Master’s Degrees in General Education
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Education Levels of Education Majors
In 2018-2019, 19,995 master's degrees were awarded to education majors. This makes it the 8th most popular master's degree program in the country.
The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in education at each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Master’s Degree | 19,995 |
Doctor’s Degree | 2,518 |
Graduate Certificate | 1,224 |
Earnings of Education Majors With Master’s Degrees
The median salary for graduates holding a master's degree in education is $48,700. However, this can depend on a number of factors, such as where you live and the number of years experience you have.
A better approximation of salary is to look at the typical range of salaries. In this case the low is $43,000 and the high is $54,600.

Student Debt
The median student debt for graduates holding a master's degree in education is $27,917. The school you go to and how long it takes you to graduate, among other things, can cause this number to vary.
The chart below shows the range of accumulated debt loads. On the high side of the range, $34,167 is the debt load, and the debt load on the low side is $20,500.

Those students who are paying back their debt on a 10-year repayment plan have a median monthly payment of $325.
Student Diversity
More women than men pursue their master's degree in education. About 78.5% of graduates with this degree are female.
Gender | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Men | 4,297 |
Women | 15,698 |

The racial-ethnic distribution of education master’s degree students is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 896 |
Black or African American | 1,668 |
Hispanic or Latino | 2,811 |
White | 11,832 |
International Students | 650 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 2,138 |

Most Popular Education Programs for Master’s Degrees
There are 408 colleges that offer a master’s degree in education. Learn more about the most popular 20 below:
The most popular school in the United States for education students seekinga master's degree is Walden University. Roughly 50,300 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $10,428 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $12,039 per year.
The education program at Walden University awarded 1,450 master's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. About 87% of this group were women, and 20% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Harvard University comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in education. Roughly 31,500 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $47,730 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $48,008 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 620 people received their master's degree in education from Harvard. About 75% of this group were women, and 32% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
National University is the 3rd most popular school in the nation for students seeking a master's degree in education. Each year, around 16,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $13,320 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $15,480 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 592 master's degrees were handed out to education majors at National University. About 75% of this group were women, and 40% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 4th most popular school in the country for education majors who are seeking their master's degree is Johns Hopkins University. Roughly 26,100 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $55,350 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $55,350 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 583 master's degrees were handed out to education majors at Johns Hopkins. Of these students, 80% were women and 47% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Grand Canyon University comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in education. Roughly 90,200 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $16,419 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $10,175 per year.
The education program at Grand Canyon University awarded 515 master's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Around 38% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 85% were women.
Azusa Pacific University comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in education. Roughly 10,000 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $39,640 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $17,592 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 419 master's degrees were handed out to education majors at Azusa Pacific. Around 42% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 75% were women.
Ashford University comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in education. Each year, around 34,700 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $11,640 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $12,060 per year.
The education program at Ashford University awarded 378 master's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. About 90% of this group were women, and 67% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Northcentral University comes in at #8 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in education. Each year, around 10,500 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $11,064 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $16,983 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 291 master's degrees were handed out to education majors at Northcentral University. Around 32% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 69% were women.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota comes in at #9 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in education. Roughly 5,500 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $36,050 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $9,180 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 286 people received their master's degree in education from SMU MN. About 79% of this group were women, and 4% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
San Jose State University is the 10th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a master's degree in education. Roughly 35,400 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $5,742 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $7,176 per year.
The education program at San Jose State University awarded 277 master's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. About 86% of this group were women, and 62% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
California State University - Fullerton is the 11th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a master's degree in education. Roughly 40,200 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $5,742 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $7,176 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 275 people received their master's degree in education from Cal State Fullerton. Of these students, 86% were women and 53% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Concordia University - Texas comes in at #12 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in education. Roughly 2,500 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $31,960 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $10,890 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 270 people received their master's degree in education from Concordia University - Texas. Of these students, 69% were women and 60% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Purdue University - Main Campus is the 13th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a master's degree in education. Each year, around 44,400 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $9,208 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $9,208 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 268 master's degrees were handed out to education majors at Purdue. About 76% of this group were women, and 19% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
James Madison University comes in at #14 on our list of the most popular colleges offering master's degrees in education. Roughly 21,700 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,250 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $10,848 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 257 master's degrees were handed out to education majors at JMU. Of these students, 85% were women and 11% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 15th most popular school in the country for education majors who are seeking their master's degree is California Baptist University. Roughly 10,400 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $32,942 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $12,830 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 255 master's degrees were handed out to education majors at Cal Baptist. Of these students, 82% were women and 45% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
Ohio State University - Main Campus is the 16th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a master's degree in education. Roughly 61,100 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $10,197 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $11,560 per year.
The education program at Ohio State University - Main Campus awarded 243 master's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 74% were women and 18% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
California State University - Fresno is the 17th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a master's degree in education. Each year, around 25,100 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $5,742 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $7,176 per year.
The education program at California State University - Fresno awarded 235 master's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. About 70% of this group were women, and 57% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 18th most popular school in the country for education majors who are seeking their master's degree is University of California - Los Angeles. Each year, around 44,500 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $11,442 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $11,442 per year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, 206 people received their master's degree in education from UCLA. Of these students, 79% were women and 73% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
The 19th most popular school in the country for education majors who are seeking their master's degree is Portland State University. Roughly 25,700 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $6,462 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $11,718 per year.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, 204 master's degrees were handed out to education majors at Portland State University. About 66% of this group were women, and 32% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 20th most popular school in the country for education majors who are seeking their master's degree is Sacred Heart University. Each year, around 8,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $42,800 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $30,427 per year.
The education program at Sacred Heart University awarded 201 master's degrees during the 2018-2019 school year. Of these students, 83% were women and 12% were members of underrepresented racial-ethnic groups.
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Related Majors
Below are some popular majors that are similar to education that offer master’s degrees.
Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Educational Administration | 27,762 |
Teacher Education Grade Specific | 25,769 |
Special Education | 18,013 |
Teacher Education Subject Specific | 17,465 |
Curriculum & Instruction | 16,093 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minority student 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 percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Image Credit: By KOKUYO under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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