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Technical Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach specific vocational technical education programs at various educational levels.

Types of Degrees Technical Education Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Technical Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Associate’s Degree	2
Bachelor’s Degree	146
Master’s Degree	143
Doctor’s Degree	18

What Technical Education Majors Need to Know

Studies in Technical Education emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Technical Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

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

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Technical Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Technical 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
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Technical Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Technical Education graduates include:

• Instructor
• Educator
• Teacher
• Industrial Arts Teacher
• Vocational Trainer
• Business Education Teacher
• Computer Teacher
• Carpentry Teacher
• Career Education Teacher
• Business Teacher
• Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher (FACS Teacher)
• Industrial Technology Teacher
• Computer Science Teacher
• Vocational Teacher
• Technical Education Teacher

What Can You Do With a Technical Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Technical 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
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary	0.6%	$86,398	$72,979–$99,816

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	38.1%
Bachelor’s degree	25.7%
Master’s degree	15.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.5%
Postsecondary certificate	4.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.9%
Some college courses	2.0%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Technical Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 66% of Technical Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	212	66.0%
Men	109	34.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	236	73.5%
Asian	3	0.9%
Hispanic or Latino	18	5.6%
Black or African American	38	11.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.9%
Two or More Races	11	3.4%
Race Unknown	6	1.9%
International Students	6	1.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Technical Education Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Technical 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 Technical Education Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Technical 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	4	6
Master’s	7	3

^{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 Technical Education Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Technical 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
Education, General	27,481
Curriculum and Instruction	21,331
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

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.