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Nursery Teacher Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a nursery teacher. Nursery teachers usually study psychology, early childhood education, or elementary education. 45% of nursery teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 1,092 real nursery teacher resumes to see exactly what nursery teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for nursery teachers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

What education do you need to become a nursery teacher?

What degree do you need to be a nursery teacher?

The most common degree for nursery teachers is bachelor's degree, with 45% of nursery teachers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 21% and high school diploma degree at 17%.
  • Bachelor's, 45%
  • High School Diploma, 21%
  • Associate, 17%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 10%

What should I major in to become a nursery teacher?

You should major in psychology to become a nursery teacher. 14% of nursery teachers major in psychology. Other common majors for a nursery teacher include early childhood education and elementary education.

Most common colleges for nursery teachers

Nursery teachers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Liberty University, and Southern New Hampshire University. Here are the most common colleges for nursery teachers in the US based on their resumes.
Nursery Teacher Common CollegePercentages
University of Phoenix12.50%
Liberty University7.81%
Southern New Hampshire University7.81%
University of Houston6.25%
University of Central Oklahoma6.25%

Best majors for nursery teachers

Best colleges for nursery teachers

The best colleges for nursery teachers are Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, and Northwestern University.

A nursery 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 nursery 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 nursery teachers.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. Fairfield University

Fairfield, CT • Private

In-State Tuition

$48,350

Enrollment

4,103

3. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,886

Enrollment

34,637

8. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

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 nursery teachers

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1. Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher

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6. Music Education for Teachers

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16. Azure - Active Directory

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Top 10 most affordable universities for nursery teachers

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

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

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Cost of Attendance

18,306

3. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,886

Cost of Attendance

17,645

4. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,210

Cost of Attendance

14,359

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,381

Cost of Attendance

21,034

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,620

Cost of Attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Cost of Attendance

16,714

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,942

Cost of Attendance

14,469

9. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,140

Cost of Attendance

14,430

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,410

Cost of Attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for nursery teachers

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

Some great schools for nursery 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 nursery 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions Rate

10%

SAT Average

1,514

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions Rate

11%

SAT Average

1,513

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions Rate

8%

SAT Average

1,508

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

13%

SAT Average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions Rate

22%

SAT Average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

20%

SAT Average

1,419

7. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

29%

SAT Average

1,422

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions Rate

9%

SAT Average

1,516

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

8%

SAT Average

1,492

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

40%

SAT Average

1,376

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

The easiest schools for nursery teachers to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and holy names university.

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

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

100%

SAT Average

1,072

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

84%

SAT Average

1,031

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

70%

SAT Average

849

4. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

91%

SAT Average

1,046

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions Rate

81%

SAT Average

999

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

98%

SAT Average

999

7. College of Mount Saint Vincent

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

78%

SAT Average

1,021

8. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions Rate

95%

SAT Average

980

9. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

99%

SAT Average

1,008

10. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions Rate

78%

SAT Average

1,024

Average nursery teacher salary by education level

Nursery teachers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $38,066 annually. With a Master's degree, nursery teachers earn a median annual income of $37,364 compared to $34,893 for nursery teachers with an Bachelor's degree.
Nursery Teacher education levelNursery Teacher salary
Master's Degree$37,364
High School Diploma or Less$33,721
Bachelor's Degree$34,893
Doctorate Degree$38,066
Some College/ Associate Degree$34,084

Nursery 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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