Subject-Area Teaching Degree

348 schools compared · Average earnings $41,690/yr

Students study both the content knowledge and teaching methods for a specific academic subject such as math, English, science, social studies, or art. Graduates typically pursue careers as secondary subject-area teachers, department chairs, and content specialists in school districts. Subject-area teaching positions in STEM fields often come with signing bonuses and higher demand.

What Subject-Area Teaching Graduates Do

Your degree prepares you for the demanding, hands-on reality of teaching. As an elementary, middle, or high school teacher, your day is a fast-paced mix of leading classroom activities, adapting lessons for different learning styles, managing student behavior, and communicating with parents. While you’ll spend time planning and grading, the core of your job is building relationships and fostering understanding in real-time.

After gaining classroom experience, you might advance to a lead teacher, department head, or curriculum specialist role, shaping education on a broader scale. While traditional K-12 teaching positions face hiring headwinds, opportunities in high-growth areas like postsecondary health education or fitness instruction are expanding rapidly for those with strong teaching skills.

The deeply interpersonal nature of this work makes it resilient to automation. AI has a low impact on the core tasks of mentoring a student, managing a dynamic classroom, or coaching a team. Instead of replacing you, AI is emerging as a powerful assistant, helping with administrative burdens like grading and lesson planning, which frees you to focus on the human connections where you create the most value.

Schools Offering
348
Avg Grad Earnings
$41,690/yr
Avg DegreeOutlook Score
55/100
AI Automation Risk
High
49% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Subject-Area Teaching graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 420,800 combined openings per year.

Career Path Salary Range Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary
$105,620
$74K$176K
27,400 +17.3% 48%
Business teachers, postsecondary
$97,270
$63K$140K
8,100 +5.7% 49%
Biological science teachers, postsecondary
$83,460
$64K$125K
5,400 +7.3% 47%
Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary
$80,190
$61K$122K
9,000 +1.7% 44%
English language and literature teachers, postsecondary
$78,270
$60K$104K
5,100 0.0% 53%
Education teachers, postsecondary
$72,090
$51K$96K
5,600 +2.1% 49%
Teachers and instructors, all other
$64,690
$47K$93K
18,000 -0.1% 0%
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
$64,580
$58K$83K
66,200 -1.6% 33%
Librarians and media collections specialists
$64,320
$51K$81K
13,500 +1.7% 54%
Career/technical education teachers, secondary school
$63,910
$59K$79K
6,200 -1.8% 33%
Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education
$62,970
$54K$79K
40,500 -2.0% 35%
Elementary school teachers, except special education
$62,340
$51K$79K
91,000 -2.0% 31%
Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary
$61,490
$48K$80K
8,800 +0.7% 49%
Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors
$46,180
$34K$61K
74,200 +11.9% 1%
Coaches and scouts
$45,920
$34K$62K
41,800 +6.4% 30%
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary
$105,620
$74K $176K
27,400 openings/yr +17.3% growth 48% AI risk
Business teachers, postsecondary
$97,270
$63K $140K
8,100 openings/yr +5.7% growth 49% AI risk
Biological science teachers, postsecondary
$83,460
$64K $125K
5,400 openings/yr +7.3% growth 47% AI risk
Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary
$80,190
$61K $122K
9,000 openings/yr +1.7% growth 44% AI risk
English language and literature teachers, postsecondary
$78,270
$60K $104K
5,100 openings/yr 0.0% growth 53% AI risk
Education teachers, postsecondary
$72,090
$51K $96K
5,600 openings/yr +2.1% growth 49% AI risk
Teachers and instructors, all other
$64,690
$47K $93K
18,000 openings/yr -0.1% growth 0% AI risk
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
$64,580
$58K $83K
66,200 openings/yr -1.6% growth 33% AI risk
Librarians and media collections specialists
$64,320
$51K $81K
13,500 openings/yr +1.7% growth 54% AI risk
Career/technical education teachers, secondary school
$63,910
$59K $79K
6,200 openings/yr -1.8% growth 33% AI risk
Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education
$62,970
$54K $79K
40,500 openings/yr -2.0% growth 35% AI risk
Elementary school teachers, except special education
$62,340
$51K $79K
91,000 openings/yr -2.0% growth 31% AI risk
Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary
$61,490
$48K $80K
8,800 openings/yr +0.7% growth 49% AI risk
Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors
$46,180
$34K $61K
74,200 openings/yr +11.9% growth 1% AI risk
Coaches and scouts
$45,920
$34K $62K
41,800 openings/yr +6.4% growth 30% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

