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Social Foundations of Education

A program that focuses on the systematic study of education as a social and cultural institution, and the educational process as an object of humanistic inquiry. Includes instruction in such subjects as the philosophy of education, history of education, educational literature, educational anthropology, sociology of education, economics and politics of education, educational policy studies, and studies of education in relation to specific populations, issues, social phenomena, and types of work.

Types of Degrees Social Foundations of Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Social Foundations of Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2
Bachelor’s Degree	455
Master’s Degree	389
Doctor’s Degree	109

What Social Foundations of Education Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Social Foundations of Education build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Social Foundations of Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Social Foundations of Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.3 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Social Foundations of Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Social Foundations of Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Social Foundations of Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.7 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.5 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Social Foundations of Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Geogebra	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Social Foundations of Education graduates include:

• Education Professor
• Literacy Education Professor
• Visual Education Teacher
• Instructor
• Science Education Professor
• Faculty Member
• Educational Administration Teacher
• Educator
• Secondary Education Professor
• Education Faculty Member
• Assistant Professor
• Tenure-Track Professor
• Educational Instructor
• Associate Professor
• College Professor

What Can You Do With a Social Foundations of Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Social Foundations of Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Social Foundations of Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	89.8%
Master’s degree	9.4%
Bachelor’s degree	0.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Social Foundations of Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 78.3% of Social Foundations of Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	748	78.3%
Men	207	21.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Social Foundations of Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	348	36.4%
Asian	91	9.5%
Hispanic or Latino	292	30.6%
Black or African American	70	7.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.3%
Two or More Races	41	4.3%
Race Unknown	26	2.7%
International Students	82	8.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Social Foundations of Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Social Foundations of Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$47,147
4 years	$69,026
5 years	$75,081

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $75,081 — roughly 59% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Social Foundations of Education Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Social Foundations of Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	6	4

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Social Foundations of Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Social Foundations of Education graduates earn a median of $69,026 four years after completion — roughly 82% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Art Teacher Education	1,860
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,051
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education	955
Bilingual and Multilingual Education	932
Biology Teacher Education	696
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, Other	326
Computer Teacher Education	306
Chemistry Teacher Education	192
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	169
College/Postsecondary/University Teaching	98
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	16

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.