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Substitute teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a substitute teacher. Substitute teachers usually study elementary education, business, or psychology. 67% of substitute teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 207,839 real substitute teacher resumes to see exactly what substitute teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for substitute teachers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online substitute teacher courses to help get the education required to be a substitute teacher.
There are certain substitute teacher certifications that you should consider. These substitute teacher certifications include Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) and Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:).
What education do you need to become a substitute teacher?
What degree do you need to be a substitute teacher?
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Associate, 13%
- Master's, 13%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a substitute teacher?
- Elementary Education, 13%
- Business, 12%
- Psychology, 10%
- Education, 9%
- Other Majors, 56%
Most common colleges for substitute teachers
| Substitute teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 16.33% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 5.75% |
| University of Central Florida | 5.22% |
| Liberty University | 4.98% |
| Florida State University | 4.97% |
Best majors for substitute teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elementary Education | 13.2% |
| 2 | Business | 12.3% |
| 3 | Psychology | 9.5% |
| 4 | Education | 9.5% |
| 5 | English | 5.8% |
Best colleges for substitute teachers
The best colleges for substitute teachers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.
A 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 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 substitute teachers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
7. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
20 best online courses for substitute teachers
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1. Teaching Impacts of Technology in K-12 Education
2% That’s the estimate of how many high school students in all of California took a Computer Science class in 2015. And yet, computers and data are everywhere. Just consider a typical 24 hours in your life … how many different computer devices do you use? We all live in multiple digital worlds that are changing rapidly with new apps, devices, and data analyses offering a constant stream of innovations and technology integrations for our lives.\n\nAs it's an integral part of our lives, we’re...
2. The Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
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...
3. Master the FTCE Reading K-12
Instruction and Practice on the 44 Skills Needed to Pass the FTCE Reading K-12 Exam...
4. Teacher Training - How to Teach Online - Remote Teaching 1Hr
Crash Course! Learn to Teach Online. Coronavirus Has Now Made Online and Remote Teaching a Necessary Teaching Skill...
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. Breastfeeding and Adequate Substitutes
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...
7. TESOL - Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages
Teaching Skills and Classroom Management...
8. Teaching with Google Classroom
Learn how to create, use, and teach creative, memorable lessons using Google Classroom...
9. K-12 Blended & Online Learning
This course introduces teachers and interested adults to K12 blended and online learning. Participants will design a blended or online unit and develop one module to use with K12 students...
10. Music Education for Teachers
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...
11. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
Putting Theory Into Practice in the ESL/EFL Classroom...
12. Complete Google Classroom Course: Teaching Google Classroom
Mastering the Art of Teaching with Google Classroom - Teaching Online with Google Classroom - Google Certified Educator...
13. 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...
14. Image Compression with K-Means Clustering
In this project, you will apply the k-means clustering unsupervised learning algorithm using scikit-learn and Python to build an image compression application with interactive controls. By the end of this 45-minute long project, you will be competent in pre-processing high-resolution image data for k-means clustering, conducting basic exploratory data analysis (EDA) and data visualization, applying a computationally time-efficient implementation of the k-means algorithm, Mini-Batch K-Means, to...
15. Preparation for CELTA Teacher Training
Learn the skills required to succeed in your CELTA training - gain practice in lesson planning and writing assignments!!...
16. Implementing Positive Behaviour Management in the Classroom
Practical Strategies to Address Behaviour Issues in any Classroom...
17. Virtual Teacher Final Project
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...
18. Moodle: From Novice Teacher to Expert Online Educator
The definitive guide to creating Engaging Online Courses in Moodle for any student, including School, College & Business...
19. Excel at Teaching English: Be a Better ESL Teacher
Increase Understanding, Increase Productivity, Increase Teacher and Learner Satisfaction...
20. Mindfulness for Life Coaching Success: Teacher Certificate
Transform Lives with Mindfulness & Meditation: Accredited Life Coach Teacher Certificate (2023)...
Top 10 most affordable universities for substitute teachers
The most affordable schools for substitute teachers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for 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 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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
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 substitute teachers
The hardest universities for substitute teachers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for 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 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for substitute teachers
The easiest schools for substitute teachers to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a 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 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. 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. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
9. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average substitute teacher salary by education level
| Substitute teacher education level | Substitute teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $36,168 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $30,854 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $33,816 |
| Doctorate Degree | $38,178 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $32,750 |
Substitute teacher education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025