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Multicultural Education

A program that focuses on the design, and implementation of instructional and advising services for culturally diverse learning populations. Includes instruction in cultural diversity, at-risk populations, multilingual and ESL education, program and curriculum design, instructional technology, information resources, LEP and minority education strategies, counseling and communicating with multicultural populations, law and regulations, and applications to specific cultural groups, educational services, and research issues.

Types of Degrees Multicultural Education Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Multicultural Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	15
Master’s Degree	278
Doctor’s Degree	28

What Multicultural Education Majors Need to Know

Programs in Multicultural Education emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Multicultural Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Multicultural Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Multicultural Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Multicultural Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Multicultural Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
VoiceThread	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Multicultural Education graduates include:

• Lecturer
• Instructor
• Adjunct Education Professor
• Faculty Member
• Counselor Education Professor
• Physical Education Instructor
• Educator
• College Professor
• Music Education Professor
• Associate Professor
• Tenure-Track Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Special Education Professor
• Literacy Education Professor
• Science Education Professor

What Can You Do With a Multicultural Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Multicultural 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 Multicultural Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	77.9%
Master’s degree	10.8%
Bachelor’s degree	6.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.5%
Some college courses	0.4%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Multicultural Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 79.9% of Multicultural Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	263	79.9%
Men	66	20.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	168	51.1%
Asian	14	4.3%
Hispanic or Latino	65	19.8%
Black or African American	46	14.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	12	3.6%
Race Unknown	8	2.4%
International Students	12	3.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Multicultural Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Multicultural 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	$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 Multicultural Education Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Multicultural 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	1

^{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 Multicultural Education Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Multicultural 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
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching	901
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, Other	326
Montessori Teacher Education	264
Online Educator/Online Teaching	115
Driver and Safety Teacher Education	52
Indian/Native American Education	47

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.