Education

Types of Degrees Education Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	158,506
Graduate Certificate	27,281
Doctor’s Degree	13,937

What Education Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, education majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Education Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in education should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Education Majors

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

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

Abilities for Education Majors

A major in 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.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 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 Education Major?

People with a education degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Adapted Physical Education Specialists	9.9%	$56,680
Agricultural Sciences Professors	7.9%	$84,640
Anthropology and Archeology Professors	9.9%	$83,940
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Professors	10.4%	$74,440
Art, Drama, and Music Professors	12.0%	$69,960
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Professors	9.9%	$90,860
Audio-Visual and Multimedia Collections Specialists	8.8%	$49,600
Biological Science Professors	15.1%	$82,550
Business Professors	18.0%	$83,960
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School	7.1%	$59,230
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School	6.4%	$60,250
Chemistry Professors	9.9%	$79,550
Coaches and Scouts	12.9%	$33,780
Computer Science Professors	8.1%	$82,220
Distance Learning Coordinators	10.7%	$82,850
Economics Professors	10.9%	$101,480
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School	7.9%	$95,310
Education Administrators, Preschool and Childcare Center/Program	10.8%	$47,940
Education Professors	10.3%	$64,780
Education, Training, and Library Workers	10.8%	$42,080
Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors	12.6%	$56,310
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	7.4%	$58,230
English Language and Literature Professors	9.8%	$66,590
Environmental Science Professors	10.1%	$79,910
Fitness and Wellness Coordinators	10.7%	$82,850
Foreign Language and Literature Professors	11.7%	$67,640
Forestry & Conservation Science Professors	4.5%	$86,900
Geography Professors	8.0%	$80,350
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
History Professors	10.4%	$74,590
Home Economics Professors	8.6%	$71,380
Instructional Coordinators	10.5%	$64,450
Instructional Designers and Technologists	10.5%	$64,450
Interpreters and Translators	17.7%	$49,930
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	8.0%	$55,470
Librarians	9.0%	$59,050
Mathematical Science Professors	9.4%	$73,230
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$58,600
Physics Postsecondary Professors	10.2%	$90,800
Political Science Professors	10.4%	$83,370
Postsecondary Education Administrators	10.1%	$94,340
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	10.5%	$29,780
Psychology Professors	15.1%	$76,710
Recreation and Fitness Studies Professors	9.7%	$62,620
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320
Self-Enrichment Education Teachers	16.2%	$38,720
Social Sciences Professors	9.8%	$71,600
Sociology Professors	9.5%	$74,140
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School	7.4%	$59,390
Special Education Teachers, Middle School	7.2%	$60,250
Special Education Teachers, Preschool	11.3%	$55,840
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School	7.4%	$60,600
Teacher Assistants	8.4%	$26,970
Transportation Planners	6.7%	$81,340
Tutors	9.9%	NA
Vocational Education Professors	1.4%	$53,120

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Education?

The major attracts more women than men. About 79% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	4,957
Black or African American	16,826
Hispanic or Latino	20,633
White	98,164
International Students	3,723
Other Races/Ethnicities	14,203

Geographic Diversity

Education appeals to people across the globe. About 2.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Education Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in education made a median starting salary of $48,179 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $43,239 (25th percentile) and $53,842 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to education.

Salaries According to BLS

Education majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $61,530 to $91,330 (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 Education

Some degrees associated with education may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for education careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.3%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	2.4%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	2.8%
Some College Courses	2.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	22.6%
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.	3.9%
Master’s Degree	26.3%
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.	1.9%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.4%
Doctoral Degree	28.8%
Post-Doctoral Training	5.4%

Online Education Programs

In 2020-2021, 2,364 schools offered a 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)	596	67
Certificate (2-4 Years)	30	2
Associate’s Degree	1,616	208
Bachelor’s Degree	2,659	703
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	8,004	1,697
Post-Master’s	1,409	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1,390	192
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	65	7
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	50	14

Is a Degree in Education Worth It?

The median salary for a education grad is $77,170 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 93% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $745,400 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Education

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

Major	Number of Grads
Psychology	42,013
Social Sciences	22,292
Communication & Journalism	12,242
Library Science	5,929
History	4,391
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences	3,692
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies	2,911

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 Horadrim under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.