How do Subject-Area Teaching programs stack up? See 348 schools ranked by earnings and value →

Best Schools for Subject-Area Teaching

Top 20 of 348 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 CUNY Queens College
Queens, NY
81
80–82
$58,894/yr 22.1x
2 CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY
79
80–80
$49,245/yr 24.2x
3 CUNY Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, NY
77
78–78
$46,233/yr 23.3x
4 Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL
76
77–78
$53,524/yr 27.3x
5 Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA
74
75–75
$49,177/yr 16.1x
6 Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, MN
74
75–75
$46,490/yr 16.5x
7 Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
73
73–74
$50,610/yr 21.7x
8 University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY
73
74–74
$49,587/yr 19.0x
9 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, IL
72
72–73
$54,215/yr 11.0x
10 Weber State University
Ogden, UT
72
73–73
$50,600/yr 19.1x
11 William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ
71
71–72
$58,854/yr 9.3x
12 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Tifton, GA
71
72–73
$50,429/yr 38.5x
13 St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL
71
72–72
$49,435/yr 45.1x
14 Utah Valley University
Orem, UT
71
72–72
$49,297/yr 19.1x
15 University of South Florida
Tampa, FL
71
72–72
$47,698/yr 19.3x
16 Mayville State University
Mayville, ND
71
72–72
$47,650/yr 16.5x
17 University of North Florida
Jacksonville, FL
71
72–72
$47,219/yr 19.7x
18 Brigham Young University
Provo, UT
71
72–72
$47,153/yr 19.4x
19 Nevada State University
Henderson, NV
70
70–71
$50,691/yr 18.9x
20 University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
70
72–72
$47,572/yr 19.1x

Highest Earning Subject-Area Teaching Programs

Schools where Subject-Area Teaching graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

Best ROI for Subject-Area Teaching

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Subject-Area Teaching.

School ROI Multiple Earnings DW Score
St Petersburg College 45.1x $49,435/yr 71
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College 38.5x $50,429/yr 71
University of North Carolina at Pembroke 32.0x $42,829/yr 67
Florida Atlantic University 27.3x $53,524/yr 76
University of North Georgia 25.5x $42,102/yr 68
Western Carolina University 25.3x $41,444/yr 65
California State University-Fullerton 24.8x $33,493/yr 61
CUNY Hunter College 24.2x $49,245/yr 79
CUNY Brooklyn College 23.3x $46,233/yr 77
Brigham Young University-Idaho 22.8x $42,094/yr 64
Want to compare two Subject-Area Teaching programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

Explore similar fields of study.

Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Subject-Area Teaching offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Subject-Area Teaching graduates earn?
First-year earnings for Subject-Area Teaching graduates average $41,690 annually, based on data from 348 programs. The range spans $14,646 at the low end to $63,615 at the top.
What is the AI automation risk for Subject-Area Teaching?
Our analysis classifies Subject-Area Teaching as "High" for AI risk — approximately 49% of typical job tasks overlap with current AI capabilities. That puts some of the daily work in the automation-sensitive category.
What's the top-ranked school for Subject-Area Teaching?
Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), CUNY Queens College ranks #1 for Subject-Area Teaching with a score of 81/100 and graduate earnings of $58,894/yr.
What's the ROI on a Subject-Area Teaching degree?
On average, Subject-Area Teaching graduates earn 9.2x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly.
Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →