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Teacher Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach students at more than one educational level, such as a combined program in elementary/secondary, early childhood/elementary, elementary/middle school, or junior high/high school teacher education.

Types of Degrees Teacher Education Majors Are Earning

Those studying Teacher Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	151
Associate’s Degree	1,215
Bachelor’s Degree	2,315
Master’s Degree	4,996
Doctor’s Degree	27

What Teacher Education Majors Need to Know

Programs in Teacher Education build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Teacher Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Teacher Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.9 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Teacher Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Seesaw	Multi-media educational software	—
Children’s educational software	Computer based training software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Teacher Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Teacher
• Montessori Teacher
• Instructor
• Physical Fitness Teacher
• Art Teacher
• Classroom Teacher
• Early Childhood Teacher
• After School Teacher
• Physical Education Teacher (PE Teacher)
• Title One Kindergarten Teacher
• Long Term Substitute Kindergarten Teacher
• Private Kindergarten Teacher
• Bilingual Education Teacher
• Transitional Kindergarten Teacher

What Can You Do With a Teacher Education Degree?

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	43.0%
Doctoral degree	24.4%
Master’s degree	9.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	8.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	5.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.7%
Some college courses	2.3%
Postsecondary certificate	2.0%
Less than a high school diploma	1.3%
Post-master’s certificate	0.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Teacher Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 80.6% of Teacher Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	7,034	80.6%
Men	1,698	19.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	4,938	56.6%
Asian	275	3.1%
Hispanic or Latino	1,658	19.0%
Black or African American	1,112	12.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	63	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	23	0.3%
Two or More Races	244	2.8%
Race Unknown	319	3.7%
International Students	100	1.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Teacher Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Teacher Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise 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 Teacher Education Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Teacher 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	26	9
Bachelor’s	5	5
Master’s	41	25
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 Teacher Education Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Teacher 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
Secondary Education and Teaching	10,594
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other	6,573
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor	5,071
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.