Master of Education (M.Ed., MAEd., or Ed.M.) is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, and administration. The Master of Education is a degree conferred by institutions of higher education, usually, though not always, for educators advancing in their field. In most states a Masters degree or higher is required for a principalship or school counseling position.Most states and provinces require a Master's-level degree and the certificate that goes with that work to be hired for educational administration (principal, assistant or vice-principal, dean, consultant, etc.) or for Licensure as a Professional Counselor (i.e., caseworker, therapist, community counselor, rehabilitation counselor). For licensure as a Professional Counselor one needs a M.Ed. in Counseling and an approved internship in which half the time of the internship must be in direct service to the client. For the superintendent level in educational administration, typically that requires doctoral-level work to be completed. Another issue is that most states require continuing course work in order for counselors (especially since new CACREP requirements were implemented) to maintain their licensure. Admission into a Master's-level program typically requires a Bachelors degree (B.S., B.A., or B.Ed.) in Education and several years' experience in an educational or mental health setting. Education programs tend to have strict standards to stay in the program and often take more time to complete than other programs.