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English language arts teacher education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an english language arts teacher. English language arts teachers usually study english, education, or elementary education. 69% of english language arts teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,260 real english language arts teacher resumes to see exactly what english language arts teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for english language arts teachers are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online english language arts teacher courses to help get the education required to be an english language arts teacher.

There are certain english language arts teacher certifications that you should consider. These english language arts teacher certifications include National Board Certification - Early Adolescence/English Language Arts and Certified Secondary Culinary Educator (CSCE).

What education do you need to become an english language arts teacher?

What degree do you need to be an english language arts teacher?

The most common degree for english language arts teachers is bachelor's degree, with 69% of english language arts teachers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 25% and master's degree degree at 3%.
  • Bachelor's, 69%
  • Master's, 25%
  • Associate, 3%
  • Doctorate, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become an english language arts teacher?

You should major in english to become an english language arts teacher. 28% of english language arts teachers major in english. Other common majors for an english language arts teacher include education and elementary education.

Most common colleges for english language arts teachers

English language arts teachers often get their degrees at New York University, University of Phoenix, and Eastern Michigan University. Here are the most common colleges for english language arts teachers in the US based on their resumes.
English language arts teacher common collegePercentages
New York University9.06%
University of Phoenix9.06%
Eastern Michigan University7.05%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro5.70%
Texas A&M University5.70%

Best majors for english language arts teachers

Best colleges for english language arts teachers

The best colleges for english language arts teachers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

An english language arts 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 english language arts 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 english language arts 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

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 english language arts teachers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for english language arts teachers

The most affordable schools for english language arts 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 english language arts 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 english language arts 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. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

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 - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for english language arts teachers

The hardest universities for english language arts teachers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for english language arts 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 english language arts 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for english language arts teachers

The easiest schools for english language arts teachers to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, barry university, and felician university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an english language arts 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 english language arts teachers.

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

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. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

10. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

Average english language arts teacher salary by education level

According to our data, english language arts teachers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $54,486 annually. English language arts teachers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $54,141.
English language arts teacher education levelEnglish language arts teacher salary
Master's Degree$54,486
Bachelor's Degree$47,283
Doctorate Degree$54,141

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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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