I'm about 95% thinking about going back and starting (i'm 25 so i figure i should start now before i don't want to do the student thing anymore). anyway, i don't know what to get it in....my degrees are B.A. in Mathematics and M.A. in Math Education. My ultimate career goal is either Department chair (not prinicipal or other administrator because I want to be able to still teach) or college/university professor. So which Ph.D/Ed.D leaves me with the most flexibility for any of these options. Curriculum & Teaching Educational Administration Educational Research my other option is Ph.D in Mathematics, but since my masters degree is in education i will have to take a bunch of graduate level math courses to make up for my lack of masters....or I could just get a second masters degree in mathematics. so anyway, which one is the best for my particular career path? Thanks for the advice!
I'm of no help. I have two masters: and MAT in History and an MEd in Administration. My PhD is in History.
Educational administration is going to give you principal and maybe superintendent certs. That's probably not what you want, although it will give you a lot of info into how the profession works. It's doubtful that you would need anything like this to be a department chair. A chair would probably be expected to work more one on one with the curriculum, so that's probably your best bet. It will also be valuable if you want to teach teachers at the college level. Ed research would probably only be useful if you were doing more behinds the scene types of work at a university or government agency. You probably wouldn't be teaching so much. I am applying for mine in December and I am looking at a Education policy program as my top pick.
well, you are of help...you have two masters. that was one of my options. do you think it would be worthwhile for me to get a second masters M.S. in Mathematics and maybe later get a Ph.D in something else? or should I just go for the Ph.D in an educational field right away? If you were hiring a mathematics dept. chair, what would be more appealing to you?
yea, i don't want principal or superintendent cert...i have no interest in either position. So maybe curriculum is what i am looking for...is their a separate certification for dept. chair that i could apply for after i get my Ph.D? also, if i was to be a university professor, it would be when I am like late 30s - early 40s after i've taught for a while and I would LOVE to teach teaching...but mostly, teaching math...which is my passion....so would a ph.d in C&T be useful for that?
You might be able to find a phd in math education, if you want to teach math teachers. But of the three you listed, C&T is probably your best choice. And I am sure you will be able to include special interests in your program as you do your dissertation. I have only taught in DE and PA and I was a dept chair in DE, and I have never heard of anyone needing certification to be a dept chair. Some larger districts have a supervisor/coach for each subject area - that sounds like something you might be interested in as well - but even for that you wouldn't need a PhD or special certification, and the C&T would probably be the best degree there as well.
I just completed a MS in math/stat program. I will tell ya, an MS in math will kick anyone's booty. Even now (6 months after graduation) my brain is still tired of thinking, haha! Is there a C&T program in your area? I went to a university that specialized in education. There were lots of professors on the faculty that had a masters and phd in ed, but specialized in math education. They taught the math education classes. If you want to get your phd, that's what I would recommend for you. It would incorporate everything you've worked hard on, but also let you work on things you like.
I'm working on my Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction. In fact, I'll very soon be asking for help with my survey on Teacher of the Year awards. I plan to stay in the classroom, although I could be a curriculum director.
I also went the two masters option. My first masters is in American & British literature. I finished it a couple of months after my 26th birthday. I was looking in a PhD or EdD program, but ended up changing my mind. I couldn't really decide on an area. I ended up getting sidetracked by buying a "fixer-upper" house, meeting my DH, getting married, and dealing with a near-fatal illness. When I was 34, I started on my second masters. It is in creative writing. I'm not finished yet. I'm getting classes FREE by having student teachers and interns. I get one class for every student teacher and two classes for every intern. My goal is to get my degree for free. I really plan on staying in the classroom, which is why a lot of the PhD and EdD programs weren't all that interesting to me. I even left the education department for my masters programs for the same reason.
Fonz, you're smart to do this now. I wish I had done this in my late 20s but I didn't start teaching till age 27. I'm 45 now - I don't have children of my own, and my husband travels often for work, yet it is still very demanding to teach all day and then work on this Ed.D. Do it while you're young and have more energy, and fewer distractions.
The Fonz, good for you on wanting to get on it ASAP! I want to probably get a PhD someday too. I have an MA in Education w/ Special Ed emphasis & I'm now back in grad school working on my MS in Communication Disorders & Sciences w/ emphasis in Speech-Language Pathology. (My BA is in Behavioral Science & I have 2 teaching credentials in Multiple Subjects & Mild/Moderate Disabilities).
Honestly, for department chairs I look for as much experience and subject knowledge as possible. My PhD was something I always wanted to do so I got it in history my true passion. My second masters in es d. leadership was when I was younger and figured I wanted to be an AP.my best advice is to teach as many courses as possible so you have lots of experience.
lol...then i am already on top of the game...after the end of 2011-2012 year i will have taught every high school math offered. pre-algebra, algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2 & trig, pre-calc, AP Stat, and AP Calc.
