The key to getting a master's degree quickly is to utilize your time wisely. Since much of the work will be reading and writing assignments, make sure you start these early. Graduate programs in education demand heavy research in the sociology of education as well as the many different topics that you will cover as a master's-level teacher. You will face many different types of assignments, many of which will require a presentation to a professor or class. On these assignments specifically, start early.
Some select Master's of Education programs offer College Level Examination Programs, or CLEP tests, that you can take for a fee. These are skills tests that examine your ability to comprehend and apply college-level information, even if you have not taken a class. If you pass one of these tests, you get full credit for that class as if you took an entire semester course. Conceivably, you could test out of an entire semester in a single afternoon if you pass enough CLEP tests. However, this requires significant study as well as several hundreds of dollars in testing fees.
If you are an older student returning for your master's degree in education, you may be eligible for Life Experience Credit, a credit for having spent a substantial amount of time in a particular vocation. For instance, if you have been teaching for 20 years and are returning to college to get your master's degree, you can apply for this credit and be exempt from some basic courses. This credit is only available to students who can demonstrate that they have had substantial life experience.
Some colleges offer accelerated graduate programs in education. These programs allow students to complete more hours of study for shorter periods of time. Rather than getting a degree in two years, for examples, students in some cases can earn the degree in nine months of intensive study.