Teacher Education Degree

679 schools compared · Average earnings $41,412/yr

Students study teaching methods tailored to specific grade levels such as early childhood, elementary, middle school, or secondary education, along with age-appropriate pedagogy. Graduates typically pursue careers as classroom teachers at their specialized level, instructional coaches, and curriculum specialists. This major provides the specific licensure pathway required to teach at a particular grade band in public schools.

What Teacher Education Graduates Do

Your degree prepares you for the demanding, hands-on reality of education. As an elementary or secondary teacher, your day isn’t just about the lesson plan; it’s about managing a classroom of 25+ unique personalities, adapting your teaching on the fly, and communicating with parents after hours. Many graduates spend years in the classroom before advancing to roles like instructional coach, department head, or school administrator.

However, your skills are also valued outside traditional schools. A significant, and faster-growing, career path is becoming a training and development specialist. In a corporate setting, you’ll design onboarding programs for new hires, lead workshops on new company software, or develop leadership training for managers. While many K-12 teaching roles face demographic headwinds and slowing growth, corporate training is expanding.

AI's impact on core teaching is limited, a genuine advantage of this field. The day-to-day work of fostering social-emotional learning and managing classroom dynamics remains deeply human-centric. AI will increasingly serve as a helpful assistant for tasks like grading or finding resources, but it cannot replace the essential interpersonal connection at the heart of effective teaching.

Schools Offering
679
Avg Grad Earnings
$41,412/yr
Avg DegreeOutlook Score
52/100
AI Automation Risk
High
41% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Teacher Education graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 412,300 combined openings per year.

Career Path Salary Range Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Postsecondary teachers, all other
$78,490
$56K$123K
13,500 +1.8% 0%
Education teachers, postsecondary
$72,090
$51K$96K
5,600 +2.1% 49%
Training and development specialists
$65,850
$49K$92K
43,900 +10.8% 55%
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%
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%
Kindergarten teachers, except special education
$61,430
$50K$78K
12,800 -1.6% 23%
Adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors
$59,950
$48K$77K
3,900 -13.7% 40%
Self-enrichment teachers
$45,590
$35K$62K
51,400 +3.7% 36%
Preschool teachers, except special education
$37,120
$31K$47K
65,500 +4.1% 23%
Postsecondary teachers, all other
$78,490
$56K $123K
13,500 openings/yr +1.8% growth 0% AI risk
Education teachers, postsecondary
$72,090
$51K $96K
5,600 openings/yr +2.1% growth 49% AI risk
Training and development specialists
$65,850
$49K $92K
43,900 openings/yr +10.8% growth 55% 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
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
Kindergarten teachers, except special education
$61,430
$50K $78K
12,800 openings/yr -1.6% growth 23% AI risk
Adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors
$59,950
$48K $77K
3,900 openings/yr -13.7% growth 40% AI risk
Self-enrichment teachers
$45,590
$35K $62K
51,400 openings/yr +3.7% growth 36% AI risk
Preschool teachers, except special education
$37,120
$31K $47K
65,500 openings/yr +4.1% growth 23% AI risk

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

Best Schools for Teacher Education

Top 20 of 679 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 Western Washington University
Bellingham, WA
77
79–78
$53,133/yr 17.5x
2 Florida SouthWestern State College
Fort Myers, FL
74
76–74
$51,448/yr 35.7x
3 Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL
74
77–75
$50,178/yr 26.5x
4 St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL
74
77–74
$49,672/yr 46.2x
5 Pierce College District
Lakewood, WA
73
75–73
$55,849/yr 28.8x
6 Coppin State University
Baltimore, MD
73
75–74
$53,215/yr 18.0x
7 Bowie State University
Bowie, MD
73
75–74
$52,619/yr 15.2x
8 Weber State University
Ogden, UT
73
75–74
$51,861/yr 19.6x
9 Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, FL
73
75–73
$50,951/yr 20.3x
10 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Tallahassee, FL
73
76–74
$50,736/yr 21.7x
11 University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
72
74–72
$54,604/yr 13.8x
12 University of Maryland-College Park
College Park, MD
72
74–72
$53,054/yr 12.3x
13 Miami Dade College
Miami, FL
72
74–72
$51,545/yr 44.4x
14 College of Central Florida
Ocala, FL
72
76–73
$48,537/yr 44.0x
15 Georgia Gwinnett College
Lawrenceville, GA
72
75–72
$48,203/yr 27.0x
16 Utah Tech University
Saint George, UT
72
76–72
$47,619/yr 21.1x
17 Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA
72
76–73
$47,359/yr 15.9x
18 College of Staten Island CUNY
Staten Island, NY
72
79–73
$41,997/yr 23.1x
19 University of South Florida
Tampa, FL
71
74–71
$50,442/yr 18.5x
20 Utah Valley University
Orem, UT
71
74–71
$49,497/yr 19.0x

Highest Earning Teacher Education Programs

Schools where Teacher Education graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School 1-Year Earnings DW Score
University of Illinois Chicago $60,917/yr 70
Stockton University $59,371/yr 68
Monroe College $58,194/yr 60
Pacific Lutheran University $57,624/yr 58
Rider University $57,145/yr 59
Seton Hall University $56,300/yr 55
The College of New Jersey $56,231/yr 66
Pierce College District $55,849/yr 73
Texas Christian University $55,814/yr 52
Loyola University Chicago $55,652/yr 57

Best ROI for Teacher Education

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Teacher Education.

School ROI Multiple Earnings DW Score
St Petersburg College 46.2x $49,672/yr 74
Miami Dade College 44.4x $51,545/yr 72
College of Central Florida 44.0x $48,537/yr 72
Indian River State College 43.0x $48,612/yr 70
Saint Johns River State College 41.5x $46,448/yr 71
Daytona State College 36.9x $44,869/yr 69
Florida State College at Jacksonville 36.5x $45,008/yr 67
Florida SouthWestern State College 35.7x $51,448/yr 74
South Florida State College 35.0x $45,639/yr 68
Northwest Florida State College 35.0x $44,340/yr 68
Want to compare two Teacher Education 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 Teacher Education offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Teacher Education graduates earn?
Across 679 schools, Teacher Education graduates earn an average of $41,412 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $10,256 to $60,917 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Teacher Education?
Teacher Education is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 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.
Which school has the best Teacher Education program?
Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), Western Washington University ranks #1 for Teacher Education with a score of 77/100 and graduate earnings of $53,133/yr.
What's the outlook for a Teacher Education degree?
On average, Teacher Education graduates earn 8.2x 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 →