Earning My Masters Degree in Education

When I decided to get my master's degree, it was a big leap of faith for me. I had recently recovered from a bout with breast cancer and had three children in elementary school. With a full-time teaching job and an active family, I knew my time would be limited and the approximate $10,000 cost of receiving a master's degree in education would mean our family's budget would be stretched.

We have an older staff in the building where I teach and the majority of teachers already had their master's degrees. Most of them are women with families and busy lives. This was my best indication that this goal that would be attainable for me.

Both Minnesota State University-Mankato and St. Mary's University of Winona and Minneapolis in Minnesota offer master's programs in remote locations when there is a demand for the program. They periodically send emails to the teachers in our school to see if there is enough interest to form a cohort to complete a master's in our town or a nearby town.

These master's programs typically last eighteen months with classes being held one evening per week and on Saturdays. The course of study generally concludes with a thesis, alternate plan paper, project and/or portfolio and presentation.

The thought of committing to an intense eighteen month program of this nature and paying the cost of the degree upfront were daunting to me. It was something I often thought about doing but just couldn't seem to take the plunge.

One day I received a brochure in the mail from Minnesota State University-Mankato outlining their new online master's degree program in literacy studies. In this program, classes are taken online and the pace of the program can be controlled by the student.

As a first grade teacher who works with young readers including some for whom English is a second language, this literacy-centered graduate program seemed tailor made for me. Equally appealing was the online format of the program, which wouldn't require hours away from my family and hiring babysitters while I attended class.

I didn't have to commit to a prescribed time frame, and I could pay for my classes each semester as I registered for them. I felt I had found a program that fit within my comfort zone.

I began the classes in the summer of 2004. I soon discovered that another teacher in my building was also completing this program. We were taking many of the same classes and became valuable sources of support for each other.

Only two of my courses were done in a traditional classroom setting and the remainder were completed online. I took one or two classes during each semester of the school year and three or more classes during the summers.

I finished my coursework in the summer of 2007, taking about twice as long to earn my degree as a student in a conventional master's program. Receiving my graduate degree was a long-awaited goal I was able to achieve in my own time and on my own terms. My graduate studies have advanced my teaching and given me confidence in my professional life. I recommend the experience to any educators who are looking for a challenge and the opportunity to hone their teaching skills.