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Driver & Safety Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach driver and safety education programs at various educational levels.

Types of Degrees Driver & Safety Education Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Driver & Safety Education can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	52

What Driver & Safety Education Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Driver & Safety 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

Skills built by a Driver & Safety 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.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Driver & Safety 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 Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Driver & Safety 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 Driver & Safety Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Geogebra	Analytical or scientific software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Driver & Safety Education graduates include:

• Lecturer
• Educator
• Teacher
• Educational Teaching Instructor
• Adjunct Education Professor
• Education Instructor
• College Professor
• Educational Instructor
• Special Education Professor
• Mathematics Education Professor
• Adult Basic Education Instructor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Tenure-Track Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Continuing Education Instructor

What Can You Do With a Driver & Safety Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Driver & Safety 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 Driver & Safety 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 Driver & Safety Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 69.2% of Driver & Safety Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	16	30.8%
Men	36	69.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	45	86.5%
Hispanic or Latino	1	1.9%
Two or More Races	1	1.9%
Race Unknown	5	9.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Driver & Safety Education Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Driver & Safety Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Driver & Safety Education Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Driver & Safety Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% 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 Subject Areas	39,881
Secondary Education and Teaching	10,594
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching	6,964
Reading Teacher Education	5,986
Music Teacher Education	4,544
Education, Other	4,326
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	3,018
Mathematics Teacher Education	2,993
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	2,976
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	2,352
Social Studies Teacher Education	1,963
Art Teacher Education	1,860

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.