Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching

Types of Degrees Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many kindergarten/preschool education & teaching graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	1,445
Bachelor’s Degree	767
Basic Certificate	314
Master’s Degree	106
Graduate Certificate	64
Undergraduate Certificate	16
Doctor’s Degree	6

What Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to kindergarten/preschool education and teaching were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Skills for Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to kindergarten/preschool education and teaching:

• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities for Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching Majors

As a kindergarten/preschool education and teaching major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

What Can You Do With a Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching Major?

People with a kindergarten/preschool education and teaching degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	8.0%	$55,470
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	10.5%	$29,780

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching?

The major attracts more women than men. About 96% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of kindergarten/preschool education and teaching majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	22
Black or African American	163
Hispanic or Latino	128
White	377
International Students	8
Other Races/Ethnicities	69

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching, too. About 1.0% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching

Some degrees associated with kindergarten/preschool education and teaching may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for kindergarten/preschool education and teaching careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	14.8%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	5.3%
Some College Courses	6.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	47.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	9.5%
Master’s Degree	13.3%

Online Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	12	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	45	8
Bachelor’s Degree	18	7
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	23	1
Post-Master’s	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to kindergarten/preschool education and teaching.

Major	Number of Grads
Elementary Education	41,711
Early Childhood Education	30,639
Secondary Education	10,948
Teacher Education	9,411
Teacher Development & Methodology	6,323
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education & Teaching	3,018
Adult & Continuing Education	922
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods	379
Montessori Teacher Education	304
Online Educator/Online Teaching	153
College/Postsecondary/University Teaching	101
International Teaching and Learning	24
Waldorf/Steiner Teacher Education	1

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Vgrigas under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.