Online Masters of Education Degrees in Canada

Online Masters of Education degrees are increasingly being sought out by working educators who want to further their education while at the same time continue to work. Canada is fortunate to have several reputable online Masters of Education programs. Canadian e-learning and Canadian universities in general have a good reputation worldwide and if you are coming from elsewhere, i.e. Europe, or the U.S. you may find the exchange rate makes your Canadian learning very affordable. While doing research for my own online Masters of Education degrees I quickly discovered that it was not easy to find reputable online Masters of Education programs and e-learning opportunities so this article is a compilation of the research that I did when choosing my own online Masters of Education degree, which also helped me discover the Best Way to Learn a Language:

Memorial University – Master of Education in Post-Secondary Education or Information Technology

Pros:

• Online Master of Education Program has two start dates throughout the year
• Lowest tuition at~$4400 CDN (for Canadian students) of all online Masters of Education programs in Canada, making it a budget friendly choice
• Memorial University has a very good reputation overall (Faculty, research, programs, etc.)

Cons

• The two specialities are very narrow in scope which is good if you know exactly what you want to do, but may not good if you decide to change careers or positions– Post-secondary Studies and Information Technology

University of Calgary, Master of Education

Cost: ~$13,000 CDN for Canadian students

Pros:

• Offers over eight different areas of specialization in thier online Master of Education program
• Ability to interchange face to face with online courses if you live in Calgary
• Flexible program, in which you can take three to six years to complete the program
• University of Calgary has a large Graduate Division of Educational Research and Faculty with numerous research interests

Cons:

• If you take longer than three years to complete the degree, you are charged an additional course fee each year
• The University of Calgary has a Masters of Teaching program (which isn’t a Master’s degree) but an undergraduate program for teachers. It has been widely criticized, as a result, some people question the Graduate Division of Educational Research’s reputation (even some of the Faculty do not support the program). Having said that, from my experience (I took three M.Ed. courses there), the Faculty were professional, well respected committed individuals from whom I learned a lot.

University of British Columbia, Master of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change, and Master of Educational Technology

Cost: ~$13,800 CDN (for Canadian students)

Pros:

• UBC is a very international university
• The Master of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change is cohort based so you get to “know” your classmates
• The Master of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change cohort is in partnership with universities in South Africa, Sweden and Australia, so your classmates are literally from all over the globe which makes the online discussions very enriching
• The Master of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change is designed to be completed in two years, so a fast completion option may be attractive to some students
• Both programs offer electives which may be completed online or face to face, either at the University of British Columbia or at another university if agreed upon by the supervisor

Cons:

• The Master of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change is cohort based and intensive and perhaps too intensive for some people since it doesn’t allow the flexibility of completion that some of the other programs do. One student had a baby while I was in the program and continued on as she wanted to complete the program.

Athabasca University – Master of Arts in Adult Education or Masters of Distance Learning

Cost: ~$15,000 CDN, for the Master of Arts, ~$20,000 CDN for the Masters of Distance Learning Pros:

• Offers choice of group study which is seminar based or individual study with courses starting the first day of every month
• Can complete the program at your own pace (taking up to six years)
• Program has two start dates throughout the year
• Athabasca University is Canada’s largest and oldest online university so they have a lot of experience offering online programs, as a result the Masters of Distance Learning has a good reputation

Cons:

• Athabasca University’s reputation and programs have many different opinions ranging from poor to excellent, so if the reputation of the school is really important to you this might not be the program for you.
• It is the most expensive of all online Masters of Education programs in Canada

While conducting your search on online Masters of Education programs you will no doubt find other programs that pop up in every search. I would not recommend that you waste your time and resources with these programs and universities as they have a reputation for being “degree mills” and have a negative reputation in academia. An online Masters of Education is very resource intensive in terms of time and money and you want to ensure that your work will be recognozid. For more information see Online PhD Degrees. After conducting the research above, I choose the University of British Columbia’s Online Master of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change. It was an intensive two years but I liked the opportunity to complete it quickly. Had I had the option to drag it out longer, I likely would have and I’m grateful that I didn’t have that opportunity, but that may not work for everyone depending on your lifestyle. I also enjoyed the internationalization of the program and having students and professors from universities in Sweden and South Africa. Having said that, it did result in some interesting language and cultural barriers at times.

I would also strongly recommend applying to more than one program since the competition can be intense. The year that I applied for the Masters of Education in Adult Learning and Global Change there were 80 applicants for 20 spots. When doing your research, it’s important to identify what is important to you in an online Masters of Education program and what you want to get out of it. Then you are sure to choose the program that is right for you. I wish you success with your online Masters of Education program, whichever one you choose!