The Master of Education (M.Ed or M.A.E.) is a degree conferred by American institutions for educators moving on in their field. Typical programs branch into one of several categories:

Educational Adminstration: This is typically the area where teachers study in preparation to take on a building principalship. Canidates in this area study educational law, building/community issues, and faculty leadership.

Guidance Counseling: This is typically the area where teachers study in preparation to enter school counseling. Canidates in this area study psychology, social work issues, and law.

Academic Enrichment: This is typically the area where teachers are increasing their knowledge in their specific field or branching to another area within teaching. Some examples are: Anything subject related (English, Math, Social Studies, Science, etc) or school areas (elementary, secondary, or special education). This is the usual path of study for teachers looking to maintain certification or move into a more marketable bracket.

Prep for Ed.D or Ph.D: This is typically the area where teachers study for continuing work into the doctoral programs. Canidates in this area would tackle specific educational issues and often get into educational research in preparation for Doctoral work. This is the broadest area of Masters work for education.

Notes: Most states require a Masters level degree and the certificate that goes with that work to be hired for educational administration (principal, assistant principal, dean, consultant, etc) For the superintendent level, typically that required Doctoral level work to be completed. Another issue is that most states require continuing course work in order for teachers to maintain certification (especially since No Child Left Behind requirements were implemented in 2001). Admission into a Masters level program typically required a Bachelors of Education (B.S., B.A., or B.Ed) and several years experience in an elementary, secondary, or special education classroom. Education programs tend to have strict standards to stay in the program and often take more time to complete than other programs.