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General Education
What you'll do in college
Education majors learn how children and adults learn—and how to teach them. Coursework includes child development, educational psychology, classroom management, curriculum design, and methods classes specific to your subject area or grade level.
Most programs require classroom observations from your first year and a semester of full-time student teaching as a senior. Graduates typically pursue state teaching licensure, which usually requires a state-administered exam.
What you'll do after college
Most grads become K-12 teachers in public, private, or charter schools. Others work in tutoring, educational nonprofits, education tech companies, museums, and school administration. Pay varies by state and district but tends to be modest, especially early on.
The work is demanding—long hours, paperwork, and emotional energy—but for many teachers it's deeply meaningful. Many grads earn master's degrees, which can boost their pay and open up administration or specialized roles.
Famous graduates
- Christa McAuliffe — Educator and astronaut; B.A. in Education and History from Framingham State University
- Rita Pierson — Celebrated educator and speaker; B.S. in Elementary Education from Elmhurst University
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings
By SAT median
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings
Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Education | 781 | 23,240 | 28% / 72% | 2% | $53,894 | 94% |
| General Education | 188 | 8,218 | 35% / 65% | 2% | $53,874 | 92% |
| Education | 315 | 6,201 | 16% / 84% | 4% | $53,508 | 96% |
| Secondary Education | 162 | 2,068 | 38% / 62% | 1% | $52,703 | 95% |
| Secondary Education and Teaching | 74 | 1,335 | 40% / 60% | 0% | $53,123 | 95% |
| Middle School Education | 152 | 907 | 30% / 70% | 1% | $49,525 | 95% |
| Teacher Education, Multiple Levels | 21 | 842 | 14% / 86% | 0% | $51,644 | 94% |
| Teacher Education | 57 | 746 | 17% / 83% | 0% | $51,139 | 94% |
| Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching | 19 | 306 | 25% / 75% | 1% | $51,139 | 95% |
| Teaching, Learning and Culture | 1 | 302 | 5% / 95% | 1% | $67,751 | |
| Education Sciences | 2 | 297 | 14% / 86% | 8% | $70,485 | 93% |
| Technology Education | 19 | 167 | 68% / 32% | 0% | $55,383 | 97% |
| Education, Communities, and Organizations | 1 | 148 | 25% / 75% | 22% | $64,762 | 92% |
| Education and Social Transformation | 1 | 105 | 13% / 87% | 6% | $35,772 | |
| Middle Level Education | 9 | 93 | 26% / 74% | 0% | $50,218 | 96% |
| Exceptional Student Education | 2 | 93 | 8% / 92% | 1% | $62,638 | 98% |
| Urban Education | 1 | 93 | 6% / 94% | 0% | $62,622 | 97% |
| Learning Sciences | 5 | 90 | 23% / 77% | 0% | $54,834 | 95% |
| Educational Technology | 8 | 89 | 44% / 56% | 0% | $60,025 | 91% |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling/Counselor | 3 | 84 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $52,991 | 94% |
| Education Studies | 5 | 69 | 22% / 78% | 29% | $63,641 | 91% |
| Technical Teacher Education | 12 | 66 | 45% / 55% | 0% | $57,504 | 95% |
| Educational Studies | 7 | 64 | 12% / 88% | 3% | $55,532 | 92% |
| Applied Learning and Development | 1 | 60 | 12% / 88% | 5% | $64,186 | |
| Career and Technical Education | 8 | 59 | 66% / 34% | 0% | $60,462 | 95% |
| Teacher Preparation | 1 | 57 | 9% / 91% | 0% | $49,855 | 96% |
| Urban Education and Leadership | 3 | 52 | 44% / 56% | 0% | $61,154 | 93% |
| Liberal Studies for Teachers | 1 | 45 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $44,701 | 88% |
| Middle Level Teacher Education | 1 | 42 | 17% / 83% | 0% | $54,204 | 97% |
| Instructional Technology | 1 | 41 | 73% / 27% | 0% | $64,509 | |
| Educational Policy Studies | 1 | 38 | 26% / 74% | 32% | $48,332 | |
| Education (PreK-12) | 1 | 36 | 47% / 53% | 0% | $51,307 | |
| K-12 Education | 3 | 32 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $55,790 | 98% |
| Junior High/Middle School Education | 24 | 31 | 26% / 74% | 0% | $50,116 | 94% |
| K-12 Collaborative Teacher Education | 1 | 27 | 74% / 26% | 0% | $54,528 | 96% |
| Vocational Education | 1 | 25 | 36% / 64% | 0% | $73,220 | 100% |
| College Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 1 | 24 | 17% / 83% | 0% | $59,085 | 94% |
| Education and Society | 1 | 21 | 14% / 86% | 48% | $65,396 | 100% |
| International and Comparative Education | 1 | 21 | 24% / 76% | 5% | $108,022 | 89% |
| Middle Grade Education | 2 | 20 | 15% / 85% | 0% | $44,379 | 96% |
| Middle Education | 1 | 20 | 20% / 80% | 5% | $43,473 | 86% |
| Adolescence to Young Adult Education | 1 | 18 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $50,591 | 99% |
| Educational Assessment | 1 | 18 | 11% / 89% | 39% | $59,544 | |
| Reading Education | 1 | 15 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $57,777 | 92% |
| Interdisciplinary Studies in Education | 1 | 14 | 29% / 71% | 0% | $65,002 | 98% |
| Language Sciences | 1 | 14 | 21% / 79% | 0% | $58,915 | 96% |
| Educational Leadership | 2 | 12 | 17% / 83% | 0% | $53,226 | 98% |
| Liberal Arts | 1 | 11 | 36% / 64% | 0% | $64,271 | |
| Curriculum and Instruction | 6 | 10 | 30% / 70% | 0% | $51,163 | 100% |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | 1 | 10 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $46,245 | |
| Integrated Language Arts Education | 1 | 10 | 10% / 90% | 0% | $42,316 | |
| Learning and Education Studies | 1 | 10 | 20% / 80% | 10% | $67,079 | 100% |
| Inclusive Education with Blended Licensure | 1 | 9 | 0% / 100% | 22% | $53,668 | |
| Educational Leadership and Administration | 4 | 7 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $54,056 | |
| Adult Education | 1 | 6 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $55,337 | 95% |
| Technology and Engineering Education | 1 | 6 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $55,491 | 97% |
| Education of Culturally Different Learners | 3 | 5 | 20% / 80% | 0% | $58,902 | |
| Teacher Education: Middle Level Education | 1 | 5 | 40% / 60% | 0% | $53,615 | 98% |
| Educational/Instructional Technology | 1 | 4 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $73,850 | 90% |
| Individually Designed | 1 | 4 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $51,418 | |
| Teaching | 1 | 4 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $44,044 | 90% |
| Teacher Education, Subject Areas | 6 | 3 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $50,151 | 96% |
| Educational Foundations | 1 | 3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $62,083 | |
| Technical Education | 1 | 3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $60,122 | 98% |
| Adult and Continuing Education | 2 | 2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $49,800 | 100% |
| Career and Technology Education | 1 | 2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $53,107 | 99% |
| Higher Education/Higher Education Administration | 1 | 1 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $64,591 | 92% |
| Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision | 1 | 0 | $50,144 | |||
| Philosophy of Education | 1 | 0 | $59,094 | |||
| School Administration | 1 | 0 | $60,152 | |||
| School Counseling | 1 | 0 | $56,893 | |||
| Superintendency | 1 | 0 | $52,917 |