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Adult & Continuing Education

Types of Degrees Adult & Continuing Education Majors Are Earning

Those studying Adult & Continuing Education can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	4
Master’s Degree	759
Doctor’s Degree	138

What Adult & Continuing Education Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Adult & Continuing Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 2.8 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 2.7 / 5; level 2.8 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Adult & Continuing Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.5 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.8 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Adult & Continuing Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Hypertext markup language HTML	Web platform development software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Adobe Dreamweaver	Web page creation and editing software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Adult & Continuing Education graduates include:

• Instructor
• Teacher
• Summer Camp Teacher
• Flight Instructor
• Cooking Teacher
• Sign Language Teacher
• Flying Teacher
• Life Program Instructor
• Community Educator
• Baton Teacher
• Hebrew Teacher
• Piano Instructor
• Weaving Teacher
• Recreational Activities Instructor
• Pilot Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	41.6%
Master’s degree	20.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	11.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	11.6%
Postsecondary certificate	9.8%
Some college courses	2.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.9%
Post-doctoral training	0.4%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Adult & Continuing Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 71.3% of Adult & Continuing Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	642	71.3%
Men	259	28.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	545	60.5%
Asian	26	2.9%
Hispanic or Latino	101	11.2%
Black or African American	133	14.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.4%
Two or More Races	29	3.2%
Race Unknown	22	2.4%
International Students	37	4.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Adult & Continuing Education Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Adult & Continuing 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	$44,857
4 years	$43,846
5 years	$48,879

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $48,879 — roughly 9% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Adult & Continuing Education Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Adult & Continuing 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
Bachelor’s	3	0
Master’s	23	10
Doctoral (Research)	6	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 Adult & Continuing Education Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Adult & Continuing Education graduates earn a median of $43,846 four years after completion — roughly 15% 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
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	13.12
College/Postsecondary/University Teaching	13.1214
Early Childhood Education and Teaching	13.1210
Elementary Education and Teaching	13.1202
International Teaching and Learning	13.1212
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	13.1203
Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching	13.1209
Montessori Teacher Education	13.1207
Online Educator/Online Teaching	13.1211
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods	13.1213
Secondary Education and Teaching	13.1205
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other	13.1299

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.