Social Science Education

Types of Degrees Social Science Education Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many social science teacher education graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	343
Master’s Degree	130
Associate Degree	1

What Social Science Education Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to social science teacher education and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Social Science Teacher Education Majors

Social Science Teacher Education 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.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Social Science Teacher Education Majors

social science teacher education majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• 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.

Abilities for Social Science Teacher Education Majors

A major in social science teacher 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 Social Science Education Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with social science teacher education:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Anthropology and Archeology Professors	9.9%	$83,940
Economics Professors	10.9%	$101,480
Education Professors	10.3%	$64,780
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$58,600
Political Science Professors	10.4%	$83,370
Psychology Professors	15.1%	$76,710
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

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science Education?

According to recent stats this major attracts about equal numbers of men and women. Roughly 48% of the graduates are women, and 52% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of social science teacher education majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	2
Black or African American	11
Hispanic or Latino	31
White	285
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	14

How Much Do Social Science Education Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Social Science Teacher Education majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $73,680 to $94,080 (25th to 75th percentile). 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 Social Science Education

Some careers associated with social science teacher 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 social science teacher education careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	17.8%
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.	4.3%
Master’s Degree	13.2%
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.	2.0%
Doctoral Degree	58.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	3.8%

Online Social Science Education Programs

In 2020-2021, 131 schools offered a social science teacher education program of some type. 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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	2	0
Bachelor’s Degree	5	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	21	6
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Social Science Education Worth It?

The median salary for a social science teacher education grad is $87,950 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 120% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $961,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Social Science Education

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to social science teacher education.

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Education Teaching & Coaching	8,121
Reading Teacher Education	6,490
Music Education	4,761
Mathematics Education	3,395
English & Language Arts Education	3,113
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
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
Driver & Safety Teacher Education	55
French Language 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.