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Major Rankings

Best Colleges for Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods

Ranked by graduate earnings. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — updated 2026.

Programs tracked: 679
Avg grad salary: $41,879
Total graduates: 54,048

Top Colleges for Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods — Ranked by Graduate Earnings

Showing schools with reported earnings data. Earnings reflect median graduate salary 4 years after graduation (or 1 year where 4-year data is unavailable).

#SchoolMedian Salary (4yr)
1NYU

New York, NY

$66,460
2College of Staten Island CUNY

Staten Island, NY

$61,348
3St. John's University-New York

Queens, NY

$59,397
4Western Washington University

Bellingham, WA

$59,112
5Heritage University

Toppenish, WA

$58,046
6CUNY Queens College

Queens, NY

$57,988
7CUNY Hunter College

New York, NY

$57,917
8Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

$57,492
9Pacific Lutheran University

Tacoma, WA

$57,442
10Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA

$57,230
11Central Washington University

Ellensburg, WA

$57,136
12SUNY Old Westbury

Old Westbury, NY

$56,926
13University of Scranton

Scranton, PA

$56,370
14Pierce College District

Lakewood, WA

N/A
15Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, IL

N/A
16American University

Washington, DC

N/A
17Washington State University

Pullman, WA

$55,469
18Walla Walla University

College Place, WA

N/A
19CUNY City College

New York, NY

$55,262
20The College of New Jersey

Ewing, NJ

$54,977
21University of Maryland

College Park, MD

$54,880
22Rider University

Lawrenceville, NJ

$53,753
23Stockton University

Galloway, NJ

$53,563
24Kean University

Union, NJ

$53,221
25Loyola University Maryland

Baltimore, MD

$53,171
26Pacific Oaks College

Pasadena, CA

$52,982
27University of Illinois Chicago

Chicago, IL

$52,881
28University of Alaska Southeast

Juneau, AK

N/A
29Seton Hall University

South Orange, NJ

$52,739
30Widener University

Chester, PA

$52,705
31Bowie State University

Bowie, MD

N/A
32University of Portland

Portland, OR

$52,469
33Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ

$52,094
34Caldwell University

Caldwell, NJ

$51,973
35State University of New York at Cortland

Cortland, NY

$51,884
36William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ

$51,681
37University of Alaska Fairbanks

Fairbanks, AK

N/A
38Miami Dade College

Miami, FL

N/A
39Whitworth University

Spokane, WA

$51,521
40Whitworth University-Adult Degree Programs

Spokane, WA

$51,521
41State University of New York at Oswego

Oswego, NY

$51,468
42University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, HI

$51,376
43State University of New York at New Paltz

New Paltz, NY

$51,350
44Roosevelt University

Chicago, IL

$51,349
45St. John Fisher University

Rochester, NY

$51,287
46SUNY Oneonta

Oneonta, NY

$51,242
47University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, MN

$51,102
48Salve Regina University

Newport, RI

$50,992
49Wilmington University

New Castle, DE

$50,945
50Susquehanna University

Selinsgrove, PA

$50,583
51Concordia University-Chicago

River Forest, IL

$50,576
52Linfield University

McMinnville, OR

$50,492
53Northeastern Illinois University

Chicago, IL

$50,486
54The University of Tampa

Tampa, FL

N/A
55Elizabethtown College

Elizabethtown, PA

$50,351
56University of Delaware

Newark, DE

$50,186
57Eastern Connecticut State University

Willimantic, CT

$50,118
58SUNY College at Geneseo

Geneseo, NY

$49,859
59Baylor University

Waco, TX

$49,823
60University of Jamestown

Jamestown, ND

N/A

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median among graduates who received federal financial aid.

Choosing the Best Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Program

Graduate Earnings

Median salary 4 years post-graduation measures the long-term ROI of a program. Higher earnings with lower debt means better financial outcomes.

Program Size

Graduate count signals program maturity. Larger programs often have stronger alumni networks and more job placement resources.

Debt-to-Earnings Ratio

Compare median debt against starting salary. A ratio below 1x means most graduates can repay loans within a year of earnings.

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