Educational Assessment

Types of Degrees Educational Assessment Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many educational assessment graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

What Educational Assessment Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to assessment were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Assessment Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 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.
• 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.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Assessment Majors

assessment 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.
• 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.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Assessment Majors

As you progress with your assessment degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

What Can You Do With a Educational Assessment Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with assessment:

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Educational Assessment?

This major is dominated by women with about 72% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	26
Black or African American	32
Hispanic or Latino	57
White	270
International Students	102
Other Races/Ethnicities	30

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Assessment, too. About 19.7% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• Saudi Arabia
• Taiwan
• India

How Much Do Educational Assessment Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a master’s degree in assessment was $57,250 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $55,225 (25th percentile) and $59,275 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a assessment degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Assessment majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $46,680 to $85,750 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

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.

Median Salary for an Educational Assessment Major  ( 46680 to 85750 )

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Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )

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Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )

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Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )

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Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Educational Assessment

Some degrees associated with assessment 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 assessment careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree	38.6%
Master’s Degree	17.4%
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.	0.0%
Doctoral Degree	43.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.0%

Online Educational Assessment Programs

In 2018-2019, 136 schools offered a assessment 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)	1	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	65	14
Post-Baccalaureate	1	0
Master’s Degree	73	25
Post-Master’s	20	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	57	6
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Educational Assessment Worth It?

The median salary for a assessment grad is $73,680 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 85% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $675,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Educational Assessment

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

Major	Number of Grads
Teacher Education Grade Specific	100,925
Educational Administration	44,381
Teacher Education Subject Specific	43,516
General Education	31,066
Special Education	30,639
Curriculum & Instruction	18,767
Student Counseling	13,679
Instructional Media Design	7,063
Other Education	5,503
Teaching English or French	5,407
Multilingual Education	1,636
Teaching Assistants	1,591
Education Philosophy	634
International Education	400

References

• 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 US Navy Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Paul J. Phelps under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.