If you are interested in obtaining a graduate degree in education, then you may already be a teacher, or you may be interested in teaching. No matter what your goal is, there is likely an online program to suit your needs.
There are four main reasons why someone who is already a teacher would want to get a graduate degree in education: to become an expert in your subject area, to become endorsed in a secondary area, to get a promotion or move into educational administration, or to get a raise. The alternative reason is for someone who is not currently a teacher.
If you already have a bachelor's degree, but are not licensed to teach, then you will want to begin by making sure you have all of the right prerequisites to get into a master's degree program for teaching. In order to teach primary school, you need to have thirty credits in the liberal arts. In order to teach secondary school, you need to have thirty credits in the subject you wish to teach. If you do not have the courses that you need, then you will likely need to enroll in an undergraduate institution in order to take the courses you need. If you have all of the courses you need, then you can enroll in a certificate, post baccalaureate, or masters degree program to suit your needs.
If you are already a teacher and wish to become an expert in your subject area, then usually, the best option is a full master's degree. Often, subject experts can become department head for a school or even a whole school district. Another choice is to become endorsed in a secondary area, teachers of any subject often get dual endorsed in special education. Many people who go for a second endorsement just get a certificate, but some will go for a whole master's degree.
The other reasons why one would want to get a graduate degree in education is to obtain a promotion or a raise. As mentioned earlier, you might be able to get a promotion with only a graduate degree in your subject area, though the more common promotions are vice principal and principal which require teaching experience as well as a masters degree in educational administration. The other reason is to simply get a raise without a promotion, many schools will give a teacher a raise after 15 graduate credits, and nearly all of them will give a raise after a master's degree.