@Glow
You want to teach in public school, and Option #3 will fast track you to doing that. It sounds like the fastest way to get what you want, and the least expensive. If you do that for a while and save, get to know people, and make contacts you could be well on your way.
An associates degree sounds like a waste of time. I would be completely shocked if AA credits could be put towards an MA. At least on the sciences end of things, AA credits would never count towards an MS…but I guess the arts could be different. You should look in to that. An AA program is typically 2 years whereas Option #3 I am guessing is much less of a time commitment. Option 3 probably costs less, too.
I have heard the same thing about people having a hard time going back – what a load. If grad school is something you really want to do, you will eventually find a way to make it happen and you will go back. I have been out of school going on 3 years now, and will be going back Spring or Fall 2011 depending on when I get my braces off (which determines how soon I can start my world travel); I’ve already applied for Spring because I can defer to Fall. You are in charge of your life and your decisions. The people that gripe about it being hard to go back to school never really wanted to do it in the first place.
On the sciences end, many grants are available for research. Your adviser – the one with the PhD – will have to be the one that officially files the paperwork. That doesn’t mean you can’t search for grants and for someone to “sponsor” you. I don’t know anyone who has done this, and I know lots of people that have done grad school. I’d say 99% start their MS program without a clue as to what their thesis will be, and rely on their adviser to guide them and secure the funding. When I do grad school, I fully intend to do my own search for grants and bring them to my adviser. The information is all over the internet. It’s your degree, your life, your future, your program – you should not be afraid to take charge and you definitely should not rely on them to do the legwork for you (because they care more about their own research than you). I’m not sure if you’re interested in research, or how relevant this is to the arts. The point is, you need to take charge and track down the info rather than expect someone to give it to you.
In summary, you need answers to a few questions before you can make an informed decision:
1. Will AA credits count towards MA
2. Does #3 cost less in time and money than #2
3. Exactly how much will you have to come up with to attend grad school
4. Are there more affordable programs than the one you mentioned
5. Are there grants, scholarships, or other financial aid available to you
6. What would the terms of any loans be
I would go with #4 just to get some cash flow, while working on #1, 2, or 3. Once you start to make real progress towards 1, 2, or 3, you can decide whether or not to drop #4. If the AA credits do not count towards MA, and AA takes longer and is more costly than #3, I’d definitely go with #3 over #2. If you can figure out financing for MA, I’d go with #1 because you sound like you really want that Master’s. If financing doesn’t work out, I’d go with #3 (assuming it is a better choice than #2). Once you have your salary, you can calculate how long it will take you to save enough money to afford #1. Commit to going back to school when you have that money.