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Advice needed- Graduate Program for teaching - gstekis - 07-29-2015

Hi guys,

I am about to finish my second Bachelor's degree in information Systems. I already have another in Economics. I am also certified to teach Mathematics and work in the field of data analysis, and part time at the local community college as Instructor for their Adult Ed programs. My future goal is to teach in a 2-year college full time, for which I'll need Masters. What is my best option, given the fact that I have two small kids and finances are of essence. Thanks!


Advice needed- Graduate Program for teaching - Lindagerr - 07-29-2015

Have you looked into WGU? They have some teaching and other masters and their prices are more reasonable than some.


Advice needed- Graduate Program for teaching - smf6824 - 07-29-2015

gstekis Wrote:Hi guys,

I am about to finish my second Bachelor's degree in information Systems. I already have another in Economics. I am also certified to teach Mathematics and work in the field of data analysis, and part time at the local community college as Instructor for their Adult Ed programs. My future goal is to teach in a 2-year college full time, for which I'll need Masters. What is my best option, given the fact that I have two small kids and finances are of essence. Thanks!

I think american college of education and delta state university might be options too.


Advice needed- Graduate Program for teaching - txnicole - 07-29-2015

Since you want to teach full time at CC, I'm assuming you'll need the normal 18 graduate credit hours in the subject area.

I'm guessing you've already looked at TESCs online Masters programs (which have comparable tuition to most Masters programs, being somewhere in the $400-700 per credit hour range).

You'd have to ask your school whether or not the MA Math Education at WGU would be considered adequate for teaching at CC since it's specifically for teaching k-12. If it would work, they're a great school to work with. The only IT degree that they have that might get you the 18 credits would be the MS Info Security & Assurance, but I don't know whether or not you have an interest in security. Their other IT degrees are more business and management focused. If you want teach business or accounting they have degrees in those areas that are good too. If any of these work, they are potentially some of cheapest of the options inside the US.

There's also the online Masters of Computer Science collaboration thing between Udacity and Georgia Tech, but it's so new that I don't know a lot about it. But I do remember them saying it was like $7000, which would make it a great price if I'm remembering correctly.

Since you have a degree in economics, you might look at the University of North Dakota and their Applied Economics Master program. Tuition is the same regardless of residency state, which is a plus.

Iowa State has some decent online graduate degrees, the one that caught my attention for you is their Master of Business Analytics program since you said you do data analysis that might be easy for you. Tuition is about the same as UND.

American Sentinel University also has a business analytics degree that is on the lower end at $495 per credit hour.

If you want to go the Math direction, Texas A&M has some online graduate degrees, and two Math options, one of which specifically says for K-12 and CC teaching (which makes me wonder about whether or not that means the WGU k-12 math would also work for you). Anyway, your profile doesn't say where you live, but if you happen to live in Texas this is downright cheap, if you live out of state it becomes middle-ground at about $630 per credit hour.

Kind of hard to know what to look at when you have options to go multiple directions. Do you know what you want to teach?


Advice needed- Graduate Program for teaching - gstekis - 07-29-2015

Thank you all for the time and advice!

txnicole: I am currently teaching Computers in CC's Adult Ed programs and would prefer to stay in that area, so IT or IT/Business is my preference. I currently live in NY.

I had looked at WGU, but then read some opinions that CCs might not like a degree from there, so decided to look for an opinion. I appreciate the time you put in to give me all these options - I most definitely will research each one of them.


Advice needed- Graduate Program for teaching - sanantone - 07-29-2015

gstekis Wrote:Thank you all for the time and advice!

txnicole: I am currently teaching Computers in CC's Adult Ed programs and would prefer to stay in that area, so IT or IT/Business is my preference. I currently live in NY.

I had looked at WGU, but then read some opinions that CCs might not like a degree from there, so decided to look for an opinion. I appreciate the time you put in to give me all these options - I most definitely will research each one of them.

Then, you will need a master's in IT, IS, computer science, or a related field or a master's with 18 credit hours in IT, IS, computer science, or a related field. Most CCs will require regional accreditation. I don't know about any bias against WGU. This is just anecdotal, but I've come across CC professors and part-time instructors with degrees from the likes of Walden, Capella, and University of Phoenix. WGU will be one of the cheapest ways to earn a master's in this area depending on how fast you finish. Geteducated.com lists some of the cheapest master's programs.

Online Masters in Computer Science | Affordable Online Degrees | Best Online Colleges | Best Online Universities | GetEducated.com


Advice needed- Graduate Program for teaching - gstekis - 07-29-2015

Thank you!


Advice needed- Graduate Program for teaching - ajs1976 - 07-29-2015

Take a look at Dakota State. DSU.edu. They have information systems, information security, and applied computer science.


Advice needed- Graduate Program for teaching - cptdilbert - 07-29-2015

gstekis Wrote:Thank you all for the time and advice!

txnicole: I am currently teaching Computers in CC's Adult Ed programs and would prefer to stay in that area, so IT or IT/Business is my preference. I currently live in NY.

I had looked at WGU, but then read some opinions that CCs might not like a degree from there, so decided to look for an opinion. I appreciate the time you put in to give me all these options - I most definitely will research each one of them.

Bolded the important part. I taught for workforce development and adult education through community colleges for over six years.

They are absolutely not college courses. There is generally zero educational requirements attached. In fact, I taught for six years without a degree. I even did summer science and computer science camps for kids with no degree at a community college.

If you are planning to focus on the professional development and adult education side, you should work with the community colleges you want to partner with and learn what they look for in instructors since it can be all over the place. In general, most of my courses came from my willingness to develop new courses to meet a need and then deliver them.

Now, if you want to teach college courses, like COMP SCI 101 as a full-time job, I'd highly consider looking into a Ph.D. over a master degree. Academia, including CCs, care about credentials. You will have a much easier time getting to an actual full-time faculty position with a Ph.D.


Advice needed- Graduate Program for teaching - gstekis - 07-30-2015

cptdilbert: thank for your response. I am already an Instructor, so that will not be my goal-the way I see it, ti will be very difficult making a living doing only that. I was referring to the area of Computers/IT/IS as a preferred teaching field, so yes- I meant classes like COMP SCI 101 and so on. I understand the PhD would be the best option, however that would mean one income in my family for 4-5 years, which unfortunately is not an option right now. I am looking at Masters as at most CCs around here, Masters is the requirement for adjuncts and online classes, then in a few years I can keep on dreaming about the PhD.