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Long term substitute teacher education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a long term substitute teacher. Long term substitute teachers usually study elementary education, education, or general education, specific areas. 72% of long term substitute teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 13,882 real long term substitute teacher resumes to see exactly what long term substitute teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for long term substitute teachers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain long term substitute teacher certifications that you should consider. These long term substitute teacher certifications include Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) and Certified Secondary Culinary Educator (CSCE).

What education do you need to become a long term substitute teacher?

What degree do you need to be a long term substitute teacher?

The most common degree for long term substitute teachers is bachelor's degree, with 72% of long term substitute teachers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 19% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 72%
  • Master's, 19%
  • Associate, 6%
  • High School Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a long term substitute teacher?

You should major in elementary education to become a long term substitute teacher. 21% of long term substitute teachers major in elementary education. Other common majors for a long term substitute teacher include education and general education, specific areas.

Most common colleges for long term substitute teachers

Long term substitute teachers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Western Michigan University, and Eastern Michigan University. Here are the most common colleges for long term substitute teachers in the US based on their resumes.
Long term substitute teacher common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix9.91%
Western Michigan University6.32%
Eastern Michigan University6.16%
Pennsylvania State University6.01%
Grand Valley State University5.77%

Best majors for long term substitute teachers

Best colleges for long term substitute teachers

The best colleges for long term substitute teachers are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A long term substitute 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 long term substitute 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 long term substitute teachers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

20 best online courses for long term substitute teachers

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1. 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...

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Ensuring adequate nutrition is essential for infants to reach their full potential, as early-life nutritional imbalances and deficiencies may result in detrimental and often irreversible adverse health consequences. "Breastfeeding and Adequate Substitutes" focuses on the important aspects of human milk composition, human lactation, breastfeeding practices, and the use of breastmilk substitutes. In addition to the theoretical and practical aspects of infant nutrition, we also provide the latest...

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5. Get Organized: How to be a Together Teacher

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This course is designed for classroom teachers who juggle time-sensitive tasks and often-exhausting teaching schedules. With an eye toward long-term sustainability, The Together Teacher examines the purpose for planning ahead, provides tools for tracking time commitments, deadlines and tasks, and helps teachers develop a personal organization system that interacts with their day-by-day practices. All teachers, from the pen & paper list maker to the tech-savvy digital maven, will benefit from...

6. 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...

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9. 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...

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11. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)

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14. Skills Upgrade: Teach Business English (Language Teaching)

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16. Time Management And Goal Planning: The Productivity Combo

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17. Mindfulness for Life Coaching Success: Teacher Certificate

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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 long term substitute teachers

The most affordable schools for long term substitute 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 long term substitute 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 long term substitute 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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

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 long term substitute teachers

The hardest universities for long term substitute teachers to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for long term substitute 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 long term substitute 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

8. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

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 long term substitute teachers

The easiest schools for long term substitute teachers to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and felician university.

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

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

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. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

8. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

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 long term substitute teacher salary by education level

Long term substitute teachers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $49,622 annually. With a Doctorate degree, long term substitute teachers earn a median annual income of $49,262 compared to $41,478 for long term substitute teachers with an Bachelor's degree.
Long term substitute teacher education levelLong term substitute teacher salary
Master's Degree$49,622
Bachelor's Degree$41,478
Doctorate Degree$49,262

Long term substitute 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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