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Education

Types of Degrees Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	4,789
Associate’s Degree	17,944
Bachelor’s Degree	92,051
Master’s Degree	183,805
Doctor’s Degree	16,277

What Education Majors Need to Know

Programs in Education emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Instructor
• Teacher
• Lecturer
• Associate Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• College Professor
• Faculty Member
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Continuing Education Instructor
• Educational Instructor
• Visual Education Teacher
• Educational Leadership Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	36.5%
Bachelor’s degree	31.6%
Master’s degree	15.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	7.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.1%
Some college courses	1.3%
Postsecondary certificate	1.1%
Less than a high school diploma	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	1.0%
Post-doctoral training	0.6%
First professional degree	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 81.1% of Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	257,361	81.1%
Men	60,075	18.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	193,964	61.1%
Asian	9,902	3.1%
Hispanic or Latino	49,083	15.5%
Black or African American	32,718	10.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2,238	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	760	0.2%
Two or More Races	8,950	2.8%
Race Unknown	12,699	4.0%
International Students	7,122	2.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Education 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	$53,304
4 years	$52,563
5 years	$58,393

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $58,393 — roughly 10% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Education Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Education. 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	582	302
Bachelor’s	852	914
Master’s	4,496	2,468
Doctoral (Research)	514	350

^{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 Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Education graduates earn a median of $52,563 four years after completion — roughly 38% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{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.}

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.