Education Degree Overview
Listed below are colleges and universities that offer online degrees or certificates in Education and a detailed list of offered programs. Tuition, financial aid, course offerings, online classes are available by request. For information about campus-based schools, click on the ‘On Campus Degrees’ link above.
Career Outlook for Education
America needs great educators in both schools and businesses. Take a look at the following predicted job growth for educationally based careers:
Salary Forecast for Careers in Education
With a degree in education you can make a comfortable salary that will gradually increase as your years of experience go up and as you pursue further education for yourself. For many teachers, benefits like health insurance, paid vacation, sick leave, and a retirement plan are also included in their salary.
Education Requirements for Educators
People usually major in education for one of two reasons: they want to teach or they want to help improve the education system. Whether your goal is to become a teacher, a professor, or an administrator, you can benefit greatly from a degree in education.
Bachelors Degree in Education
A bachelor’s degree is required to work as a teacher in an elementary school, middle school, or high school in the United States. K-12 teachers are also required to earn their teaching credentials. Many bachelor’s programs in education include the necessary steps to become credentialed as part of the coursework. The credential process includes a few nationally recognized tests that must be passed in order to work as a K-12 teacher. More tests are required if you want to teach certain subjects at the middle school or high school level.
Masters Degree in Education
Many K-12 teachers go on to earn a master’s degree in education in order to increase their earning potential. Public schools pay teachers based upon their years of experience and their education level, so earning a master’s degree is an almost guaranteed way to earn a raise if you work in the public school system. Private schools also tend to place a high value on master’s degrees.
Doctorate in Education
To work as a professor of education in a college or university you must earn a doctorate in education. Doctorates are also recommended to achieve the highest level education administrator positions. Often you can find work as an adjunct professor or an assistant professor before completing your doctorate.
College Needed for Each Type of Education
- Training & Development Manager/Training and Development Specialist-Bachelors Degree (4 years of college) or a masters degree (2 years past a bachelors degree) in fields like human resources administration or human resources management, training and development, organizational development, and compensation and benefits.
- Adult Literacy Teacher– Bachelors Degree (4 years of college) or a masters degree (2 years past a bachelors degree) or a masters certification in ESOL, English as Second Language.
- Public Elementary School Teacher– Bachelors Degree (4 years of college) in Elementary Education from an accredited teaching program that will provide students with a valid state teaching license upon graduation.
- Public Secondary School Teacher for Middle or High School-Bachelors Degree in a specific subject area like mathematics, history, math, English, or others from an accredited teaching program that allows students to obtain a state teaching license upon graduation.
- College Professor/Post-Secondary Instructor– Four-year colleges and universities usually require candidates for full-time, tenure-track positions to hold a doctoral degree (at least 6 years or more of college). However, they may hire master’s degree holders or doctoral candidates for certain disciplines, such as the arts, or for part-time and temporary jobs.
Some people who already have a college degree are going back to college and graduating with a teaching credential that gives them the educational certification required to obtain a teaching license and work as a teacher in a public school. Private schools dont require teachers to hold certain degrees. Also, some states, like New York are beginning to require teachers in their public schools to either have or obtain a masters degree after a certain period of time as a public school teacher in the state.