What Can I Do with a Master’s Degree in Education— Education Administration?

A degree may open the door to a variety of opportunities and diverse career paths. The degree programs offered at AIU will not necessarily lead to the featured careers. This collection of articles is intended to help inform and guide you through the process of determining which level of degree and types of certifications align with your desired career path.

As any adult familiar with children or college students knows, educational theories, methods, and tools look different today than they did even 10 or 20 years ago—and it’s reasonable to expect that they will continue to evolve and look different 10 or 20 years or more in the future. And it is educational leaders—including instructional coordinators, school principals, other school administrators, and even corporate trainers—who are responsible for taking these evolving trends, ideas, and standards and putting them into practice.

What Is Education Administration?

The purpose of education administration is to set the standards and goals for an institution and help to establish the policies necessary to meet and achieve them.¹ In other words, education administration sets the tone for organizations and works to ensure the correct preparations are in place for their administration to be successful. The education administration professionals responsible for developing and implementing these policies and goals are known as instructional coordinators. These individuals possess a high level of education—typically completing a master’s in education degree program with or without a concentration in education administration—and prior relevant work experience.²

What Do Instructional Coordinators Do?

Instructional coordinators, also known as curriculum specialists, oversee school curricula and teaching techniques and standards. They evaluate the efficacy of teaching techniques put into practice by school boards, states, and the federal government by observing teachers in a classroom environment and evaluating student test scores. They then discuss the curriculum and their observations with school staff and administrators such as teachers and school principals (or, in the case of secondary institutions, with the college provost or dean of students) and recommend any needed changes to the board.²

7 Qualities of Effective Instructional Coordinators

Instructional coordinators should possess an array of skills to more effectively carry out their job duties. These include:²

• Analytical skills for evaluating student test data and teaching strategies. These evaluations inform their recommendations to school administrators and boards.
• Communication skills for clearly explaining changes to teachers, school principals, and other school staff.
• Decision-making skills for determining what changes need to be implemented.
• Interpersonal skills for fostering positive relationships with teachers, school principals, and other administrators.
• Leadership skills for mentoring and training teachers the development of useful and effective teaching techniques.

AIU’s Master’s in Education Administration Program

As we touched on above, employers typically require instructional coordinators/curriculum specialists to possess a master’s degree and relevant work experience (those pursuing a role in the public school system may be required to meet state licensing requirements as well).^2,3 AIU’s master’s in education with a concentration in e education administration degree program is designed to help candidates work to develop a solid foundation of professional skills and prepare to pursue careers in education administration or organizational leadership. This concentration provides an additional component that focuses on administration processes and regulations specific to educational institutions, which can be vital in a leadership role.. And importantly, AIU’s Master of Education (M.Ed.) program is accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).⁴

How Long Does It Take to Earn an M.Ed. Degree?

How long it takes to earn an M.Ed. degree can vary. On average, traditional master’s degree programs take anywhere from two to three years to complete, while fully online and hybrid programs can often be completed in less time. AIU’s Master of Education program, including the master’s in education administration concentration, is offered fully online and can be completed in one year or less.

Other factors can influence time to program completion as well. Demonstrating or possessing eligible prior academic, life, work, and military experience could translate into receiving transfer credit that results in a reduction of the number of classes needed to graduate, effectively shortening overall program length.⁵ Additionally, taking classes at an accelerated pace—increasing your per-quarter course load and taking classes during summer and winter breaks, for example—could result in graduating on a faster-than-average timeline.

Education Administration and Lifelong Learning

Pursuing a master’s in education administration program could help you prepare to seek opportunities in instructional coordination. But completing a master’s program is just the beginning—to keep up with the ever-evolving state of educational instruction, educational leaders must espouse a commitment to lifelong learning and development. Organizations such as the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) offer resources to aid in this endeavor. According to their mission statement, the AACTE is the leading voice on educator preparation. AACTE represents more than 800 postsecondary institutions with educator preparation programs dedicated to high-quality, evidence-based preparation that assures educators are ready to teach all learners. AIU is a proud member of this organization.⁶

Study Skills Needed to Promote Positive Educational Change

If you’re passionate about effecting positive change in education, then seeking a potential career path in instructional coordination could be a natural fit for you—and choosing to pursue a master’s in education administration program could be a significant step toward fulfilling your educational goals. What will your next step be?

¹ learn.org, “Education Administration” https://learn.org/articles/Education_Administration_Masters_Degree.html (last visited 1/12/2023).
² Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Instructional Coordinators,” https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/instructional-coordinators.htm (last visited 1/12/2023).
³ American InterContinental University’s Master of Education degree is not designed to meet state educator licensing or advancement requirements; however, it may assist candidates in gaining these approvals in their state of residence depending on those requirements. Contact the state board of education in applicable state(s) for requirements.
⁴ American InterContinental University is a member in good standing of the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). The Master of Education program has been awarded full accreditation by AAQEP through June 30, 2026.
⁵ Transfer credit is evaluated on an individual basis. Not all credits are eligible to transfer. See the University Catalog for transfer credit policies.
⁶ American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), “About AACTE,” https://aacte.org/about-aacte/ (visited 10/6/2022).

AIU cannot guarantee employment, salary, or career advancement. Not all programs are available to residents of all states.
REQ1786893 02/2023