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Major · Education

The foundations of how teaching and learning actually work

Education, General covers the theory and practice of learning, educational psychology, curriculum planning, and the social context of schooling. About 8,583 degrees are awarded annually across 544 colleges — primarily bachelor's, with a meaningful associate's track at community colleges. The major functions as a broad entry point into the education field rather than a direct path to the classroom.

Schools offering
544
Annual completions
8,583
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$49k

About this major

Education, General (CIP 13.0101) is the broadest entry point in the education CIP family. The curriculum covers educational psychology, learning theory, curriculum planning, classroom management principles, and the historical and social foundations of schooling. It is a degree about how education works — the underlying theory of learning, the structure of institutions, the policy context of schools — rather than a direct preparation to do any specific educational job. Programs at 544 colleges awarded about 8,583 degrees in a recent year, split between associate's (available at community colleges and transfer programs) and bachelor's.

The major's breadth is both its defining feature and its main limitation. It does not correspond directly to a single occupation the way a more specialized education degree does. The IPEDS-tracked career for this CIP code is postsecondary education faculty — an occupation that requires a doctoral or professional degree and posts a median wage of $72,090 with 2.1% projected growth. That is not where bachelor's graduates typically go. The five-year median earnings figure of $48,827 for this cohort reflects the actual landing zone: instructional coordinators, tutoring program staff, education support roles, paraprofessionals, and — for those who complete a separate state licensure program — beginning K-12 teachers operating on a salary schedule that typically starts well below $50,000.

For prospective students, the most honest framing is this: a bachelor's in Education, General is a foundation credential, not a destination credential. It gives you the conceptual language of the field and satisfies degree requirements for many licensure programs, but the step that opens the classroom door is usually a separate one — a subject-specific certification exam, a state license, or a credential program completed alongside or after the undergraduate degree. Students who go in understanding that structure tend to use this major effectively as a launching pad; students who expect the degree itself to do the full job are frequently surprised.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Education teachers, postsecondary $72k +2.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$49k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$43k

Bachelor's

$51k

Who this major is for

You may find this major valuable if you are genuinely drawn to understanding education as a system — how learning happens, how schools are structured, why curriculum looks the way it does — and you are either undecided on a specific teaching specialization or aiming at an education-adjacent role rather than a K-12 classroom. It is also a reasonable path if your school structures it as a teacher preparation program that integrates field placements and licensure preparation; the content under this CIP code varies more across programs than almost any other education major, so the specific institution's design matters a great deal. The five-year earnings data ($48,827 overall, $51,368 for bachelor's completers) are below-average for bachelor's degrees broadly — worth knowing upfront, not as a reason to avoid the field, but as context for salary expectations in the first years.

Think twice before choosing this major if your primary goal is to become a certified classroom teacher in a specific subject. Subject-specific teacher preparation programs — or a content major combined with a post-baccalaureate certification — will typically get you to licensure more directly, and Special Education (5,456 annual completions) is a better path if you want a teaching role that is both in high demand and directly licensure-eligible from many bachelor's programs. Think twice also if you are drawn to educational administration or leadership: those roles are almost entirely accessed through graduate degrees, and the bachelor's in Education, General does not meaningfully accelerate that path relative to other bachelor's degrees. And if you find the theoretical, research-oriented side of education less compelling than the practical day-to-day of a classroom, the mismatch between what this curriculum emphasizes and what the work involves will be apparent early.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Education, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX 0 308 308
Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX 0 277 277
The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX 0 273 273
University of North Texas Denton, TX 0 264 264
The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX 0 260 260
University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA 0 250 250
Central State University Wilberforce, OH 0 242 242
University of Houston-Downtown Houston, TX 0 193 193
Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN 190 0 190
Niagara University Niagara University, NY 0 175 175
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Special Education and Teaching, General

5,456 completions/yr

Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education

294 completions/yr

Educational Leadership and Administration, General

262 completions/yr

Bilingual and Multilingual Education

89 completions/yr

Curriculum and Instruction

38 completions/yr

Multicultural Education

15 completions/yr

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, Other

6 completions/yr

Indian/Native American Education

3 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does an Education, General major actually prepare you for?
The major covers educational psychology, learning theory, curriculum design, school administration foundations, and the social and policy context of education. What it does not do on its own is qualify you to teach K-12 in most states — that requires a subject-specific teacher preparation program, a state license, and often a certification exam. Education, General is better understood as a foundational framework: it gives you the conceptual vocabulary of the field, but the credential that opens a K-12 classroom door is typically a separate step.
What jobs do Education, General graduates actually end up in?
The IPEDS-tracked career for this CIP code is postsecondary education faculty — a $72,090 median wage occupation that requires a doctoral or professional degree. That's not where bachelor's graduates typically land. In practice, the $48,827 five-year median for this major reflects a range of outcomes: instructional aides, education coordinators, tutoring program staff, nonprofit roles, and — for those who complete a separate licensure program — classroom teachers. The mismatch between the tracked career wage ($72,090) and the five-year median ($48,827) tells you something important: most graduates are not entering the tracked career directly from this degree.
Do I need a bachelor's, or is an associate's enough?
The earnings gap between degree levels is real but modest here: bachelor's completers show a five-year median around $51,368 versus $43,008 for associate's completers — a difference of about $8,000. That's smaller than in many other fields. The more decisive factor is what you want to do: associate's programs in Education, General at schools like Ivy Tech are often structured as transfer pathways into a bachelor's program, not as terminal credentials. If your goal is classroom teaching or any role that requires licensure, a bachelor's plus additional certification is the practical minimum.
Is this the right major if I want to become a K-12 teacher?
Probably not the most direct path. Students who want to teach K-12 are typically better served by a subject-specific teacher education program — secondary math, elementary education, special education, or a subject like science or English. Special Education and Teaching, General is the most heavily enrolled related major at about 5,456 annual completions and leads more directly to licensure in many states. An alternative route is completing a content major (history, biology, math) and then a post-baccalaureate certification program or MAT. Education, General makes the most sense as a foundation if you're still deciding on a specialization, or if your goal is an education-adjacent role rather than classroom teaching.
How does Education, General compare to related education majors?
Special Education and Teaching, General — with about 5,456 annual completions — is the most populated related major and leads more directly to a licensure-eligible teaching role. Educational Leadership and Administration (262 completions) is heavily graduate-oriented, aimed at administrators rather than classroom teachers. Curriculum and Instruction (38 completions) is a small, often graduate-level program focused on instructional design. Bilingual and Multilingual Education (89 completions) is more specialized and in high demand in states with large English-learner populations. Education, General is the broadest and least specialized — it works as a starting point, but most of these adjacent majors offer a more defined destination.
What's a realistic earnings picture after an Education, General degree?
Five-year median earnings across all completers run about $48,827. Bachelor's completers specifically land around $51,368. These numbers reflect a cohort that has not uniformly entered high-wage roles — many are in instructional aide, tutoring, or support positions that don't require advanced credentials, and those who pursued K-12 teaching are early in careers where state salary schedules typically start below $50,000. The ceiling for the field rises meaningfully with experience, additional licensure, and — especially — an advanced degree in educational leadership or administration. But the bachelor's in Education, General on its own is not a high-earning credential.