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Teaching for Mental Retardation

Types of Degrees Teaching for Mental Retardation Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Teaching for Mental Retardation can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	56
Master’s Degree	25

What Teaching for Mental Retardation Majors Need to Know

Studies in Teaching for Mental Retardation build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Teaching for Mental Retardation graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Teaching for Mental Retardation emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Teaching for Mental Retardation program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Teaching for Mental Retardation careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Teaching for Mental Retardation graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	3.9 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.8 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.8 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Teaching for Mental Retardation professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Screen reader software	Device drivers or system software	—
Screen magnification software	Device drivers or system software	—
Voice activated software	Voice recognition software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Teaching for Mental Retardation graduates include:

• Sign Language Teacher
• Lip Reading Teacher
• Learning Support Teacher
• Physically Impaired Teacher
• Blind Teacher
• Braille Teacher
• Learning Disabled Teacher
• Special Needs Teacher
• Reading Specialist
• Learning Specialist
• Resource Specialist
• Hearing Impaired Teacher
• Teacher
• Emotionally Impaired Teacher
• Handicapped Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	35.2%
Doctoral degree	27.7%
Master’s degree	21.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	13.0%
First professional degree	1.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.4%
Some college courses	0.2%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Teaching for Mental Retardation?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 87.7% of Teaching for Mental Retardation degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	71	87.7%
Men	10	12.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Teaching for Mental Retardation graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	68	84.0%
Asian	1	1.2%
Hispanic or Latino	4	4.9%
Black or African American	2	2.5%
Two or More Races	1	1.2%
Race Unknown	4	4.9%
International Students	1	1.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Teaching for Mental Retardation Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Teaching for Mental Retardation 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	$54,981
4 years	$54,220
5 years	$59,983

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $59,983 — roughly 9% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Teaching for Mental Retardation Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Teaching for Mental Retardation. 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
Bachelor’s	1	2
Master’s	2	1

^{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 Teaching for Mental Retardation Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Teaching for Mental Retardation graduates earn a median of $54,220 four years after completion — roughly 43% 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
Special Education and Teaching	13.10
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs	13.1015
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Elementary Special Education Programs	13.1017
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs	13.1018
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs	13.1019
Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed	13.1014
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism	13.1013
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances	13.1005
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Hearing Impairments Including Deafness	13.1003
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities	13.1007
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Orthopedic and Other Physical Health Impairments	13.1008
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities	13.1011

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.