Kindergarten/Preschool Education

Types of Degrees Kindergarten/Preschool Education Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many kindergarten/preschool education and teaching graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	864
Associate Degree	840
Basic Certificate	475
Master’s Degree	181
Graduate Certificate	50
Undergraduate Certificate	30
Doctor’s Degree	10

What Kindergarten/Preschool Education Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, kindergarten/preschool education and 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 Kindergarten/Preschool Education and 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.
• 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.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Skills for Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to kindergarten/preschool education and teaching:

• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• 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.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities for Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching Majors

As you progress with your kindergarten/preschool education and teaching degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• 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.

What Can You Do With a Kindergarten/Preschool Education Major?

People with a kindergarten/preschool education and teaching degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	8.0%	$55,470
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	10.5%	$29,780

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Kindergarten/Preschool Education?

This major is dominated by women with about 95% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of kindergarten/preschool education and teaching majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	31
Black or African American	211
Hispanic or Latino	104
White	455
International Students	7
Other Races/Ethnicities	56

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching. About 0.8% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Kindergarten/Preschool Education Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $34,410 to $58,370 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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 Kindergarten/Preschool Education

Some careers associated with kindergarten/preschool education and teaching require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to kindergarten/preschool education and teaching have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	14.8%
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)	5.3%
Some College Courses	6.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	47.7%
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.	9.5%
Master’s Degree	13.3%

Online Kindergarten/Preschool Education Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 162 schools offered some type of kindergarten/preschool education and teaching 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)	15	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	48	7
Bachelor’s Degree	19	7
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	28	2
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Kindergarten/Preschool Education Worth It?

The median salary for a kindergarten/preschool education and teaching grad is $34,410 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

Majors Related to Kindergarten/Preschool Education

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to kindergarten/preschool education and teaching.

Major	Number of Grads
Elementary Education	43,003
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
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.