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Indian/Native American Education

Types of Degrees Indian/Native American Education Majors Are Earning

Those studying Indian/Native American Education can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	12
Associate’s Degree	2
Bachelor’s Degree	1
Master’s Degree	28
Doctor’s Degree	4

What Indian/Native American Education Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Indian/Native American Education build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Indian/Native American Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Indian/Native American Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.3 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Indian/Native American Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Indian/Native American Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.7 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.5 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Indian/Native American Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Editing software	Word processing software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning 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 Indian/Native American Education graduates include:

• Lecturer
• Adjunct Instructor
• Tenure-Track Professor
• Associate Professor
• Educational Teaching Instructor
• College Professor
• Adult Basic Education Instructor
• Primary Education Professor
• Educator
• Music Education Professor
• Continuing Education Instructor
• Counselor Education Professor
• Secondary Education Professor
• Mathematics Education Professor
• Educational Administration Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	89.8%
Master’s degree	9.4%
Bachelor’s degree	0.6%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Indian/Native American Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 76.6% of Indian/Native American Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	36	76.6%
Men	11	23.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1	2.1%
Hispanic or Latino	4	8.5%
Black or African American	1	2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	38	80.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	2.1%
Two or More Races	1	2.1%
Race Unknown	1	2.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Indian/Native American Education Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Indian/Native American Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$61,405
4 years	$62,672
5 years	$69,660

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,660 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Indian/Native American Education Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Indian/Native American 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
Master’s	1	0

^{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 Indian/Native American Education Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Indian/Native American Education graduates earn a median of $62,672 four years after completion — roughly 65% 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.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education	13.02
Bilingual and Multilingual Education	13.0201
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, Other	13.0299
Multicultural Education	13.0202
Driver and Safety Teacher Education	13.1304
Education, Other	13.9999
Montessori Teacher Education	13.1207
Online Educator/Online Teaching	13.1211
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	13.1399
Waldorf/Steiner Teacher Education	13.1208
Agricultural Teacher Education	13.1301
Art Teacher Education	13.1302

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.