Yahoo Finance Education Master's Degree Can Guide Students, Families To Success
In third grade, after Elaine Chen had been falling behind in her work for a while, teachers at her San Francisco Bay Area school assessed her and recommended she be placed in a special education program.
"I remember going through many cognitive tests, only to have them determine my struggles weren't caused by a learning disability but rather a language barrier," says Chen, whose first language was Mandarin and who didn't learn English until kindergarten.
By fifth grade, thanks to private tutoring and her own perseverance, Chen's language and academic skills were back on track. The experience inspired her to pursue a career helping other children overcome learning challenges.
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Today Chen, 28, is a school psychologist and behaviorist in the San Mateo-Foster City School District in California. She meets with elementary school students who are struggling to try to understand why.
"It may be due to a learning disability, a behavioral issue, or some other obstacle," she notes. After pinpointing the problem, she works with the kids' "families and teachers to identify resources that can help," she says, such as counseling or new learning strategies.
School psychologists typically focus on students with special needs and learning challenges. Trained in both psychology and education, they help students manage a range of complex academic and behavioral issues, including anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions.
Job growth in the field is expected to be nearly 20 percent from 2014 to 2024, according to government projections. Salaries average around $76,000 annually.
[Discover what employers think of your online master's in education.]
Chen earned a master's and education specialist degree from San Diego State University last spring. She took advantage of several hands-on opportunities, including fieldwork in San Diego schools focusing on English-language learners.
She also designed literacy strategies for parents to use to help their kids improve their reading skills. Other grad students specialize in working with children in foster care, for instance, or with those on the autism spectrum, says Tonika Green, director of SDSU's school psychology program.
For Chen, looking at each child "holistically" and developing a personalized plan with teachers and parents ensures a start on the path to success.
[Learn how to land a spot in a top online master's in education program.]
Here are additional promising career opportunities for those pursuing master's degrees in education.
-- Health educator: Professionals who teach people about good health habits and disease prevention are employed by hospitals, physicians' offices, nonprofits and colleges. As organizations make an effort to reduce health care costs by teaching individuals about improving their lifestyle choices, the field is expected to grow 13 percent over the next decade, nearly twice the average for all jobs. Median annual pay is about $43,800.
-- Curriculum designer: As classroom technology evolves and federal and state education standards continue to change, these education administrators work behind the scenes to help teachers keep pace and improve educational methods.
Also known as instructional coordinators, these specialists develop curricula in specific school subjects and help colleagues implement lessons in the classroom. Curriculum designers command a median salary of about $62,300, compared with $54,600 for elementary school teachers and $57,200 for high school educators.
-- School counselor: These pros help students with academic and career planning; provide guidance and referrals related to bullying, family problems and grief counseling; and assist with disciplinary matters. The field is expected to grow slightly faster than average over the next decade and offers a median salary of roughly $53,700.
This story is excerpted from the U.S. News "Best Graduate Schools 2018" guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.
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