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Government teacher education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a government teacher. Government teachers usually study political science, history, or education. 71% of government teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 232 real government teacher resumes to see exactly what government teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for government teachers are the University of Arizona and the University of Arizona.

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

What education do you need to become a government teacher?

What degree do you need to be a government teacher?

The most common degree for government teachers is bachelor's degree, with 71% of government 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, 71%
  • Master's, 21%
  • Doctorate, 4%
  • Associate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a government teacher?

You should major in political science to become a government teacher. 19% of government teachers major in political science. Other common majors for a government teacher include history and education.

Most common colleges for government teachers

Government teachers often get their degrees at University of Arizona, University of Connecticut, and University of North Texas. Here are the most common colleges for government teachers in the US based on their resumes.
Government teacher common collegePercentages
University of Arizona8.70%
University of Connecticut6.52%
University of North Texas6.52%
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi6.52%
University of California, Berkeley6.52%

Best majors for government teachers

Best colleges for government teachers

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

A government 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 government 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 government teachers.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

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. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

20 best online courses for government teachers

Advertising disclosure

1. Innovative Governance of Large Urban Systems

coursera

Learn about the three phases of the urban value chain: planning, governance and regeneration. With lecturers from all around the world and concrete case studies, this course will give you a comprehensive overview about the “Innovative Governance of Large Urban Systems”. This course has assembled some of the most relevant experiences and knowledge from our Innovative Governance of Large Urban Systems (IGLUS) Executive Master’s program, which has been offered by EPFL during the past 5 years...

2. Data Governance with Databricks

coursera

Data Governance with Databricks is a meticulously designed course to help you understand and implement efficient data governance in your organization. The course begins by familiarizing you with the key principles of data governance and the role of Databricks in facilitating effective governance of data. This is followed by a deep dive into the core components of data governance such as frameworks, policies, roles, and regulatory considerations, as well as data quality and metadata management...

3. The Constitution and American Government

udemy
4.2
(255)

History, Government, and Civics in the United States...

4. Project Management Master Class: Government Projects

udemy
4.4
(350)

Learn How To Win Big By Always Successfully Completing Government Projects Using Ninja Project Management Techniques...

5. Program Governance Planning with ClickUp

coursera

By the end of this guided project, you will be fluent in creating Program Governance Planning artefacts for diverse programs. You will utilise a logical diagramming plan in an agile environment to develop the solution. This will enable you to identify and classify the required components for programme governance planning. Furthermore, it will help develop a structural model for learning about the field of Program Management. If you are interested in building up the knowledge leading to this...

6. Digital Governance

coursera

Big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, autonomous cars, chatbots, just a few terms that have become a part of our professional legal and political vocabulary. Emerging technologies and technological advancement have confronted us in our daily practice and will continue to do so in the future. Whether we’re buying something online, taking part in an election, or chatting with friends across the globe. Technology is here and it is here to stay. However, as convenience as these new...

7. IT Governance: A Guide for IT Professionals

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4.5
(911)

IT Governance made easy. Learn the fundamentals of IT governance and its role in the management and use of IT...

8. Data Governance - The Complete Course for Beginners

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4.5
(2,304)

Make yourself standout in meetings about Data Governance. Learn everything that the experts know about Data Governance...

9. Population Health: Governance

coursera

How can we organise care in such a way that we optimize experience, quality and costs? What type of governance is needed? And how should healthcare organisations collaborate? These are central questions in this course. In answering them, we depart from a recognition of the impact of three crucial global shifts in health care governance: 1) the change in focus from cure to population health, 2) the increased attention to social determinants of health, and 3) the stronger involvement of...

10. Manage Identities and Governance in Azure

coursera

Manage Identities and Governance in Azure Course is the first course of the Exam Prep AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate Specialization. This course is designed to describe the basics of Azure Administrator related to using multiple Azure services. This course includes an overview of a basic Introduction to Azure services, Azure AD, Access Control Management, RBAC, Azure Subscriptions, and Governance. This course is basically divided into four modules and Lessons and Video Lectures...

11. 4x1 Data Management/Governance/Security/Ethics Masterclass

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4.4
(533)

You'll learn about data literacy, Data Quality operations, Data Governance policies and Data Security/Privacy controls...

12. IT Governance and Information Management

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4.2
(685)

IT Governance and Information Management Training Course...

13. Risk governance: Manage the risks

coursera

All organisations must grapple with fundamental issues at the heart of governance: who are our stakeholders? What are their objectives? How can we ensure these objectives are met as effectively as possible? How can we ensure all legitimate stakeholders are treated fairly? Via structured learning activities (video lectures, quizzes, discussion prompts and written assessments) this course will teach you how to address these questions and how a sound governance structure and comprehensive risk...

14. The Factors that Influence the Effectiveness of Boards and the Governance Process

coursera

The third course in this Specialization introduces you to the factors that influence how effective boards of directors will be in carrying out their roles and responsibilities and hence the impact they have in shaping the success of the organization they govern. While this course has been developed with North American culture in mind, we do appreciate that, in other parts of the world, the nature of the factors that influence the effectiveness of nonprofit boards of directors may vary...

15. Data Governance Fundamentals

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4.5
(6,831)

A framework for leveraging your data...

16. The A to Z of ESG - Environmental & Social Governance

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4.2
(1,318)

A Perspective for Businesses on How to Manage ESG - Why it matters to Financial Performance and to the Economy...

17. AWS Security and Governance Administration for Professionals

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4.5
(276)

In-Depth AWS Security Administration and Governance: Learn hands-on with certified industry professionals...

18. Basic Governance for Board Members

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4.5
(580)

Know your rights, duties & stay out of trouble...

19. The Complete Guide to Corporate Governance

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4.5
(662)

Governance: Understand the workings of a properly run and sustainable business...

20. Learn Federal Government Contracting From An Expert

udemy
4
(443)

A comprehensive guide to Register, Search Opportunities, GSA, Certifications, Accounting, Marketing& Bidding to the feds...

Top 10 most affordable universities for government teachers

The most affordable schools for government teachers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for government 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 government teachers.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

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. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

6. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

7. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for government teachers

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

Some great schools for government 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 government 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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,520

8. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN • Private

Admissions rate

18%

SAT average

1,502

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for government teachers

The easiest schools for government teachers to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and wayland baptist university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a government 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 government teachers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

5. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

6. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

7. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

8. California University of Pennsylvania

California, PA • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,007

9. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

10. Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Indiana, PA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,019

Average government teacher salary by education level

According to our data, government teachers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $63,570 annually. Government teachers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $62,553.
Government teacher education levelGovernment teacher salary
Master's Degree$62,553
Bachelor's Degree$48,369
Doctorate Degree$63,570

Government 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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