What Can You Do with an Education or Teaching Degree?
If you have a passion for working with children and want to make a difference in this world, then pursuing a degree in education or teaching can be the perfect route for a fulfilling career! Educators have an essential job within our society, and they work tirelessly to instruct and educate the next generation of children in order to prepare them for life in the adult world.
List of the Top 40 Education or Teaching Careers & Salaries
There are many ways to utilize a degree in education, from direct instruction of students to helping schools develop curriculum and policies that support the educational process. Below we have put together a list of the 40 top careers in the teaching and education field and their median annual salaries to give you an idea of the options available after graduating with your degree.
| Job Title | Job Summary | Median Salary |
| Professor, Postsecondary/Higher Education | Tenured professors who work at the postsecondary level to instruct students and help them develop research, dissertations, and thesis papers. | $89,005 |
| Elementary School Principal | Upper-level management position within an elementary school that is responsible for the staff, students, and curriculum of the institution. | $79,046 |
| Director of Teaching and Learning | Supports the educational department of an institution by ensuring that student curriculum is of high quality. | $75,000 |
| Associate Professor, Postsecondary/Higher Education | Professor who has not yet attained tenure and works at a higher education institution to teach students and conduct research. | $72,235 |
| Curriculum Manager | Coaches teachers in the evaluation of instructional results and works to develop new approaches and content in curriculum. | $71,527 |
| Education Administrator, Elementary and Secondary School | Works year-round with the school to ensure compliance with all regulatory standards, staff supervision, and the securing adequate funding. | $70,010 |
| Curriculum Director | Works with a school to develop educational guidelines that teachers follow to optimize education. | $68,896 |
| Assistant Principal | Management level position in a school setting that helps to ensure that curriculum and organizational standards are being met. | $68,340 |
| Assistant Professor, Postsecondary/Higher Education | Works with professors to develop and modify curriculum, perform research, and teach courses in a specific field. | $62,713 |
| Curriculum Developer | Authors academic training material and is responsible for developing programs of instruction. | $58,680 |
| Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) | Works specifically with children who are having difficulty with speech or language processing. | $58,220 |
| Director, Student Services | Responsible for developing student guidelines, recommending new policies, and managing student services staff. | $58,149 |
| Educational Diagnostician | Evaluates the educational processes and recommends changes on behalf of their organization. | $54,071 |
| Curriculum Specialist | Analyzes the effectiveness of current class frameworks that form a curriculum. | $53,928 |
| Computer Science Teacher, Postsecondary | Prepares and presents lessons on programming, data structures, and software design to students in a postsecondary institution. | $51,740 |
| Reading Specialist | Works at an elementary or middle school to help students develop their reading skills. | $49,908 |
| Educational Specialist | Works with program directors and teachers to make positive changes in how students learn in the school setting. | $48,841 |
| Chemistry Teacher, Postsecondary | Teaches chemistry at a college or university in a manner that increases engagement and understanding. | $48,651 |
| Curriculum Coordinator | Organizes, implements, and supervises curricula and educational programs for a variety of schools. | $48,584 |
| Mathematics Teacher | Responsible for engaging students in the study of mathematics to develop skills for use later in life. | $46,234 |
| High School Teacher | Provides instruction to students in one or more areas of study within a public or private high school. | $45,889 |
| Biological Science Teacher, Postsecondary | Teaches various biology and science classes to students in a college or university setting. | $45,377 |
| Mathematical Science Teacher, Postsecondary | Provides higher education instruction to students on subjects that include statistics and actuarial sciences. | $45,062 |
| Middle School Math/Science Teacher | Provides math and science instruction to students at a private or public middle school to prepare them for upper-level courses. | $44,801 |
| Secondary School Teacher | Works in a middle school or high school setting and is responsible for administering lessons to students. | $43,910 |
| Head Teacher | Primary instructor at a variety of educational levels who is responsible for course development and instructing. | $43,759 |
| Special Education Teacher | Teaches students that are affected by various learning disabilities or handicaps. | $43,554 |
| Middle School Teacher | Typically teaches children between 11 and 14 years old in a public or private middle school setting. | $43,528 |
| Elementary School Teacher | Educates students in grades one through six within a private or public elementary school. | $41,706 |
