Middle School Education & Teaching

Types of Degrees Middle School Education & Teaching Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many junior high/intermediate/middle school education and teaching graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	2,324
Master’s Degree	664
Associate Degree	350
Graduate Certificate	168
Basic Certificate	8
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Middle School Education & Teaching Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, junior high/intermediate/middle school 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 Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching Majors

Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to junior high/intermediate/middle school education and teaching:

• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching Majors

As a junior high/intermediate/middle school education and 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.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

What Can You Do With a Middle School Education & Teaching Major?

People with a junior high/intermediate/middle school education and teaching degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$58,600
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Middle School Education & Teaching?

This major is dominated by women with about 74% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of junior high/intermediate/middle school education and teaching majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	32
Black or African American	186
Hispanic or Latino	123
White	1,879
International Students	7
Other Races/Ethnicities	97

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching. About 0.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Middle School Education & Teaching Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $62,030 to $64,340 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to junior high/intermediate/middle school education and teaching. This range includes 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 Middle School Education & Teaching

Some careers associated with junior high/intermediate/middle school education and teaching require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

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

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	58.2%
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.	14.2%
Master’s Degree	18.9%
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.	3.0%
Doctoral Degree	2.2%

Online Middle School Education & Teaching Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 382 schools offered some type of junior high/intermediate/middle school 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)	3	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	31	6
Bachelor’s Degree	29	7
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	113	20
Post-Master’s	14	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	1

Is a Degree in Middle School Education & Teaching Worth It?

The median salary for a junior high/intermediate/middle school education and teaching grad is $62,030 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 55% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $442,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Middle School Education & Teaching

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to junior high/intermediate/middle school 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
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.