Teacher Education

Types of Degrees Teacher Education Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	4,966
Bachelor’s Degree	1,991
Associate Degree	1,536
Graduate Certificate	1,188
Doctor’s Degree	98
Basic Certificate	97
Undergraduate Certificate	73

What Teacher Education Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to teacher education and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Teacher Education 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Teacher Education Majors

teacher education 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.
• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Teacher Education Majors

As a teacher education 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 Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Teacher Education Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with teacher education:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	7.4%	$58,230
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

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

The major attracts more women than men. About 87% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of teacher education majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	26
Black or African American	178
Hispanic or Latino	288
White	1,403
International Students	9
Other Races/Ethnicities	87

Geographic Diversity

Teacher Education appeals to people across the globe. About 0.5% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Teacher Education Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Teacher Education majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $62,200 to $64,340 (25th to 75th percentile). 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 Teacher Education

Some careers associated with teacher education 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for teacher education careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.6%
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)	0.6%
Some College Courses	0.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	65.9%
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.	12.6%
Master’s Degree	16.3%
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.	2.6%
Doctoral Degree	1.7%

Online Teacher Education Programs

In 2020-2021, 334 schools offered a teacher education program of some type. 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)	9	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	63	9
Bachelor’s Degree	39	8
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	163	28
Post-Master’s	9	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	6	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Teacher Education Worth It?

The median salary for a teacher education 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 Teacher Education

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to teacher education.

Major	Number of Grads
Elementary Education	43,003
Early Childhood Education	32,920
Secondary Education	10,547
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.