| Physical Education Teacher | Develops instructional plans that encourage physical activity in students at a variety of educational levels. | $41,432 |
| Admissions Advisor (College/University) | Acts as a liaison between their school and the general public to increase recognition for their organization. | $40,753 |
| English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher | Primarily focuses on teaching the English language to students who are not native speakers. | $39,956 |
| Academic Advisor | Employed by a university or college to help current and incoming students make educational decisions. | $39,626 |
| Student Services Coordinator | Provides high-quality programming for their institution’s student body. | $39,060 |
| Administrative Assistant | Works within the administrative office of an institution to provide assistance to employees. | $37,006 |
| Tutor | Instructors who work one-on-one with students to assist them in learning a specific subject or skill. | $35,589 |
| Preschool Teacher | Works with children typically between ages three and five to help develop the skills needed for formal education. | $28,529 |
| Teaching Assistant (TA) | Works at a range of academic levels to assist with both academic and administrative tasks. | $21,565 |
| Substitute Teacher, K-12 | Handles classes and follows lesson plans for a school when the primary teacher is unavailable. | $20,364 |
| Graduate Teaching Assistant | Responsible for teaching-related duties and assisting professors or heads of academic departments. | $19,545 |
*Data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Payscale.com
What can you do with an Education or Teaching Degree?
When most people think of a degree in education, they think of teaching positions in either a public or private institution. From the information above, you can see that there are many options for various teaching positions after you have earned your degree, but there are also several careers available in administration and management.
The salaries of those in the educational field vary based upon experience. Those who have high-level graduate degrees or have been in the teaching world for several years are the most likely to earn top pay. While the numbers above show the median annual salary for a range of teaching and educational careers, you may make more or less based upon your specific role within your institution.
What is an Education or Teaching Degree?
The primary focus of an education or teaching degree program is to prepare students to instruct children or college-level adults in a variety of subjects and skills. Upon completion of a degree program, educators need to have developed a deep understanding of how to effectively present material and interact with students in order to help those with varying abilities learn the tools necessary for later in life.
Becoming an educator requires a significant amount of schooling, and there are several steps to the process. The first step is typically earning a bachelor’s degree in education, which is the minimum educational level required to teach in most elementary schools. You can also choose a specific subject concentration during your degree program to further your skills.
The requirements necessary to earn a teaching license include the following steps:
- Foundational education at a bachelor’s degree level
- Completion of mandatory student teaching hours in a supervised setting
- Possible internship requirements
- Successful passing of a general teaching certification test
- License application for a specific educational level
In addition to degrees in teaching, there are also many educational degree options that can get you started in administrative and management positions within a school district. To help busy adult students take on the challenges of earning a degree, several colleges also offer online education and teaching degree programs with flexible scheduling to help you balance work and home obligations.
Education and Teaching Career Outlook
Qualified educators will always be a sought after resource due to the essential role they play in society. Reputable sources, such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, can provide valuable data on specific educational and teaching career outlooks.
Overall, the trends of job expansion within the educational field are positive – which is good news for students looking to pursue this degree program! The BLS estimates that the growth rate for careers in education, training, and library fields will expand by 8% between the years 2014 and 2024. More specifically, careers in elementary and high school education are projected to have a 6% growth rate during this same time frame. These numbers are all on par with the national average across all occupations, showing steady growth and the opportunity for new job openings available to educational graduates.
Educators and teachers work with the future of our world by providing instruction to children that will grow up to be the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs. If this sounds like a career path that you want to be a part of, then there is no better time than now to begin the journey into this rewarding field!
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