Types of Degrees Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many teacher education subject specific graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	20,044
Master’s Degree	17,793
Graduate Certificate	2,069
Associate Degree	1,042
Basic Certificate	724
Doctor’s Degree	516
Undergraduate Certificate	155

What Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to subject specific ed were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Subject Specific Ed Majors

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

Skills for Subject Specific Ed Majors

When studying subject specific ed, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.

Abilities for Subject Specific Ed Majors

As you progress with your subject specific ed 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.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 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.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Major?

People with a subject specific ed degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Agricultural Sciences Professors	7.9%	$84,640
Anthropology and Archeology Professors	9.9%	$83,940
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Professors	10.4%	$74,440
Art, Drama, and Music Professors	12.0%	$69,960
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Professors	9.9%	$90,860
Biological Science Professors	15.1%	$82,550
Business Professors	18.0%	$83,960
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School	7.1%	$59,230
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School	6.4%	$60,250
Chemistry Professors	9.9%	$79,550
Coaches and Scouts	12.9%	$33,780
Computer Science Professors	8.1%	$82,220
Economics Professors	10.9%	$101,480
Education Professors	10.3%	$64,780
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	7.4%	$58,230
English Language and Literature Professors	9.8%	$66,590
Environmental Science Professors	10.1%	$79,910
Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors	10.0%	$39,820
Foreign Language and Literature Professors	11.7%	$67,640
Forestry & Conservation Science Professors	4.5%	$86,900
Geography Professors	8.0%	$80,350
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
History Professors	10.4%	$74,590
Home Economics Professors	8.6%	$71,380
Librarians	9.0%	$59,050
Mathematical Science Professors	9.4%	$73,230
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$58,600
Physics Postsecondary Professors	10.2%	$90,800
Political Science Professors	10.4%	$83,370
Psychology Professors	15.1%	$76,710
Recreation and Fitness Studies Professors	9.7%	$62,620
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320
Social Sciences Professors	9.8%	$71,600
Sociology Professors	9.5%	$74,140
Tutors	9.9%	NA
Vocational Education Professors	1.4%	$53,120

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in ?

This is one of the most frequently chosen teaching majors. It is the 2nd most popular in the country with 20,958 students graduating with a bachelor’s in subject specific ed in 2021. The major attracts more women than men. About 59% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of subject specific ed majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	538
Black or African American	1,520
Hispanic or Latino	2,337
White	14,220
International Students	190
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,239

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Subject Specific Ed, too. About 0.9% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Saudi Arabia
• South Korea
• Canada
• United Kingdom

How Much Do Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $64,340 to $94,080 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to subject specific ed. 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

Some degrees associated with subject specific ed may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for subject specific ed careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.4%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.5%
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)	1.9%
Some College Courses	1.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	16.6%
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.	2.7%
Master’s Degree	23.4%
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.	1.4%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.2%
Doctoral Degree	41.7%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.9%

Online Programs

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)	69	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	3	0
Associate’s Degree	242	10
Bachelor’s Degree	642	127
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2,064	356
Post-Master’s	229	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	184	7
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	7	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Is a Degree in Worth It?

The median salary for a subject specific ed grad is $85,450 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 114% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $911,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to subject specific ed.

Major	Number of Grads
Teacher Education Grade Specific	110,770
Educational Administration	46,975
Special Education	35,973
General Education	29,389
Curriculum & Instruction	19,217
Student Counseling	14,506
Instructional Media Design	9,224
Teaching English or French	5,525
Other Education	4,887
Educational Assessment	3,853
Teaching Assistants	2,720
Multilingual Education	1,995
Education Philosophy	932
International Education	279

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 Aparajita Datta under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.