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Science Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach general science programs, or a combination of the biological and physical science subject matter areas, at various educational levels.

Types of Degrees Science Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Science Education can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	3
Associate’s Degree	4
Bachelor’s Degree	318
Master’s Degree	660
Doctor’s Degree	37

What Science Education Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Science Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Science Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Science Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Science Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Science Education graduates include:

• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• Professor
• Instructor
• College Professor
• Lecturer
• Adjunct Instructor
• Educator
• College Faculty Member
• University Faculty Member
• Faculty Member
• Teacher
• Education Instructor
• Counselor Education Professor
• Continuing Education Instructor

What Can You Do With a Science Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Science 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
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	10.3%	$72,801	$59,872–$85,730
Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary	4.3%	$79,966	$66,966–$92,965
Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary	7.1%	$69,509	$57,464–$81,555
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary	14.3%	$80,685	$67,825–$93,545
Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	4.5%	$66,903	$53,096–$80,709
Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary	10.6%	$83,485	$69,729–$97,241
Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary	6.3%	$41,048	$34,688–$47,408

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	46.4%
Bachelor’s degree	17.6%
Master’s degree	16.0%
Post-doctoral training	12.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.6%
Post-master’s certificate	1.3%
Less than a high school diploma	1.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Science Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.7% of Science Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	712	69.7%
Men	310	30.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	726	71.0%
Asian	58	5.7%
Hispanic or Latino	92	9.0%
Black or African American	35	3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	17	1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.3%
Two or More Races	29	2.8%
Race Unknown	43	4.2%
International Students	19	1.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Science Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Science Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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.}

Online Science Education Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Science Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	8
Master’s	18	7
Doctoral (Research)	2	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Science Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Science 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
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels	8,732
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
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
Health Teacher Education	1,472

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.