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Indian/Native American Education

A program that focuses on the design and implementation of instructional and advising services for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Hawaiian Native students at various learning levels and that prepares individuals to perform teaching and administrative functions in Tribal/First Nation schools. Includes instruction in the cultural traditions and social patterns, history and politics, learning styles and issues, curriculum design, LEP and minority education strategies, counseling techniques and social issues, rural education services, distance education, adult education techniques, school administration, applicable laws and regulations, and research issues.

Types of Degrees Indian/Native American Education Majors Are Earning

Those studying Indian/Native American Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	12
Associate’s Degree	2
Bachelor’s Degree	1
Master’s Degree	28
Doctor’s Degree	4

What Indian/Native American Education Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Indian/Native American 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

Skills developed in a Indian/Native American 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.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Indian/Native American Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.1 / 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, Indian/Native American 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 Indian/Native American Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Editing software	Word processing software	—
VoiceThread	Computer based training software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Indian/Native American Education graduates include:

• Lecturer
• Tenure-Track Professor
• Counselor Education Professor
• Primary Education Professor
• Physical Education Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Education Teacher
• College Professor
• Adult Basic Education Instructor
• Visual Education Teacher
• Education Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Education Faculty Member
• Education Adjunct Professor
• Adjunct Instructor

What Can You Do With a Indian/Native American Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Indian/Native American 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 Indian/Native American 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 Indian/Native American Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 76.6% of Indian/Native American Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	36	76.6%
Men	11	23.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Indian/Native American Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1	2.1%
Hispanic or Latino	4	8.5%
Black or African American	1	2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	38	80.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	2.1%
Two or More Races	1	2.1%
Race Unknown	1	2.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Indian/Native American Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Indian/Native American Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$61,405
4 years	$62,672
5 years	$69,660

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,660 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Indian/Native American Education Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Indian/Native American 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	1	0

^{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 Indian/Native American Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Indian/Native American Education graduates earn a median of $62,672 four years after completion — roughly 65% 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
Education, Other	4,326
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	2,352
Art Teacher Education	1,860
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education	1,634
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,051
Bilingual and Multilingual Education	932
Biology Teacher Education	696
Multicultural Education	329
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, Other	326
Montessori Teacher Education	264
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	169
Online Educator/Online Teaching	115

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.