Best Subject-Area Teaching Schools by Graduate Salary & ROI (2026)

348 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Subject-Area Teaching, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Subject-Area Teaching graduate earns $41,690/yr across 348 schools.

What do Subject-Area Teaching graduates do? See career paths and salaries →

Why CUNY Is the Undisputed Leader in Teacher Education

CUNY's dominance, with three schools in the top three, is a direct result of its role as a pipeline into the New York City Department of Education—the largest and one of the highest-paying school districts in the nation. Graduates from #1 CUNY Queens College earn an average of $58,894, reflecting the strong salaries negotiated by the city's teacher union. CUNY's mission is to provide an affordable, high-quality education that feeds directly into the city's public sector, giving its teacher-ed graduates a clear and lucrative career path right in their backyard.

The Real Money Move: Low-Cost Colleges with Massive ROI

The most shocking numbers in this ranking don't come from the top 10. Look at St. Petersburg College (#12) with a staggering 45.1x ROI, or Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (#14) with a 38.5x ROI. These schools prove that a prestigious name is irrelevant for financial success in teaching. By combining ultra-low tuition—just over $10,000 for a four-year degree at St. Pete's—with solid post-grad earnings around $50,000, these programs offer a financial return that elite universities can't touch.

AI Won't Take Your Job—It Will Be Your Assistant

The 49% AI risk score might seem alarming, but it's not a threat to your job security. AI is poised to automate the tedious administrative tasks that lead to teacher burnout, like grading papers, generating lesson plan templates, and managing routine communication. This frees you up to focus on the irreplaceable human-to-human work of mentoring students and managing classroom dynamics. For graduates entering the field, AI will function as a powerful assistant, making the job more sustainable and focused on what matters most.

Why Public Universities Own This Ranking

With 19 of the top 20 programs, public universities dominate teacher education for a simple reason: it's their core mission. State university systems were created to serve the needs of the state, and their primary civic duty is training the next generation of public school teachers. The clustering of top schools in Florida (6) and New York (4) reflects the sheer scale of their K-12 systems and the tight integration between their public universities and local school districts for internships and hiring, creating an unbeatable value and career pipeline.

Programs Ranked
348
Avg Earnings
$41,690/yr
Avg DW Score
55/100
AI Risk
High
49% task exposure

All Subject-Area Teaching Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 CUNY Queens College
Queens, NY · Public
81
80–82
$58,894/yr 22.1x
2 CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY · Public
79
80–80
$49,245/yr 24.2x
3 CUNY Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, NY · Public
77
78–78
$46,233/yr 23.3x
4 Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL · Public
76
77–78
$53,524/yr 27.3x
5 Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, MN · Public
74
75–75
$46,490/yr 16.5x
6 Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA · Public
74
75–75
$49,177/yr 16.1x
7 Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL · Public
73
73–74
$50,610/yr 21.7x
8 University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY · Public
73
74–74
$49,587/yr 19.0x
9 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, IL · Public
72
72–73
$54,215/yr 11.0x
10 Weber State University
Ogden, UT · Public
72
73–73
$50,600/yr 19.1x
11 University of North Florida
Jacksonville, FL · Public
71
72–72
$47,219/yr 19.7x
12 St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL · Public
71
72–72
$49,435/yr 45.1x
13 University of South Florida
Tampa, FL · Public
71
72–72
$47,698/yr 19.3x
14 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Tifton, GA · Public
71
72–73
$50,429/yr 38.5x
15 William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ · Public
71
71–72
$58,854/yr 9.3x
16 Mayville State University
Mayville, ND · Public
71
72–72
$47,650/yr 16.5x
17 Brigham Young University
Provo, UT · Private nonprofit
71
72–72
$47,153/yr 19.4x
18 Utah Valley University
Orem, UT · Public
71
72–72
$49,297/yr 19.1x
19 University of Florida
Gainesville, FL · Public
70
72–72
$47,572/yr 19.1x
20 SUNY College at Potsdam
Potsdam, NY · Public
70
72–71
$45,110/yr 15.9x
21 Western Washington University
Bellingham, WA · Public
70
74–71
$42,795/yr 16.7x
22 Nevada State University
Henderson, NV · Public
70
70–71
$50,691/yr 18.9x
23 Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, GA · Public
70
72–71
$45,243/yr 21.3x
24 Northeastern Illinois University
Chicago, IL · Public
69
68–70
$63,615/yr 11.8x
25 Fort Hays State University
Hays, KS · Public
69
72–70
$43,273/yr 22.6x
26 University of Louisville
Louisville, KY · Public
69
69–70
$56,188/yr 10.1x
27 Towson University
Towson, MD · Public
69
70–70
$51,209/yr 11.6x
28 The College of New Jersey
Ewing, NJ · Public
69
69–70
$56,055/yr 7.7x
29 North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC · Public
69
71–70
$45,211/yr 15.0x
30 Valley City State University
Valley City, ND · Public
69
70–70
$49,582/yr 14.2x
31 Utah Tech University
Saint George, UT · Public
69
69–70
$52,665/yr 17.0x
32 Southern Utah University
Cedar City, UT · Public
69
71–70
$45,042/yr 18.4x
33 California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, CA · Public
68
74–69
$40,884/yr 20.3x
34 University of West Georgia
Carrollton, GA · Public
68
71–69
$43,308/yr 20.7x
35 Chadron State College
Chadron, NE · Public
68
70–69
$46,824/yr 15.0x
36 CUNY New York City College of Technology
Brooklyn, NY · Public
68
69–69
$49,750/yr 16.0x
37 State University of New York at Cortland
Cortland, NY · Public
68
73–69
$42,132/yr 16.7x
38 University of Central Oklahoma
Edmond, OK · Public
68
69–69
$47,741/yr 14.0x
39 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus
Stillwater, OK · Public
68
69–69
$51,097/yr 11.9x
40 University of North Georgia
Dahlonega, GA · Public
68
72–69
$42,102/yr 25.5x
41 University of Delaware
Newark, DE · Public
67
68–68
$49,041/yr 8.6x
42 Iowa State University
Ames, IA · Public
67
68–68
$47,559/yr 12.1x
43 University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, NC · Public
67
70–68
$42,829/yr 32.0x
44 Black Hills State University
Spearfish, SD · Public
67
69–68
$47,494/yr 13.4x
45 Eastern Washington University
Cheney, WA · Public
67
72–69
$41,914/yr 17.0x
46 University of Wisconsin-Stout
Menomonie, WI · Public
67
68–68
$47,230/yr 12.3x
47 Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN · Public
67
69–68
$44,923/yr 13.1x
48 Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA · Public
66
71–67
$41,063/yr 21.9x
49 University of Idaho
Moscow, ID · Public
66
68–67
$45,327/yr 13.7x
50 University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, IL · Public
66
67–67
$47,292/yr 9.4x

Scores calculated using College Scorecard, BLS, and AI task-exposure data. See full methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Subject-Area Teaching?
Based on our DegreeOutlook Score, CUNY Queens College ranks #1 for Subject-Area Teaching with a score of 81/100 and graduate earnings of $58,894/yr.
How much do Subject-Area Teaching graduates earn?
Across 348 schools, Subject-Area Teaching graduates earn an average of $41,690/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $63,615/yr.
Is Subject-Area Teaching a good major for AI resistance?
Subject-Area Teaching has an average AI task exposure of 49%, rated "High". This field has moderate AI exposure — some career paths are more resilient than others.

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