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Teaching for the Deaf

A program that focuses on the design of educational services for children or adults with hearing impairments including deafness which adversely affect their educational performance, and that may prepare individuals to teach such students. Includes instruction in identifying students with hearing impairments, including deafness, developing individual education plans, teaching and supervising hearing-impaired students, counseling, and applicable laws and policies.

Types of Degrees Teaching for the Deaf Majors Are Earning

Those studying Teaching for the Deaf can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	73
Associate’s Degree	32
Bachelor’s Degree	51
Master’s Degree	142
Doctor’s Degree	6

What Teaching for the Deaf Majors Need to Know

Studies in Teaching for the Deaf build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Teaching for the Deaf graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Teaching for the Deaf emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Teaching for the Deaf program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Teaching for the Deaf careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Teaching for the Deaf graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	3.9 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.8 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.8 / 7
Working with Computers	3.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Teaching for the Deaf professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Screen magnification software	Device drivers or system software	—
Screen reader software	Device drivers or system software	—
Voice activated software	Voice recognition software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Individualized Educational Program IEP software	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Teaching for the Deaf graduates include:

• Blind Teacher
• Learning Support Teacher
• Physically Impaired Teacher
• Sign Language Teacher
• Lip Reading Teacher
• Braille Teacher
• Learning Disabled Teacher
• Special Needs Teacher
• Reading Specialist
• Learning Specialist
• Resource Specialist
• Hearing Impaired Teacher
• Teacher
• Visually Impaired Teacher
• Emotionally Impaired Teacher

What Can You Do With a Teaching for the Deaf Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Teaching for the Deaf commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Interpreters and Translators	12.2%	$52,627	$44,108–$61,145

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

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Teaching for the Deaf graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	51.0%
Master’s degree	27.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	16.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.4%
First professional degree	1.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%
Some college courses	0.2%
Postsecondary certificate	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Teaching for the Deaf?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 88.8% of Teaching for the Deaf degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	270	88.8%
Men	34	11.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Teaching for the Deaf graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	185	60.9%
Asian	11	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino	57	18.8%
Black or African American	23	7.6%
Two or More Races	12	3.9%
Race Unknown	8	2.6%
International Students	8	2.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Teaching for the Deaf Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Teaching for the Deaf 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	$54,981
4 years	$54,220
5 years	$59,983

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $59,983 — roughly 9% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Teaching for the Deaf Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Teaching for the Deaf. 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
Bachelor’s	1	1
Master’s	3	4
Doctoral (Research)	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 Teaching for the Deaf Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Teaching for the Deaf graduates earn a median of $54,220 four years after completion — roughly 43% 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
Special Education and Teaching	33,988
Special Education and Teaching, General	22,116
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs	3,548
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Elementary Special Education Programs	2,055
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities	1,213
Special Education and Teaching, Other	1,070
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism	1,002
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs	833
Education/Teaching of the Gifted and Talented	483
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities	398
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments	273
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness	161

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.