Elementary Education

Types of Degrees Elementary Education Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many elementary education graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	30,802
Master’s Degree	8,975
Associate Degree	2,021
Graduate Certificate	830
Basic Certificate	190
Undergraduate Certificate	159
Doctor’s Degree	26

What Elementary Education Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, elementary teaching majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Elementary Teaching Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Elementary Teaching Majors

elementary teaching majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Abilities for Elementary Teaching Majors

As a elementary teaching major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

What Can You Do With a Elementary Education Major?

People with a elementary teaching degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	7.4%	$58,230

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education?

The major attracts more women than men. About 92% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of elementary teaching majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	591
Black or African American	1,480
Hispanic or Latino	3,232
White	23,231
International Students	207
Other Races/Ethnicities	2,061

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Elementary Teaching. About 0.7% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Elementary Education Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to elementary teaching is $62,200. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Elementary Education

Some degrees associated with elementary teaching may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for elementary teaching careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.0%
Some College Courses	1.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	74.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	11.2%
Master’s Degree	11.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.5%

Online Elementary Education Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 1,230 schools offered some type of elementary education program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	29	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	4	0
Associate’s Degree	193	27
Bachelor’s Degree	93	21
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	430	70
Post-Master’s	36	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	12	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	1

Is a Degree in Elementary Education Worth It?

The median salary for a elementary teaching grad is $62,200 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 56% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $446,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Elementary Education

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to elementary teaching.

Major	Number of Grads
Early Childhood Education	32,920
Secondary Education	10,547
Teacher Education	9,949
Teacher Development & Methodology	6,165
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education & Teaching	3,517
Kindergarten/Preschool Education & Teaching	2,450
Adult & Continuing Education	1,074
Montessori Teacher Education	252
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods	140
College/Postsecondary/University Teaching	105
Online Educator/Online Teaching	79
International Teaching and Learning	25

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Vgrigas under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.