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Instructor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an instructor. Instructors usually study business, psychology, or english. 58% of instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 152,858 real instructor resumes to see exactly what instructor education sections show.
The most common colleges for instructors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online instructor courses to help get the education required to be an instructor.
There are certain instructor certifications that you should consider. These instructor certifications include Instructor and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.
What education do you need to become an instructor?
What degree do you need to be an instructor?
- Bachelor's, 58%
- Master's, 17%
- Associate, 12%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 9%
What should I major in to become an instructor?
- Business, 14%
- Psychology, 10%
- English, 8%
- Nursing, 6%
- Other Majors, 62%
Most common colleges for instructors
| Instructor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 13.10% |
| New York University | 6.04% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 5.62% |
| University of California - Davis | 5.40% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.35% |
Best majors for instructors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 13.7% |
| 2 | Psychology | 9.7% |
| 3 | English | 7.6% |
| 4 | Nursing | 6.3% |
| 5 | Education | 6.2% |
Best colleges for instructors
The best colleges for instructors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.
An instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for instructors. 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 instructors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
5. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Enrollment
11,559
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
20 best online courses for instructors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for instructors
The most affordable schools for instructors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, lehman college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for instructors 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 instructors.
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. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
10. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for instructors
The hardest universities for instructors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for instructors 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 instructors 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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
9. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
10. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for instructors
The easiest schools for instructors to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, barry university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an instructor 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 instructors.
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. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
5. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
8. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
Average instructor salary by education level
| Instructor education level | Instructor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $62,835 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $47,846 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $55,992 |
| Doctorate Degree | $68,940 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $52,999 |
Instructor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025