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Adult school teacher education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an adult school teacher. Adult school teachers usually study education, elementary education, or business. 56% of adult school teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 29% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 189 real adult school teacher resumes to see exactly what adult school teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for adult school teachers are the Boston University and the Boston University.

There are also many online adult school teacher courses to help get the education required to be an adult school teacher.

What education do you need to become an adult school teacher?

What degree do you need to be an adult school teacher?

The most common degree for adult school teachers is bachelor's degree, with 56% of adult school teachers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 29% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 56%
  • Master's, 29%
  • Associate, 5%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become an adult school teacher?

You should major in education to become an adult school teacher. 17% of adult school teachers major in education. Other common majors for an adult school teacher include elementary education and business.

Most common colleges for adult school teachers

Adult school teachers often get their degrees at Boston University, National University, and Liberty University. Here are the most common colleges for adult school teachers in the US based on their resumes.
Adult school teacher common collegePercentages
Boston University8.11%
National University8.11%
Liberty University8.11%
San Diego State University8.11%
Florida Atlantic University5.41%

Best majors for adult school teachers

RankMajorPercentages
1Education17.4%
2Elementary Education12.2%
3Business7.8%
4English7.0%
5Psychology6.1%

Best colleges for adult school teachers

The best colleges for adult school teachers are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

An adult school 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 adult school 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 adult school 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. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

5. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

8. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

20 best online courses for adult school teachers

Advertising disclosure

1. Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher

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Many Deaf children around the world still leave school functionally illiterate. In some cases, there is no allowance made for the education of Deaf children at all. This 4-week course provides you with invaluable knowledge and skills about teaching Deaf children. You will learn about the importance of Deaf culture and community, the need for a language-rich environment for the Deaf child from as young as possible, and that having access to sign language can help Deaf children academically,...

2. 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...

3. Train the Trainer Foundation: Adult Education Mastery Course

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Deploy a repeatable system for employee learning to ensure you reach every learner…every time...

4. Outcome Based Education (OBE) & Academic Quality Assurance

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4.4
(1,390)

Master Course for Teachers' Development: Grow Your Teaching-Learning Expertise to World-Class Level...

5. Online Learning Design for Educators

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This specialization is for educators seeking to improve and expand their repertoire of online teaching skills related to the design, development and delivery of effective and engaging online courses and lessons for school age and adult learners.\n\nLearning in the 21st century no longer takes place exclusively between the four walls of a physical classroom. With advances in technology, learners now expect to be offered flexible study modes outside of the traditional face-to-face model. This...

6. Critical Issues in Urban Education

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Urban school reform in the United States is characterized by contentious, politicized debate. This course explores a set of critical issues in the education and educational reform space, with a focus on aspects of the field that have sparked controversy and polarized views. We will dig into these debates, situating them within the larger history of public education and school reform, and considering the viewpoints, the evidence, and translation of issues into educational policy. We will...

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9. K-12 Blended & Online Learning

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This course introduces teachers and interested adults to K12 blended and online learning. Participants will design a blended or online unit and develop one module to use with K12 students...

10. ICT in Primary Education: Transforming children's learning across the curriculum

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Why and how are teachers integrating ICT (Information and Communication Technology) into primary education? In this course we analyse examples from schools in different parts of the world, and bring professional teachers, headteachers and policymakers together to share their best ideas and inspiring stories. The materials in the course are based on studies carried out for the UNESCO Institute of IT in Education, Moscow. Learning Outcomes: to be aware of the range of reasons for using ICT to...

11. Preparation for CELTA Teacher Training

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12. Mindfulness Teacher Training Certificate

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13. Excel at Teaching English: Be a Better ESL Teacher

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Increase Understanding, Increase Productivity, Increase Teacher and Learner Satisfaction...

14. Speak English Like a Native: Troubleshooting Course for ESL

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English language students, learn conversation skills with over 50 video lectures in this Basic English language course...

15. ASL First 120 Basic Signs American Sign Language

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Learn, practice, review, and master 120 fundamental signs in American Sign Language (ASL)...

16. Classical Guitar Course for Adults Level 1

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Comprehensive guide for classical guitar beginners...

17. Moodle: From Novice Teacher to Expert Online Educator

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18. 20hr Intensive Chair Yoga Teacher Training- Certified

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19. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

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Putting Theory Into Practice in the ESL/EFL Classroom...

20. Algebra 2 & Trigonometry: A Complete High School Curriculum

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Includes videos and over 300 pages of quizzes/worksheets (answer keys provided!)...

Top 10 most affordable universities for adult school teachers

The most affordable schools for adult school 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 adult school 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 adult school 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. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

7. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for adult school teachers

The hardest universities for adult school teachers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for adult school 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 adult school 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

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. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for adult school teachers

The easiest schools for adult school teachers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an adult school 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 adult school teachers.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

7. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

8. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

Average adult school teacher salary by education level

Adult school teachers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $51,035 annually. With a Master's degree, adult school teachers earn a median annual income of $46,788 compared to $43,032 for adult school teachers with an Bachelor's degree.
Adult school teacher education levelAdult school teacher salary
Master's Degree$46,788
High School Diploma or Less$38,319
Bachelor's Degree$43,032
Doctorate Degree$51,035
Some College/ Associate Degree$41,563

Adult school 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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