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6th grade teacher education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a 6th grade teacher. 6th grade teachers usually study elementary education, education, or english. 72% of 6th grade teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,292 real 6th grade teacher resumes to see exactly what 6th grade teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for 6th grade teachers are the Arizona State University and the Arizona State University.

There are also many online 6th grade teacher courses to help get the education required to be a 6th grade teacher.

There are certain 6th grade teacher certifications that you should consider. These 6th grade teacher certifications include Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) and Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:).

What education do you need to become a 6th grade teacher?

What degree do you need to be a 6th grade teacher?

The most common degree for 6th grade teachers is bachelor's degree, with 72% of 6th grade teachers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 21% and master's degree degree at 4%.
  • Bachelor's, 72%
  • Master's, 21%
  • Associate, 4%
  • High School Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a 6th grade teacher?

You should major in elementary education to become a 6th grade teacher. 34% of 6th grade teachers major in elementary education. Other common majors for a 6th grade teacher include education and english.

Most common colleges for 6th grade teachers

6th grade teachers often get their degrees at Arizona State University, University of Phoenix, and Northern Arizona University. Here are the most common colleges for 6th grade teachers in the US based on their resumes.
6th grade teacher common collegePercentages
Arizona State University10.67%
University of Phoenix9.00%
Northern Arizona University8.16%
Texas A&M University7.11%
Grand Canyon University6.49%

Best majors for 6th grade teachers

Best colleges for 6th grade teachers

The best colleges for 6th grade teachers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

A 6th grade teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for 6th grade teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become 6th grade teachers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

In-state tuition

$55,466

Enrollment

6,752

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for 6th grade teachers

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1. Music Education for Teachers

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In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...

2. Performance Assessment in the Virtual Classroom

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Welcome to Performance Assessment in the Virtual Classroom! This course will help you effectively assess student performance virtually, including compliance issues, feedback models, online grade book functions, and data analysis. We will discuss why effective measures of performance and assessment are a crucial component of any virtual program, and the importance of teachers and administrators understanding both the myths and challenges of assessing performance virtually, administering...

3. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)

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Informational content for educators and parents to learn about teaching and understanding exceptional children...

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Practical Strategies to Address Behaviour Issues in any Classroom...

5. The Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

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Social and emotional learning, or SEL, programs have flourished in schools during the last decade. These programs vary widely but most share a concern for five individual, student competencies: self awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and finally responsible decision making. It is important for teachers and parents to know about and understand these programs. While lots of SEL programs emphasize K-12 student social and emotional learning, only a very few programs...

6. Virtual Teacher Final Project

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The Final Project will be a hands-on, comprehensive project that practitioners of virtual education can implement in their profession. For this final project, learners will draft a design plan for an online learning module utilizing materials learned from the virtual teacher series. Learners will choose the subject matter, method of delivery, tools, instructional strategies, and assessments, with the goal of creating a module of online or blended instruction that meets the needs of their...

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A group of seven European partners from Catalonia, Belgium, and Wales worked together on the Erasmus+ funded ‘Think Global’ project on global competence. The project seeks to address the following research question through development and piloting of practical classroom activities: What is global competence, and how can it be learned effectively? The Think Global project explores, through international collaboration, how global competence is defined, taught, learned, and measured in the...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for 6th grade teachers

The most affordable schools for 6th grade teachers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for 6th grade teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for 6th grade teachers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

6. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

7. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for 6th grade teachers

The hardest universities for 6th grade teachers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for 6th grade teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for 6th grade teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for 6th grade teachers

The easiest schools for 6th grade teachers to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and felician university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a 6th grade teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for 6th grade teachers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

6. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

7. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

8. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

9. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

10. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

Average 6th grade teacher salary by education level

According to our data, 6th grade teachers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $52,461 annually. 6th grade teachers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $52,100.
6th grade teacher education level6th grade teacher salary
Master's Degree$52,461
Bachelor's Degree$44,273
Doctorate Degree$52,100

6th grade teacher education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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