20 Best Masters in Early Childhood Education

If research in the field has told us anything over the past 100 or so years, it’s the importance of early childhood education. Minds are at their most impressionable and their capacity greatest during our first experiences at school, so it’s important that educators don’t, you know, blow it. Most recently, inclusion has won out over old approaches of segregating students—by language ability, culture, or special needs. Where old ways tended to treat students as a whole, now instructors understand that education has to be tailored to each student to some degree, and must consider socioeconomic factors. The programs in our 20 best Master’s in early childhood education offer the most forward-thinking curriculum to take on the challenges of educating kids today. What Is a Master’s in Early Childhood Education? Early childhood education covers the period from birth through age 8 or second/third grade, depending on the university and the teacher-licensing standards of its home state. Education is a massive field with any myriad specializations, but as the importance of early education grows, a Master’s in early childhood education prepares students to play a critical role in kids’ lives. Many of the programs in the 20 best Master’s in early childhood education are geared toward established teachers, so they require a teaching certificate for admission. But many on our list offer programs for people who want to earn their first certificate, or at least have options for newcomers to the field. They all require a bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA, usually 2.5 at the lowest, but the requirements beyond that vary. They could include letters of recommendation, a personal statement, test scores like the GRE, and, in the case of New York schools, a minimum threshold of undergraduate liberal arts coursework. As Master’s programs designed for professionals, they offer classes in the late afternoon and evenings, online, or some hybrid of the two. Don’t expect that flexibility when it comes to practicums and fieldwork, though, which nearly all of these programs require. That work must be done during the day, and can take weeks or months to complete. All of the 20 best Master’s in early childhood education programs require at least 30 credits to graduate and can take up to three years of part-time instruction to finish. Some move more quickly, like the University of North Texas, where full-time students can finish their degree in less than a calendar year. That’s helpful when it comes to finances. The programs on our list average $14,926 per academic year (with a median of $15,211). We calculate the cost of the programs using the school’s tuition and factoring in financial aid opportunities. Coursework tends to mix broad subject areas like educating diverse populations or assessing students with more targeted topics like teaching specific subjects, curriculum development, and management. Some degrees offer concentrations within early childhood education, which allows for coursework tailored to students’ career interests. Careers for a Master’s in Early Childhood Education Teaching is the obvious one here, but an advanced degree opens up the possibility for senior administration, management, specialist, or consultant roles. It’s the kind of degree that can enhance your abilities in the classroom or take you out of the classroom to work on the school or district level. It can be a terminal degree or a stepping stone to a doctorate for people interested in more research-oriented education careers or post-secondary teaching jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Department of Labor’s source for all things related to jobs, has a lot of data, because a Master’s in early childhood education could be used in a number of ways. Among them: preschool and childcare center directors, instructional coordinators, training and development specialists and managers, school and career counselors, kindergarten and elementary school teachers and preschool teachers. Of course people with a Master’s in early childhood education aren’t limited to those. Among those, training and development specialists and school and career counselors are expected to surpass the national average of 5% employment growth. Combined, the BLS expects them to add nearly 60,000 more jobs through 2028. Master’s in Early Childhood Education Salary Potential The University of Minnesota puts it well: â€Å"A teachers salary is determined by two factors: number of years teaching and level of education.† To wit, a teacher with a Master’s degree earns a higher salary. These aren’t â€Å"How big of a yacht should I buy?† salaries, but teaching generally offers a stable career with good benefits, and these days, those are in short supply. The BLS naturally has oodles of salary data to share. Preschool and childcare center directors make an average annual salary of $53,990, with a median of $47,940, and the top 10% of earners bring in more than $83,470. Instructional coordinators fare better, with an average of $67,490, a median of $64,450, and the top 10% earning $102,200. Training and development folks also do well, with specialists averaging $65,120 and managers $121,730. Specialists make a median of $60,870 and top out around $102,740, with managers having a median of $111,340 and raking in $192,970 at the top. School and career counselors earn an average of $60,160, a median of $56,310, and $94,690 in the top 10%. Salary data for teachers is a less exact science, because—as the University of Minnesota noted—it depends on experience and level of education. The BLS data lacks that kind of context, so these numbers are fairly loose. Your experience, education, and location will heavily factor into how much you make. According to the BLS, preschool teachers earn an average salary of $34,410, with a median of $29,780 and top earners bringing in more than $55,350. Kindergarten teachers make an average of $58,370, a median of $55,470, with the top 10% earning $86,310. Elementary school teachers draw in an average of $62,200, a median of $58,230, and max out around $95,270. What are the Best Early Childhood Education Degrees? We know that you have educational goals that you’re itching to pursue, but you may not know where to start. The editors of CollegeRank utilize a unique ranking methodology based on the following three aspects: 40% Potential Salary After Graduation: Average mid-career salary of school alumni 30% Institutional Accreditation: Regional and national accreditation for the 2019-2020 school year   30% Overall Degree Affordability: Average cost of undergraduate and graduate tuition per school At CollegeRank, we strive to do our best to guide you and your family toward a fruitful academic career. The pursuit of knowledge is a noble one, and we want to help you reach your goals. Please feel free to visit our dedicated methodology page for a step-by-step breakdown. For questions, comments, badge downloads, or data corrections, please feel free to reach out to us at editor@collegerank.net. 1University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignLocationChampaign, IllinoisAverage Net Price$15,829More Information To quote Tom Cruise in Risky Business: â€Å"Looks like University of Illinois!† In that case, it was a fallback school when the Ivy League appeared out of reach, but Illinois is no consolation prize. The university’s Master of Education in early childhood education (birth through second grade) is a licensure program, as graduates quality for Illinois’ early childhood license with an early childhood special education letter of approval. Illinois law requires people in teacher-preparation programs pass the Illinois license test beforehand, so prospective U. of I. students need to have that first. Speaking of requirements, the university needs a bachelor’s with a minimum 3.0 GPA, transcripts, personal statement, and letters of reference. The program entails 32 hours of coursework, with eight hours of foundations (in educational psychology, policy, organization, and leadership). It also includes a practicum at a preschool and a student-teaching course for up to 12 hours. (Students will need to pass the Test of Academic Proficiency in Illinois before that.) Classes are available on campus and online. Taking them will set you back $15,829, a little more than average for our list.