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Psychology Teacher Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach general psychology at the secondary school level.

Types of Degrees Psychology Teacher Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Psychology Teacher Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	5

What Psychology Teacher Education Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Psychology Teacher Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Psychology Teacher Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.8 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Psychology Teacher Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Video editing software	Video creation and editing software	—
Flipgrid	Video creation and editing software	—
Google Meet	Video conferencing software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Psychology Teacher Education graduates include:

• Teacher
• Typing Teacher
• Manual Arts Teacher
• Trigonometry Teacher
• Manual Training Teacher
• Secondary History Teacher
• Classroom Teacher
• Geometry Teacher
• Guitar Teacher
• Ceramics Teacher
• Choral Teacher
• Music Theory Teacher
• Music Instructor
• High School Teacher
• Social Studies Teacher

What Can You Do With a Psychology Teacher Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Psychology Teacher Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary	-3.0%	$98,479	$80,534–$116,424

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Psychology Teacher Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	39.6%
Doctoral degree	26.5%
Post-doctoral training	14.9%
Master’s degree	9.0%
Post-master’s certificate	4.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Psychology Teacher Education?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 40% women and 60% men among Psychology Teacher Education graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2	40.0%
Men	3	60.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5	100.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Psychology Teacher Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Psychology Teacher 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 Psychology Teacher Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Psychology Teacher 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
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching	6,964
Reading Teacher Education	5,986
Music Teacher Education	4,544
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	3,018
Mathematics Teacher Education	2,993
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	2,352
Social Studies Teacher Education	1,963
Art Teacher Education	1,860
Health Teacher Education	1,472
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,051
Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education	1,022

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.