Elementary Teaching

Types of Degrees Elementary Teaching Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many elementary education graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	8,984
Graduate Certificate	723
Doctor’s Degree	51

What Elementary Teaching Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to elementary teaching 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 Elementary Teaching Majors

Elementary Teaching majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Elementary Teaching Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to elementary teaching:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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.
• 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.

Abilities for Elementary Teaching Majors

A major in elementary teaching 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.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

What Can You Do With a Elementary Teaching Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with elementary teaching:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	7.4%	$58,230

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Elementary Teaching?

The major attracts more women than men. About 89% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	295
Black or African American	894
Hispanic or Latino	971
White	5,438
International Students	125
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,261

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Elementary Teaching. About 1.4% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Elementary Teaching

Some careers associated with elementary teaching 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 elementary teaching careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.0%
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)	1.0%
Some College Courses	1.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	74.2%
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.	11.2%
Master’s Degree	11.2%
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.	1.5%

Online Elementary Teaching Programs

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)	27	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	3	1
Associate’s Degree	200	39
Bachelor’s Degree	96	26
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	422	89
Post-Master’s	34	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	10	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	1

Majors Related to Elementary Teaching

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

Major	Number of Grads
Early Childhood Education	30,639
Secondary Education	10,948
Teacher Education	9,411
Teacher Development & Methodology	6,323
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education & Teaching	3,018
Kindergarten/Preschool Education & Teaching	2,718
Adult & Continuing Education	922
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods	379
Montessori Teacher Education	304
Online Educator/Online Teaching	153
College/Postsecondary/University Teaching	101
International Teaching and Learning	24
Waldorf/Steiner Teacher Education	1

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 Vgrigas under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.