Many go on to work with school districts, state governments, or private research organizations to assess student performance and suggest policies that will boost student achievement. Others supervise technology initiatives for schools or school districts, work in distance education, or pursue doctoral studies. Other individuals who pursue an MS in Education opt for a less scientific course of study, such as educational leadership, or literacy. In some instances, these programs resemble the previously discussed Master of Education degree, but at other schools, these programs place a much greater focus on the scientific aspects of studying education. In either case, the same opportunities for advancement as a school administrator should be available, regardless of whether one has earned a degree of Master of Science in education, a Master of Arts in education, or a Master of Education. Educational Technology The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) defines the field as "the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources.". Programs typically include courses on instructional design, learning theories, educational media, instructional messaging, related theory, and research methods. Some institutions use the term instructional technology to refer to their programs. Although some experts within the field distinguish between educational and instructional technology, on a practical level, the two are essentially synonymous. Master's in Educational Technology programs are offered in at least one university in nearly every US state, and in many countries outside of the United States, including Australia, Canada, China, Singapore, South Korea, and Turkey. One of the oldest programs in North America is based in the Department of Education at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which has graduated approximately 2,000 master's degree and over 150 PhD students in its 50 years. Students can study full- or part-time, preparing to use their skills and knowledge to design curricula and programs, integrate technology, advise on educational technology policy, and conduct related research for schools, higher education, workplace learning, and community and informal learning. The University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada offers a part-time program within the Faculty of Education, focusing on curriculum design and technology integration. The one-year professional Masters in Educational Technology and Applied Learning Science (METALS) is an interdisciplinary program offer by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is jointly taught by the Human-Computer Interaction in the School of Computer Science