses on how to design and lead training programs for businesses. To work in other areas within the education sector, you might not get an education degree. If you're interested in filling an administrative assistant role at a school or other educational organization, you might get an administrative assistant associate of applied science degree. School counselors generally need a master's degree, which are sometimes offered through a school's psychology or human services program, and librarians typically hold a master's degree in library science. Many schools offer online education degrees, but these programs often place students in area schools for in-classroom training, particularly students who are pursuing a teaching degree.

For the education services sector as a whole, the BLS predicts job growth of 12 percent between 2008 and 2018. This expansion could be driven by rising student enrollment as well as retirement of current workers. Retirements are expected to be especially numerous among librarians and education administrators, as the BLS reports 65 percent of librarians and about 57 percent of administrators were older than 65 in 2008. The 2010 mean annual wage for elementary school teachers was $54,330; for secondary school teachers, $55,990; for school administrators, $89,990; for educational counselors, $55,970; and for vocational educators working for business and related organizations, $64,340. As you can see, there are a number of options when it comes to the education field and an online education is one way to help you get there.

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