WGU BA or MAT Teaching (Elementary & Special Ed)

[hmichelle]

Hello all, I am looking for advice as someone who has a BA already in Marketing. I want to become a Teacher and am wondering if it is advisable to do the Elementary Education Master's at WGU if my BA is in an unrelated field. Do I need experience or prior knowledge in Teaching to be successful in this MAT at WGU? Would it be wiser to just get another BA in Teaching, if I go the WGU (online education) route? 

Thank you in advance for your help! 

[bjcheung77]

Welcome to the board, great question! There are so many different answers and ways to go about this, but at the end of the day, you decide what you want to do. If I was in your shoes, I would investigate the requirements for entry into the MAT program at WGU, if they don't require a specific Bachelors, then you don't need the BA in Teaching. In short - A Masters trumps a secondary bachelors every day of the week...

[Courcelles]

One counterpoint, to do elementary AND special education together you have to do the second bachelors. At the MAT level, you have to pick one.

If you know which one you want, the MAT has absolutely no downsides over the second BA, in many states you'll start at a higher salary lane, and even in those where it doesn't, you'll be better aligned for advanced studies at either the Ed.S or doctorate level.