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Emotional support teacher education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an emotional support teacher. Emotional support teachers usually study special education, elementary education, or education. 68% of emotional support teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 408 real emotional support teacher resumes to see exactly what emotional support teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for emotional support teachers are the West Chester University of Pennsylvania and the West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

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

What education do you need to become an emotional support teacher?

What degree do you need to be an emotional support teacher?

The most common degree for emotional support teachers is bachelor's degree, with 68% of emotional support 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 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 68%
  • Master's, 21%
  • Associate, 5%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become an emotional support teacher?

You should major in special education to become an emotional support teacher. 36% of emotional support teachers major in special education. Other common majors for an emotional support teacher include elementary education and education.

Most common colleges for emotional support teachers

Emotional support teachers often get their degrees at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University, and California University of Pennsylvania. Here are the most common colleges for emotional support teachers in the US based on their resumes.
Emotional support teacher common collegePercentages
West Chester University of Pennsylvania9.68%
Pennsylvania State University8.06%
California University of Pennsylvania8.06%
Indiana University of Pennsylvania8.06%
Millersville University of Pennsylvania7.26%

Best majors for emotional support teachers

RankMajorPercentages
1Special Education36.2%
2Elementary Education14.6%
3Education12.2%
4Psychology7.5%
5Business3.9%

Best colleges for emotional support teachers

The best colleges for emotional support teachers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

An emotional support 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 emotional support 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 emotional support teachers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

8. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

20 best online courses for emotional support teachers

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1. Music Education for Teachers

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2. 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...

3. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)

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5. 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,...

6. 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...

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9. 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...

10. 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...

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

12. Moodle: From Novice Teacher to Expert Online Educator

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The definitive guide to creating Engaging Online Courses in Moodle for any student, including School, College & Business...

13. 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...

14. THINK GLOBAL: TEACHERS TRAINING COURSE (IDP-ICE)

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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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17. Climate change education

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18. Professional Accredited Yoga Teacher Training Diploma Course

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19. Developing Emotional Intelligence in Teams

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Maximise Team Performance: Strategies for Developing Emotional Intelligence In Teams Enhancing Relationships...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for emotional support teachers

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

If the best universities for emotional support 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 emotional support 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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

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. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

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 emotional support teachers

The hardest universities for emotional support teachers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for emotional support 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 emotional support 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for emotional support teachers

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

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

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

6. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

7. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

10. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

Average emotional support teacher salary by education level

According to our data, emotional support teachers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $38,756 annually. Emotional support teachers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $38,347.
Emotional support teacher education levelEmotional support teacher salary
Master's Degree$38,347
Bachelor's Degree$30,319
Doctorate Degree$38,756

Emotional support 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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