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Public school teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a public school teacher. Public school teachers usually study education, elementary education, or general education, specific areas. 65% of public school teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,715 real public school teacher resumes to see exactly what public school teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for public school teachers are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online public school teacher courses to help get the education required to be a public school teacher.
What education do you need to become a public school teacher?
What degree do you need to be a public school teacher?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 7%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a public school teacher?
- Education, 18%
- Elementary Education, 17%
- Business, 8%
- Other Majors, 48%
Most common colleges for public school teachers
| Public school teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 9.46% |
| University of Central Florida | 8.78% |
| Florida State University | 7.43% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 6.08% |
| National University | 5.41% |
Best majors for public school teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Education | 17.8% |
| 2 | Elementary Education | 17.2% |
| 3 | General Education, Specific Areas | 8.7% |
| 4 | Business | 8.4% |
| 5 | Psychology | 5.7% |
Best colleges for public school teachers
The best colleges for public school teachers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
A public school 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 public school 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 public school 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. 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. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
In-state tuition
$55,466
Enrollment
6,752
10. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
20 best online courses for public school teachers
Advertising disclosure
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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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3. Public Speaking Training & Facilitator Certification
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4. Public Speaking for People Who Hate Public Speaking
Public Speaking for People Who Hate Public Speaking - Presentation Skills - Communication Skills and Storytelling...
5. Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher
Many Deaf children around the world still leave school functionally illiterate. In some cases, there is no allowance made for the education of Deaf children at all. This 4-week course provides you with invaluable knowledge and skills about teaching Deaf children. You will learn about the importance of Deaf culture and community, the need for a language-rich environment for the Deaf child from as young as possible, and that having access to sign language can help Deaf children academically,...
6. Critical Issues in Urban Education
Urban school reform in the United States is characterized by contentious, politicized debate. This course explores a set of critical issues in the education and educational reform space, with a focus on aspects of the field that have sparked controversy and polarized views. We will dig into these debates, situating them within the larger history of public education and school reform, and considering the viewpoints, the evidence, and translation of issues into educational policy. We will...
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9. THINK GLOBAL: TEACHERS TRAINING COURSE (IDP-ICE)
A group of seven European partners from Catalonia, Belgium, and Wales worked together on the Erasmus+ funded ‘Think Global’ project on global competence. The project seeks to address the following research question through development and piloting of practical classroom activities: What is global competence, and how can it be learned effectively? The Think Global project explores, through international collaboration, how global competence is defined, taught, learned, and measured in the...
10. Systems Thinking In Public Health
This course provides an introduction to systems thinking and systems models in public health. Problems in public health and health policy tend to be complex with many actors, institutions and risk factors involved. If an outcome depends on many interacting and adaptive parts and actors the outcome cannot be analyzed or predicted with traditional statistical methods. Systems thinking is a core skill in public health and helps health policymakers build programs and policies that are aware of and...
11. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
Putting Theory Into Practice in the ESL/EFL Classroom...
12. Press Coverage, Publicity & Public Relations For Branding
Public relations to reach 100,000+ people with influencer marketing, publicity, and press coverage for personal branding...
13. Public Speaking: Be a Professional Speaker
Public Speaking: Learn how to position yourself as a professional speaker and market yourself...
14. 2023 Complete Public Speaking Masterclass For Every Occasion
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15. Public Speaking for Beginners
Public Speaking Skills Developed From Scratch, in Little Time...
16. Public Speaking for Kids (& Parents) Kids Can Speak!
Public Speaking: It's never too early to learn how to speak effectively and with confidence. An essential life skill...
17. Implementing Positive Behaviour Management in the Classroom
Practical Strategies to Address Behaviour Issues in any Classroom...
18. Mindfulness for Life Coaching Success: Teacher Certificate
Transform Lives with Mindfulness & Meditation: Accredited Life Coach Teacher Certificate (2023)...
19. Time Management Public Speaking - Drastically Reduce Prep
Time Management Public Speaking: You don't have to spend hours preparing your public speaking...
20. Public Relations: Media Crisis Communications
Public Relations: You Can Shape and Control Your Media Messages at The Worst Possible Times...
Top 10 most affordable universities for public school teachers
The most affordable schools for public school 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 public school 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 public school 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. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
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 public school teachers
The hardest universities for public school teachers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for public school 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 public school 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. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
10. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for public school teachers
The easiest schools for public school 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 a public school 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 public school 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. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
6. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
7. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
8. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
9. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
10. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
Average public school teacher salary by education level
| Public school teacher education level | Public school teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $46,474 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $41,376 |
| Doctorate Degree | $46,255 |
Public school teacher education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025