English & Language Arts Education

Types of Degrees English & Language Arts Education Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many English and language arts education graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	1,952
Master’s Degree	978
Graduate Certificate	99
Associate Degree	60
Undergraduate Certificate	14
Doctor’s Degree	8
Basic Certificate	2

What English & Language Arts Education Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to English and language arts education 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 English & Language Arts Education Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Skills for English & Language Arts Education Majors

A major in English and language arts education prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

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

A major in English and language arts education will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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 English & Language Arts Education Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with English and language arts education:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Education Professors	10.3%	$64,780
English Language and Literature Professors	9.8%	$66,590
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$58,600
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in English & Language Arts Education?

The major attracts more women than men. About 82% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of English and language arts education majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	49
Black or African American	63
Hispanic or Latino	236
White	1,486
International Students	6
Other Races/Ethnicities	112

Geographic Diversity

English & Language Arts Education appeals to people across the globe. About 0.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do English & Language Arts Education Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $62,030 to $73,680 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to English and language arts education. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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 English & Language Arts Education

Some careers associated with English and language arts education require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 English and language arts education careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	2.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	33.7%
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.	8.2%
Master’s Degree	20.4%
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.	2.1%
Doctoral Degree	32.0%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.1%

Online English & Language Arts Education Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 525 schools offered some type of English and language arts education program. 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)	3	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	22	2
Bachelor’s Degree	44	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	138	8
Post-Master’s	11	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	5	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in English & Language Arts Education Worth It?

The median salary for a English and language arts education grad is $64,340 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 61% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $488,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to English & Language Arts Education

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to English and language arts education.

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Education Teaching & Coaching	8,121
Reading Teacher Education	6,490
Music Education	4,761
Mathematics Education	3,395
Other Teacher Education & Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	2,335
Social Studies Education	1,968
Art Education	1,837
Health Education	1,801
Science Education	1,371
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,130
Biology Education	865
History Education	804
Trade & Industrial Teacher Education	715
Technology Education	575
Social Science Teacher Education	474
Technical Teacher Education	462
Spanish Education	457
School Librarian/School Library Media Specialist	370
Modern Language Education	338
Drama & Dance Education	293
Family & Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education	286
Chemistry Education	238
Computer Teacher Education	217
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	185
Earth Science Teacher Education	169
Physics Education	152
Environmental Education	96
Speech Teacher Education	68
French Language Teacher Education	55
Driver & Safety Teacher Education	55
Health Occupations Teacher Education	48
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	22
Distributive Education	11
German Language Teacher Education	8
Psychology Teacher Education	5
Latin Teacher Education	4
Geography Teacher Education	3

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.