Do you enjoy tutoring other students? Are you interested in working with children? Do you value learning above all else? If so, consider majoring in education. Education majors study how people learn and are trained as teachers.
Education
According to the College Board, this program is offered at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. High school classes including AP Psychology, AP English Literature and algebra will prepare you for your work in college. There you will likely take courses like educational psychology, teaching methods, philosophy of education and will participate in student teaching.
What to know before you apply
If you are sure you want to be a teacher, find out whether your prospective college offers an undergraduate and graduate degree in education. This could save you time (and possibly money) while you are earning your master’s. Also, research the different specializations the education program offers. Do you want to work with elementary school children or teach at a high school? Or are you interested in working with special education students? Finally, the location of your college could affect where you student teach. Make sure you know about the schools you could be sent to.
Colleges offering this field of study
Barry University: Miami, Fla.
Frostburg State University: Frostburg, Md.
LeMoyne College: Syracuse, N.Y.
SUNY Oswego: Oswego, N.Y.
University of Houston at Victoria: Victoria, Texas
Salary
A degree in education will prepare you for positions in library science, education administration and in teaching. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, librarians earned an average of $57,020 per year in 2011. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, preschool and child-care program administrators earned an average of $51,290, elementary/middle/high school administrators earned $90,200, and college administrators earned $97,170. Teachers’ compensation in 2011 was also a range: kindergarten teachers earned $52,350, elementary earned $55,270, middle school earned $55,780 and high school earned $56,760.
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