Ma Education Vs Bed: Which Degree Should You Choose?

Deciding between an MA in Education and a Bachelor of Education (BEd) comes down to where you are standing right now in your professional journey and where you want to go. If you already hold an undergraduate degree and want to step into a foundational classroom role, a BEd is usually the baseline requirement. If you're already in the education sector, hold a teaching license, and want to pivot toward research, policy, or administrative leadership, an MA in Education serves that purpose. Choosing the wrong path can waste years of tuition and delay your certification timeline.

The core distinction lies in credential levels and career targets. A BEd is an initial professional degree designed to grant licensure for teaching children or adolescents in K-12 schools. An MA in Education is a postgraduate academic degree focused on advanced theory, curriculum design, and systemic policy rather than basic classroom management. Let's break down how these two credentials stack up against your specific goals.

Understanding the Bachelor of Education (BEd)

A BEd acts as the traditional entry ticket to the teaching profession. Most candidates enter this program after completing a bachelor's degree in a specific subject area like history, mathematics, or science, though some universities offer direct-entry or integrated four-year options.

The curriculum centers heavily on practical application. You'll spend significant time studying child psychology, lesson planning, inclusive education, and instructional techniques. Crucially, a BEd includes a hands-on student teaching practicum. During this placement, you work inside a live classroom under the direct supervision of a veteran mentor teacher, grading papers, managing student behavior, and delivering full lessons.

Who the BEd is For

• Recent graduates who want to become licensed, front-line classroom teachers.
• Career changers who need official state or provincial certification to teach in public school systems.
• Individuals whose primary goal is direct daily interaction with students rather than system-wide policy work.

Core Benefits of a BEd

• Licensure eligibility: In most jurisdictions, completing an accredited BEd is a non-negotiable legal requirement to obtain your teaching license.
• Practical readiness: The curriculum avoids heavy theoretical research, focusing instead on what you need on day one of your first teaching job.
• Fast entry: Most consecutive post-degree BEd programs take only one to two years to complete.

Understanding the MA in Education

An MA in Education is an advanced academic credential built for people who want to look beyond individual lesson plans and examine how educational systems operate. It is a graduate degree, meaning you generally need a prior bachelor's degree—and often a teaching license or background in education—to gain admission.

Instead of teaching you how to manage a disruptive sixth-grade classroom, an MA program dives into educational sociology, quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, curriculum philosophy, and institutional leadership. Many programs culminate in a comprehensive master's thesis or a specialized capstone research project.

If you want to understand how broader policy decisions affect student outcomes, you can review resources provided by organizations like the U.S. Department of Education to see how macro-level shifts influence schools.

Who the MA in Education is For

• Practicing teachers who want to move up the salary grid or qualify for specialized advisory roles.
• Professionals targeting careers in educational policy, textbook publishing, non-profit program management, or curriculum development.
• Aspiring doctoral candidates who intend to pursue a Ph.D. and teach at the university level.

Core Benefits of an MA in Education

• Career diversification: It opens doors outside the traditional school building, including corporate training, EdTech development, and government policy analysis.
• Salary advancement: Many school districts reward teachers who hold master's degrees with higher placement on the salary scale.
• Intellectual depth: It sharpens your critical thinking and analytical research capabilities.

Direct Comparison: Key Differences at a Glance

To make an informed choice, you need to weigh how each program addresses key factors like time, cost, and long-term trajectory.

Entry Requirements

You can't jump straight into an MA in Education without a foundational university background. A BEd serves as your first step into professional education training. For an MA, admissions committees look for relevant work experience, strong undergraduate writing samples, and clear academic goals.

Career Outcomes

A BEd leads directly to a classroom. An MA in Education leads toward specialized leadership, research, or systemic design. If you don't have a teaching license and try to get an MA in Education first, you may find yourself with a high-level theoretical degree that still doesn't legally qualify you to run a public school classroom.

Workload and Assessment

While both require dedication, a BEd evaluates you on lesson plans, classroom management strategies, and practical teaching performance. An MA evaluates you through literature reviews, data analysis, seminar presentations, and extensive academic writing.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Choosing an advanced education degree traps many students in costly mistakes. Watch out for these common missteps:

• Skipping the licensing requirement: Don't enroll in an MA program thinking it replaces a teaching license. If your goal is to teach high school history, you need a BEd or an approved alternative certification route first.
• Underestimating financial return: Master's degrees cost more upfront. Check your local school district's salary schedule to confirm whether an MA in Education yields enough of a pay bump to justify the tuition investment.
• Ignoring program accreditation: Always verify that your chosen institution is recognized by official bodies, such as the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation, to ensure your credentials hold weight with employers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get an MA in Education without a BEd?

Yes. Many universities accept applicants who hold a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field (like psychology, English, or biology). However, an MA in Education usually does not grant a state teaching license on its own.

Will an MA in Education help me get a higher salary as a teacher?

In most public school districts, yes. Salary schedules reward teachers who complete graduate-level coursework. Verify your district's specific collective agreement to see how graduate credits translate into higher pay brackets.

Is a BEd considered a graduate degree?

No. A BEd is an undergraduate professional degree. Even though it requires a prior bachelor's degree for entry in consecutive program formats, its academic standing and credential level remain undergraduate.

Which path is better for moving into school administration?

While a BEd gets you into the classroom, moving into principal or vice-principal roles typically requires classroom experience combined with a graduate degree like an MEd or an MA in Education, alongside administrative certification.