Adult Education

Do you have a knack for teaching? Are you willing to gain knowledge in order to educate/train others? Then pursuing a course in Adult Education or Literacy is what you can aim for! Running for a period of 3-4 years at the bachelor’s level and 1-2 years at the masters level, Adult Education courses train students in evaluation practices, skill facilitation, literacy and language, removing barriers of communication, developing effective workplace strategies and human resources, etc. This opens the door to employment opportunities across government and private organisations, academic institutions, corporate sectors, etc.

What does an Adult Education Course Entail?

When adults, who due to some reasons could not continue their formal education, but now wish to engage in self-education activities in order to obtain new forms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, it is called Adult Education. This can be done by pursuing vocational, short term courses, degree programs, or skill development courses. However, to teach and train such individuals, professionals are needed. This is where the AE courses come into the picture. Those who graduate with a degree in Adult Education or its variants are well equipped to not only impart subject-specific knowledge to the adults but also instill confidence, aid in personality development, and formulate curriculum.

Adult Education Courses

Adult education courses, which are designed to inculcate new forms of knowledge and equip learners with new skills are offered by scores of universities across the world at the graduate and postgraduate levels. Moreover, some of the technical and vocational institutions also provide these courses at a very nominal fee. Enlisted are some of the popular courses on Adult Education: 

• Bachelor of Science in Adolescent Education
• Bachelor of Science in Literacy, Learning, and Leadership: Community Education Emphasis
• Master of Science in Education (MSEd) in Literacy Education
• Master of Arts in Educating Adults
• M.Ed. in Adult Learning
• Master of Education (MED) in Adult and Higher Education
• Graduate Certificate in Literacy Instruction
• Master of Arts in Adult and Community Education

Popular Global Universities

While choosing a specialisation is important, selecting a university that offers quality education, state of the art infrastructure, well-trained faculty, and opportunities for gaining industrial exposure is essential. Here is a list of some of the renowned universities you can consider for pursuing AE courses.

University	Courses
Minnesota State University	BS Family Consumer Science Education
University of Dundee	BA (Hons) Community Education
University of the Fraser Valley	Bachelor in AE
Brock University	Certificate/BEd in AE
Charles Stuart University	Bachelor/Associate degree in Adult and Vocational Education
University of California	MA/Ed.M. in Adult Learning and Leadership
Massey Univerity	MEd Literacy Education
The University of British Columbia	M.Ed in Adult Learning and Global Change
University of Glasgow	MSc Educational Studies for Adult, Youth & Community Contexts
Texas A&M University	PhD in Educational HRD – Emphasis on AE
University of New South Wales	MEd (Research) – Language and Literacy Education
Griffith University	Master of Training and Development

Note: “AE” here refers to Adult Education. Furthermore, this is not an exhaustive list.

Basic Eligibility Criteria

The basic eligibility criteria to pursue AE courses are mentioned below.

1. The student must have passed education at 10 + 2 level from a recognised board.
2. For postgraduate courses, the student must have completed a bachelor’s degree in related field from a recognised institution.

Role of an Adult Educator

The main roles and responsibilities of an adult educator are mentioned below.

• Aid in skill development.
• Educate learners in a wide range of areas like cooking, photography, management, communication, etc.
• Provide assistance to individuals with special needs.
• Focus on building competencies that can help in fetching jobs.
• Impart advanced knowledge to those who already have pursued a course in a particular field or have working experience.
• Formulate instructional strategies in order to train a wide pool of employees.

Career Prospects

If you have a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in Adult and Workforce Education, then you can find lucrative career opportunities in the corporate sector as well as in academic institutions, government organisations, and even small businesses. Enlisted are some of the major work profiles an AE course graduate can work as:  

• GED Instructor
• Human Resource Manager
• Continuing Education Professor
• Corporate Trainer
• Literacy Specialist
• Curriculum Strategist/Writer

Salary of an Adult Education Teacher

The average salary of an adult education teacher is mentioned below.

Average Salary	INR 5.5 lakh per year.

[Bonus] Adult Education in India

Get to know about the following information and government bodies related to AE in India.

• National Literacy Mission Authority (NLMA)

This authority is responsible for designing, developing, curating, and implementing programmes of adult education in India. The two bodies that comes under NLMA are: a) Governing Council headed by Hon’ble Education Minister; and b) Executive Committee of NLMA.

• Directorate of Adult Education

The subordinate office under Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India, Directorate of AE facilitates the implementation of adult education programmes in India.

• Padhna Likhna Abhiyan (PLA)

PLA is a centrally sponsored scheme of AE. With INR 142 crore, it was decided to be implemented in all 36 states and union territories of India.

Note:“AE” here refers to Adult Education

FAQs

Hopefully, with this blog, you are now aware of the major courses and universities offering degree programs in Adult Education! Interested in pursuing these programs but not sure how to proceed with the application? Then reach out to our experts at Leverage Edu who will provide guidance in completing the admission formalities and will also help you write a statement of purpose(SOP) that will make your candidature stand out from the rest!