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Teaching Assistant/Aide

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 13.1501 - 13.1599.

Types of Degrees Teaching Assistant/Aide Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Teaching Assistant/Aide may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1,050
Associate’s Degree	756
Bachelor’s Degree	10
Master’s Degree	1,510

What Teaching Assistant/Aide Majors Need to Know

Programs in Teaching Assistant/Aide develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Teaching Assistant/Aide graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Teaching Assistant/Aide emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Teaching Assistant/Aide program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Teaching Assistant/Aide careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Teaching Assistant/Aide graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.9 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.8 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.7 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.7 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.6 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Teaching Assistant/Aide professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Google Classroom	Project management software	—
Quizlet	Computer based training software	—
Kahoot!	Multi-media educational software	—
Flipgrid	Video creation and editing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Teaching Assistant/Aide graduates include:

• TA (Teaching Assistant)
• Paraeducator
• Teacher’s Aide
• Educational Assistant
• Classroom Assistant
• Proctor
• Teacher Aide
• SPED Para (Special Education Paraprofessional)
• SPED Assistant (Special Education Assistant)
• Basic Skills Improvement Program Instructional Aide (BSIP Instructional Aide)
• Specialized Programs TA (Specialized Programs Teacher Assistant)
• Paraprofessional (Para)
• SPED Aide (Special Education Aide)
• Education Support Professional
• SPED Instructional Aide (Special Education Instructional Aide)

What Can You Do With a Teaching Assistant/Aide Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Teaching Assistant/Aide commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Teaching Assistants, Special Education	9.5%	$96,801	$75,024–$118,577
Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary	6.9%	$78,698	$66,165–$91,231
Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education	9.8%	$89,337	$72,651–$106,022
Teaching Assistants, All Other	11.7%	$37,615	$29,976–$45,253
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other	-0.5%	$65,582	$52,883–$78,281
Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors	0.9%	$62,634	$51,108–$74,159

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Teaching Assistant/Aide graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	38.9%
Master’s degree	18.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	16.6%
Some college courses	11.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.6%
Postsecondary certificate	5.4%
Doctoral degree	1.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.7%
Less than a high school diploma	0.3%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Teaching Assistant/Aide?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 94.9% of Teaching Assistant/Aide degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,679	94.9%
Men	199	5.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Teaching Assistant/Aide graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,502	64.5%
Asian	78	2.0%
Hispanic or Latino	885	22.8%
Black or African American	237	6.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	19	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.1%
Two or More Races	84	2.2%
Race Unknown	36	0.9%
International Students	32	0.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Teaching Assistant/Aide Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Teaching Assistant/Aide graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$19,820
4 years	$27,870
5 years	$30,544

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $30,544 — roughly 54% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Teaching Assistant/Aide Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Teaching Assistant/Aide. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	28	2
Master’s	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Teaching Assistant/Aide Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Teaching Assistant/Aide graduates earn a median of $27,870 four years after completion — about 27% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Education	317,436
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	108,054
Educational Administration and Supervision	42,255
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	39,881
Special Education and Teaching	33,988
Education, General	27,481
Curriculum and Instruction	21,331
Student Counseling and Personnel Services	13,714
Educational/Instructional Media Design	8,879
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research	5,695
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language	5,092
Education, Other	4,326

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.