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Secondary Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach students in the secondary grades, which may include grades seven through twelve, depending on the school system or state regulations. May include preparation to teach a comprehensive curriculum or specific subject matter.

Types of Degrees Secondary Education Majors Are Earning

Those studying Secondary Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	131
Associate’s Degree	786
Bachelor’s Degree	3,755
Master’s Degree	5,892
Doctor’s Degree	30

What Secondary Education Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Secondary Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 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 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Secondary Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Secondary Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Geogebra	Analytical or scientific software	—
VoiceThread	Computer based training software	—
Editing software	Word processing software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Secondary Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Primary Education Professor
• Adjunct Education Professor
• Education Adjunct Professor
• Education Professor
• Outdoor Education Instructor
• College Professor
• Counselor Education Professor
• Educational Administration Teacher
• Educational Leadership Professor
• Mathematics Education Professor
• Continuing Education Instructor
• Education Teacher
• Faculty Member
• Special Education Professor

What Can You Do With a Secondary Education Degree?

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	64.2%
Bachelor’s degree	22.4%
Master’s degree	7.7%
Post-master’s certificate	2.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.1%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Secondary Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 60.9% of Secondary Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	6,450	60.9%
Men	4,144	39.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	6,812	64.3%
Asian	269	2.5%
Hispanic or Latino	1,449	13.7%
Black or African American	843	8.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	52	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	26	0.2%
Two or More Races	385	3.6%
Race Unknown	657	6.2%
International Students	101	1.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Secondary Education Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Secondary 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	$44,857
4 years	$43,846
5 years	$48,879

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $48,879 — roughly 9% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Secondary Education Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Secondary 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
Associate’s	16	10
Bachelor’s	13	20
Master’s	75	52
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 Secondary Education Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Secondary Education graduates earn a median of $43,846 four years after completion — roughly 15% 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
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	108,054
Elementary Education and Teaching	42,205
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels	8,732
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other	6,573
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	3,018
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	2,976
Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching	2,616
Art Teacher Education	1,860
Bilingual and Multilingual Education	932
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching	901
Biology Teacher Education	696
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods	399

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.