Education Studies
Students study specialized or interdisciplinary areas of education that may include outdoor education, museum education, adult literacy, or educational entrepreneurship. Graduates typically pursue careers in non-traditional educational settings, community organizations, educational startups, and specialized training programs. This flexible category allows students to pursue emerging areas of education beyond traditional classroom teaching.
What Education Studies graduates do
Your classroom might be a corporate boardroom, a community center, or a university lecture hall. With this versatile education degree, you’ll often bypass the traditional K-12 system. As a general instructor, your day could involve designing an onboarding program for a tech company, teaching a software workshop, or leading adult literacy classes at a local non-profit. The other major path is teaching at the university level, where you’ll prepare future educators by lecturing on pedagogical theory and mentoring them through their student-teaching placements.
While general instructor roles face slight headwinds, the demand for postsecondary education teachers is growing steadily. You might start your career coordinating training programs before advancing to design entire curricula or, in academia, earning a professorship. AI is poised to become a significant co-pilot in these fields, automating routine work like drafting lesson plans or grading standard assessments. This won't eliminate your job, but it will change it, freeing you to focus on the human-centric skills: mentoring, adapting content for diverse learners, and leading nuanced discussions.
You may also want to evaluate Education Studies against Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education and Curriculum and Instruction on salary and long-run job outlook.
Where Education Studies graduates work
Common career paths for Education Studies graduates, with median salaries, projected growth, and AI exposure per role. Roughly 23,600 combined openings per year across these roles.
| Role | Median Pay | Annual Openings | 10-yr Growth | AI Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Education teachers, postsecondary
|
$72,090
$51K–$96K
|
5,600 | +2.1% | Moderate · 49% |
|
Teachers and instructors, all other
|
$64,690
$47K–$93K
|
18,000 | -0.1% | Low · 0% |
Best schools for Education Studies
Schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score (earnings × AI resilience × ROI × job-market size). Top 10 of 22.
| # | School | DW Score | 1-yr Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL · Public
|
41 | $35,491 | 40.7x |
| 6 |
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA · Public
|
36 | $31,095 | 15.3x |
| 7 |
Westminster College
New Wilmington, PA · Private nonprofit
|
33 | $42,047 | 2.4x |
| 8 |
California State University-Channel Islands
Camarillo, CA · Public
|
33 | $34,646 | 13.9x |
| 9 |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe, AZ · Public
|
32 | $37,535 | 8.1x |
| 10 |
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
Scottsdale, AZ · Public
|
32 | $37,535 | — |
| 11 |
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, CA · Public
|
28 | $31,250 | 9.5x |
| 12 |
University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO · Public
|
26 | $32,110 | 7.2x |
| 13 |
Albany State University
Albany, GA · Public
|
26 | $28,034 | 13.3x |
| 14 |
Roberts Wesleyan University
Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit
|
25 | $35,712 | 1.4x |
| 15 |
Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO · Private nonprofit
|
24 | $32,812 | 2.9x |
| 16 |
Athens State University
Athens, AL · Public
|
24 | $31,706 | — |
| 17 |
Jackson State University
Jackson, MS · Public
|
24 | $27,729 | 6.6x |
| 18 |
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
Bowling Green, OH · Public
|
23 | $30,483 | 6.7x |
| 19 |
Bob Jones University
Greenville, SC · Private nonprofit
|
20 | $29,278 | 2.1x |
| 20 |
Endicott College
Beverly, MA · Private nonprofit
|
20 | $26,489 | 2.7x |
Highest Earnings Top 5
| Towson University
MD |
$52,791 |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
MN |
$46,560 |
| University of Minnesota-Duluth
MN |
$45,678 |
| Eastern Oregon University
OR |
$44,558 |
| Westminster College
PA |
$42,047 |
Best ROI Top 5
| St Petersburg College
FL |
40.7x |
| Sonoma State University
CA |
15.3x |
| California State University-Channel Islands
CA |
13.9x |
| Albany State University
GA |
13.3x |
| Towson University
MD |
11.9x |
Related majors
Similar fields of study often offered alongside Education Studies.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Education Studies offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare Education Studies trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about Education Studies
What do Education Studies graduates make in their first year?
Across 22 schools, Education Studies graduates earn an average of $33,982 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $7,387 to $52,791 depending on the school.
Will AI affect Education Studies careers?
Education Studies is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with 41% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.
Where should I study Education Studies?
Our data ranks Towson University first among 22 Education Studies programs. Its score of 56/100 reflects strong outcomes across earnings ($52,791/yr), return on investment, and career durability.
What's the ROI on a Education Studies degree?
On average, Education Studies graduates earn 8.9x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly.