5 Ways You Can Reshape Your Professional Growth with a Master’s Degree in Adult Education

If you have a passion for education and believe that you truly never stop learning, then a career in adult education is the one for you! If you’re looking to reshape your professional growth and make a meaningful impact on the lives of many, starting your Master’s Degree in Adult Education could be an amazing way to advance your educational and professional development. As a teacher, it is your responsibility to assist your students and find ways to utilize instructional strategies to teach them information about things they have little to no knowledge about. With this degree, you will be their helping hand and ultimate guide on their path to learning.

Adult Education focuses on teaching adults who are seeking different types of formal education. This program is not based around the nation's K-12 system, but rather focuses on adult basic education and helping older students by using different learning styles. For example, English as a second language, life-long learning related to health and wellness, workforce issues, career development and even becoming a G.E.D. instructor are all viable options when considering your Master's Degree in Adult Education.

Do you already have a degree in education and are looking to further your learning within the field? If so, pursuing your Master's Degree in Adult Education could be the way to acquire the skills necessary to reshape your professional growth.

1. Maximize Your Earning Potential With Your Master’s Degree in Adult Education

The more you learn, the more you can earn!

More often than not, individuals go back to school for their master’s degree to study a specific area of expertise or to potentially maximize their income within a specific industry. Voluntarily increasing your knowledge gives you more insight into a specific field. By receiving your master’s degree, you could become a valuable candidate for higher salary earnings. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2013, the median annual wage for full-time workers ages 25 and over whose highest level of education was a master’s degree was $68,000 compared with $56,000 for those whose highest level was a bachelor’s degree. That’s a $12,000-a-year wage premium.[1] Although this is a generic example for graduate degrees and not specific to your Master’s Degree in Adult Education, it could help give you insight into the difference between salaries between a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree. The potential for higher wages is just one of the many factors to consider prior to embarking on your journey to receiving your Master’s Degree in Adult Education.

2. Seek Career Advancement | What an Online Master’s Degree in Adult Education Could Do For You

The knowledge you acquire during our adult education classes online or in a classroom could also be valuable for career advancement. Your master’s degree shows that you are a dedicated individual who is interested in advancing within your field of study and career. A master’s degree also shows your employer that you are willing to go the extra mile to reach your goals. The promotion of your skillset through continued education could help you stand out in the crowd if an opportunity comes along for career advancement!

Some other important qualities that highlight your achievements are:[2]

• Communication skills
• Collaborating with colleagues and administrators
• Explaining concepts in terms students can understand
• Cultural sensitivity
• Respecting students’ backgrounds
• Understanding student concerns
• Patience
• Comprehending different students’ abilities and backgrounds
• Demonstrating patience when students struggle
• Resourcefulness
• Thinking and acting quickly
• Engaging students
• Differentiating instruction

Interested in discovering what a Master’s in Adult Education has to offer? Learn more today!

3. Grow Your Professional and Social Network

Being a part of a community that is committed to lifelong learning could be both enlightening and helpful in the growth of your career. Your Master’s Degree in Adult Education coursework will expose you to a broadened professional and social network through a variety of classroom and campus experiences! You are constantly learning by meeting and interacting with professors, instructors and your peers as well. Each member of our community stems from a variety of professional backgrounds and are eager to share their knowledge and experiences. By interacting with these individuals, you gain knowledge and skills necessary for when it is time to enter the workforce. By demonstrating a strong work ethic during your Adult Education Degree program, you are showing that you are committed to your goals, which is something professors and advisors admire about students.

4. Be a Viable Candidate for Jobs that Require an Adult Education Degree

Acquiring an M.Ed. could help you reach your career goals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, community colleges may even prefer to hire those with a master’s degree for Adult Literacy and High School Equivalency Diploma teachers (a common career path for adult education degree holders).[3] With your Master’s in Adult Education, you could be at the forefront for consideration in jobs you are applying for! A few common outcomes for those who have received their Master’s Degree in Adult Education include:

• Adult education in churches
• Adult Literacy and High School Equivalency Diploma Teachers
• Education, training and library occupations
• And many more!

5. Allow your Curiosity for Learning to Grow

Teachers are lifelong learners. Furthering your education level to that of an M.Ed. gives you the opportunity to explore a specific area of study in depth. If you are determined and passionate to continue to learn within your area of expertise, then pursuing your Master’s Degree in Adult Education could give you what you're looking for! A bachelor’s degree may not have allowed you to explore all the nooks and crannies of the educational world. Picking back up where you left off by obtaining your M.Ed. could be the way to fulfill these interests. Expanding your curiosity for learning is a step in the right direction toward reshaping your professional growth.

Pursue Your Passion for Learning and Professional Growth in a Master’s Degree in Adult Education Program!

You can begin reshaping your professional growth at Ashland’s University’s Dwight Schar College of Education. Ashland University’s Dwight Schar College of Education carries a rich teacher training history and displays a mission to help prepare pre-service and practicing teachers, administrators and human service personnel. During the Master’s Degree in Adult Education program, our professors are focused on the students’ deep comprehension of different teaching and learning styles for adults.

Our online Master's Degree in Adult Education program focuses on our students’ ever-changing needs and responsibilities. This program can be completed entirely online, entirely face-to-face or in a mixed format for those who qualify. Whichever you choose, the schedule allow you to maintain your personal commitments while striving towards reaching your goal of attaining a master’s degree.

Here at Ashland, we are dedicated to the concept of a learning community, which aspires to plan for the future and share knowledge. Our Master’s Degree in Adult Education offers:

• A fifteen hour graduate core that meets the national standards for Graduate Programs in Adult Education
• Specialized coursework where students can design their own career-focused cognate with advisement from Ashland’s faculty
• Experienced instructors who are focused on helping you grow as an educator

Ashland’s Master’s in Education program is one of the largest programs in the state. Our graduate students are exceptionally dedicated to their studies, and earning your Master’s Degree in Adult Education at Ashland University could advance your career by helping you obtain the skills and credentials that employers desire! Teaching adult learners could be a highly satisfying career. By teaching adult learners, you have the opportunity to make a positive contribution to society by helping others learn, even into adulthood.

Whether you’re looking to maximize your earning potential, advance your career, grow your professional network, become a more viable job candidate or just continue your education, Ashland University’s Master’s Degree in Adult Education Program is the one for you! Come join us and teach anywhere, anytime at Ashland!

A Master’s Degree in Adult Education may be what you’re looking for! Why wait any longer? Here, at Ashland University, we could assist in reshaping your professional growth!

Call 419-289-5738 to get started!

[1] bls. gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/should-i-get-a-masters-degree.htm

[2] bls. gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/adult-literacy-and-ged-teachers.htm#tab-4

[3] bls. gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/adult-literacy-and-ged-teachers.htm#tab-4