10 Most Affordable Master’s in Educational Administration Online in 2021

Updated on June 30, 2021

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Pursuing an Affordable Master's in Educational Administration Online

Affordable online master's in educational administration degrees are an "A+" way for certified, full-time teachers to access courses 24/7 that satisfy advanced endorsements and help transition into management. An educational administration master's is the teaching field's MBA equivalent that sharpens organizational skills to leave the 5-by-5 behind and gain school-wide authority. Though administration jobs involve less student contact, this master's-level career evolution reaps more autonomy, better pay, and greater reach to influence hundreds of growing minds. The Brookings Institution found that nearly 66 percent of teachers leaving the profession move into administration or retirement. Currently, 72 percent of public and 56 percent of private school principals have at least a master's. According to The Condition of Education 2016 report, administrators in today's $70.7 billion education market oversee 520 students on average in 98,900 schools nationwide. Practice managing a tight budget while climbing the PK-16 ranks by shopping for low-cost master's in education administration online degrees.

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10 Most Affordable Online Master's in Educational Administration in 2021

Which Jobs Need a Master's in Educational Administration Online Degree?

Attending graduate school for an educational administration master's online generally takes two years to unlock most upper-level academic jobs, excluding college professor, dean, and usually school superintendent. Master's curriculum online offers the flexibility to specialize leadership skills in diverse disciplines, such as daycare administration, student affairs, or international education. Each state has different endorsements that an online master's in educational administration would become eligible for. For instance, the California Commission on Teacher Certification requires passing CPACE scores and master's study for its K-12 Administrative Services Credential. The Kansas State Department of Education offers the School Leadership License for master's grads with minimum 3.25 GPAs and five experience years. Nationally, the American Association of School Administrators also accepts regional cohorts of 25-30 for its 20-month Certification Program that costs $6,000 currently. Here are six sample careers where endorsements plus a master's in educational administration online would be valuable:

School Principal- Names like Mr. Feeny and Mr. Belding might ring a bell as beloved fictional school principals who oversee effective learning environments. In real life, they're administering education for 50.7 million school-age children according to the NCES. Principals motivate instructional personnel, develop school routines, coordinate building activities, improve curriculum, resolve behavioral issues, keep parents informed, and authorize funding.

University Registrar- From Ivy Leaguers like Harvard to state schools like Purdue, the 6,479 Title IV colleges nationwide need registrars to accurately process students' schedules and grades. With an education administration master's online, university registrars could act as record gatekeepers by compiling class rosters, filing transcripts, creating exam schedules, facilitating course enrollment, conferring diplomas, and implementing academic initiatives.

Chief Academic Officer- Founded in 2012, the Association of Chief Academic Officers currently has 124 members who hold at least a master's in educational administration online to oversee higher education. Sometimes called Provost, the CAOs at community and senior colleges define performance standards, develop student success policy, evaluate learning outcomes, give faculty feedback, direct instructional training, and maintain accreditation.

Admissions Administrator- Postsecondary institutions have a mean acceptance rate of 65.5 percent, which means admissions administrators are needed to decide who stays and goes. Heading the recruitment office after an online master's in educational administration degree would involve setting acceptance criteria, processing application portfolios, checking qualifications, interviewing entrants, addressing fraud, and making admission decisions.

District Business Manager-The Census Bureau reports that there are 13,506 school districts that need business managers to keep learning systems financially fit. Online master's in educational administration programs would prepare district managers for the 12-month job of setting operational budgets, analyzing purchase data, overseeing payroll, coordinating investments, managing debts, submitting grant proposals, and negotiating vendor contracts.

Distance Learning Director- Online platforms have attracted over 2.7 million K-12 and 5.8 million college students, so consider using the cheap online master's in educational administration for distance learning. Directors develop for-credit virtual courses, create online orientation, implement Internet marketing, coordinate distance student services, establish tuition rates, analyze software, supervise faculty, and perform departmental assessment.

How Much Do Online Master's in Educational Administration Grads Earn?

Heading to the principal's office might be scary for kids, but teachers sometimes aspire to it for more lucrative paychecks, superb benefits, and strong job security. Picking the cheap online master's in educational administration programs costing under $8,500 per year generate epic ROI. SmartAsset reports that master's graduates earn median pay of $1,341 weekly, or $69,732 annually, but this is low-balling for school administrators. The U.S. Department of Labor published a mean yearly wage of $95,390 for PreK-12 principals. Colleges and universities compensate administrators like registrars with $105,770 on average. On Salary.com, Chief Academic Officers bring home median income of $172,675. Other six-figure averages include $137,176 for student affairs directors, $148,810 for development officers, $138,778 for undergraduate deans, and $101,463 for assistant presidents. Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, California, and Delaware are the five top-paying states for school administrators.

What is the Demand for Education Administration Master's Online Programs?

One of colleges' many motivations for putting master's in educational administration online is encouraging more teachers into a needy niche. According to the NASSP, there's a principal shortage that saw one of five administrators leave from Fall 2011 to Fall 2012! Turnover is high with nearly 50 percent of principals resigning from the helm before their third year. Vacancies are expected without enough qualified master's-level candidates for the 8 percent job growth the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts by 2026. Positions for principals will expand by 19,700 for total U.S. employment of 271,000. Higher education is fittingly experiencing higher demand with full-time enrollment at public colleges passing 10.5 million on the College Board. A 10-year job outlook of 10 percent will require 18,000 more college administrators. Executive jobs in for-profit education corporations are growing quickly by 8 percent too. Penciling an online master's in educational administration onto your résumé offers long-term employer appeal.

Still Looking for the Right Fit? Explore Similar Programs.

This concludes our ranking of the top 10 most affordable master's in educational administration online programs.

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