Teacher Education Subject Specific

Types of Degrees Teacher Education Subject Specific Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	17,998
Graduate Certificate	2,123
Doctor’s Degree	495

What Teacher Education Subject Specific Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, subject specific ed 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 Subject Specific Ed Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in subject specific ed 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Skills for Subject Specific Ed Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to subject specific ed:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• 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.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Abilities for Subject Specific Ed Majors

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

Below is a list of occupations associated with subject specific ed:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
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
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
Economics Professors	10.9%	$101,480
Education Professors	10.3%	$64,780
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
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
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
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
Social Sciences Professors	9.8%	$71,600
Sociology Professors	9.5%	$74,140
Tutors	9.9%	NA
Vocational Education Professors	1.4%	$53,120

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Teacher Education Subject Specific?

This is one of the most frequently chosen graduate majors. It is the 11th most popular in the country with 17,998 students graduating with a master’s in subject specific ed in 2021. This major is dominated by women with about 75% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of subject specific ed majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	527
Black or African American	1,233
Hispanic or Latino	1,632
White	12,835
International Students	379
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,392

Geographic Diversity

Subject Specific Ed appeals to people across the globe. About 2.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Saudi Arabia
• South Korea
• Canada
• United Kingdom

How Much Do Teacher Education Subject Specific Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of teacher education subject specific students with a master’s degree is $48,852 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $43,814 (25th percentile) and $52,864 (75th percentile).

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

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $64,340 to $94,080 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to subject specific ed. 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 Teacher Education Subject Specific

Some careers associated with subject specific ed require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 subject specific ed careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.4%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.5%
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)	1.9%
Some College Courses	1.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	16.6%
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.	2.7%
Master’s Degree	23.4%
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.	1.4%
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.	0.2%
Doctoral Degree	41.7%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.9%

Online Teacher Education Subject Specific Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 1,300 schools offered some type of teacher education subject specific program. 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)	65	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	6	0
Associate’s Degree	255	19
Bachelor’s Degree	621	97
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2,095	297
Post-Master’s	224	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	199	6
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	6	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Is a Degree in Teacher Education Subject Specific Worth It?

The median salary for a subject specific ed grad is $85,450 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 114% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $911,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Teacher Education Subject Specific

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to subject specific ed.

Major	Number of Grads
Educational Administration	45,458
Teacher Education Grade Specific	34,451
Special Education	25,158
General Education	21,189
Curriculum & Instruction	19,784
Student Counseling	13,840
Instructional Media Design	8,387
Teaching English or French	4,743
Other Education	2,513
Multilingual Education	1,672
Educational Assessment	1,215
Education Philosophy	421
International Education	257
Teaching Assistants	20

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 Aparajita Datta under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.