Major Rankings

Best Colleges for Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas

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

Programs tracked: 348

Avg grad salary: $45,093

Total graduates: 19,812

Top Colleges for Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas — 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).

#	School	Median Salary (4yr)	Starting Salary (1yr)	Graduates	Median Debt	Admit Rate
1	NYU New York, NY	$66,914	$44,500	17	$25,403	9.4%
2	CUNY Hunter College New York, NY	$64,149	$49,245	43	$12,000	54.0%
3	Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL	N/A	$63,615	23	$25,250	70.4%
4	Washington State University Pullman, WA	$62,752	$55,864	19	N/A	85.4%
5	St. John's University-New York Queens, NY	$62,189	$32,643	19	$25,000	79.7%
6	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL	$60,744	$54,215	134	$21,182	90.4%
7	William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ	$59,636	$58,854	29	$31,000	92.5%
8	California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA	$59,444	$33,493	18	$15,000	86.7%
9	The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ	$58,612	$56,055	168	$26,000	62.1%
10	Western Washington University Bellingham, WA	$58,602	$42,795	38	$26,000	91.3%
11	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT	$58,220	$25,777	18	$25,000	53.9%
12	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT	$58,220	$25,777	18	$25,000	86.5%
13	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT	$58,220	$25,777	18	$25,000	86.5%
14	University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT	$58,220	$25,777	18	$25,000	80.2%
15	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT	$58,220	$25,777	18	$25,000	87.0%
16	Kean University Union, NJ	$57,820	$40,929	129	$29,625	76.9%
17	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY	$57,701	$49,186	22	$26,664	41.7%
18	Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA	N/A	$57,683	17	$29,740	80.5%
19	SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY	$56,592	$36,776	36	$19,032	70.2%
20	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA	$56,462	$40,884	21	$21,250	73.7%
21	University of Delaware Newark, DE	$56,201	$49,041	108	$26,298	65.1%
22	University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL	$56,110	$47,292	72	$17,125	78.5%
23	UC Irvine Irvine, CA	N/A	$56,003	19	N/A	25.6%
24	California State University-Chico Chico, CA	$55,723	$24,427	16	$21,429	93.7%
25	Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA	$55,716	$49,177	36	$23,377	90.2%
26	CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY	$54,542	$46,233	55	$13,178	53.7%
27	Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX	$53,941	$51,360	19	$27,000	63.9%
28	CUNY Queens College Queens, NY	$53,787	$58,894	66	$16,000	68.5%
29	Texas Lutheran University Seguin, TX	$53,694	$48,266	36	$27,000	94.8%
30	Montclair State University Montclair, NJ	$53,620	$46,343	64	$27,000	87.4%
31	St Olaf College Northfield, MN	$53,320	$47,807	22	$27,000	52.1%
32	Houston Christian University Houston, TX	$53,174	$58,604	20	N/A	85.2%
33	Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA	$53,164	$41,914	95	$23,009	91.8%
34	Adelphi University Garden City, NY	$53,147	$35,814	29	$25,972	77.5%
35	State University of New York at Cortland Cortland, NY	$52,869	$42,132	184	$25,837	50.7%
36	William Carey University Hattiesburg, MS	N/A	$52,790	21	$25,524	58.0%
37	Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX	$52,756	$57,665	42	$26,500	42.6%
38	California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA	$52,344	$27,211	44	$15,000	96.4%
39	State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY	$52,303	$39,714	52	$24,293	58.7%
40	Ithaca College Ithaca, NY	$52,097	$48,249	51	$26,500	69.9%
41	Towson University Towson, MD	$52,053	$51,209	73	$21,500	82.8%
42	DePaul University Chicago, IL	$51,978	$44,068	46	$26,910	73.5%
43	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA	$51,713	$24,882	165	$22,728	74.0%
44	University of Louisville Louisville, KY	$51,705	$56,188	140	$22,250	80.5%
45	University of Pittsburgh-Bradford Bradford, PA	$51,703	$25,599	32	$26,176	90.8%
46	University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg Greensburg, PA	$51,703	$25,599	32	$26,176	97.9%
47	University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA	$51,703	$25,599	32	$26,176	49.7%
48	Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL	$51,697	$46,789	38	$27,000	75.7%
49	SUNY College at Potsdam Potsdam, NY	$51,624	$45,110	69	$27,000	85.5%
50	Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN	$51,544	$46,490	25	$27,984	96.5%
51	Rowan University Glassboro, NJ	$51,500	$49,969	431	$27,000	77.8%
52	Hofstra University Hempstead, NY	$51,422	$38,556	24	$23,517	70.6%
53	Saint Edward's University Austin, TX	$51,133	$52,758	34	$26,000	83.7%
54	Baylor University Waco, TX	$51,043	$53,201	77	$27,000	51.0%
55	Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA	N/A	$50,918	19	$27,000	76.8%
56	Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ	$50,799	$52,940	54	$27,000	79.4%
57	Long Island University Brookville, NY	$50,750	$40,191	26	$26,500	89.8%
58	Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus Portales, NM	$50,746	$30,513	24	$18,500	54.9%
59	Nevada State University Henderson, NV	N/A	$50,691	21	N/A	86.2%
60	Hardin-Simmons University Abilene, TX	$50,558	$48,334	37	$27,709	96.5%

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 Subject Areas 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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