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Teacher assistant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a teacher assistant. Teacher assistants usually study psychology, business, or early childhood education. 49% of teacher assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 179,902 real teacher assistant resumes to see exactly what teacher assistant education sections show.
The most common colleges for teacher assistants are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online teacher assistant courses to help get the education required to be a teacher assistant.
There are certain teacher assistant certifications that you should consider. These teacher assistant certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become a teacher assistant?
What degree do you need to be a teacher assistant?
- Bachelor's, 49%
- Associate, 19%
- High School Diploma, 18%
- Master's, 6%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a teacher assistant?
- Psychology, 13%
- Business, 10%
- Education, 6%
- Other Majors, 61%
Most common colleges for teacher assistants
| Teacher assistant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 13.86% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 6.90% |
| Ashford University | 6.52% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 5.92% |
| Liberty University | 5.80% |
Best majors for teacher assistants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 13.4% |
| 2 | Business | 10.5% |
| 3 | Early Childhood Education | 9.8% |
| 4 | Education | 6.3% |
| 5 | Elementary Education | 6.2% |
Best colleges for teacher assistants
The best colleges for teacher assistants are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Duke University.
A teacher assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for teacher assistants. 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 teacher assistants.
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
9. University of California - San Diego
La Jolla, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,167
Enrollment
30,279
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
20 best online courses for teacher assistants
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Learn how to engage your students and enhance learning in math and science with free virtual labs and simulations from the University of Colorado Boulder's PhET Interactive Simulations project (https://phet.colorado.edu/en). In this specialization, you will explore active learning strategies that you can incorporate into your own classroom, either online or in person. You will also learn how to evaluate the effectiveness of a learning experience by implementing a simulation-based lesson plan in...
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Top 10 most affordable universities for teacher assistants
The most affordable schools for teacher assistants are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for teacher assistants 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 teacher assistants.
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. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
9. San Jose State University
San Jose, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,796
Cost of attendance
24,514
10. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for teacher assistants
The hardest universities for teacher assistants to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Duke University.
Some great schools for teacher assistants 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 teacher assistants 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,434
10. Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,465
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for teacher assistants
The easiest schools for teacher assistants to get into are Bluefield College, notre dame de namur university, and life university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a teacher assistant 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 teacher assistants.
1. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
4. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
7. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
8. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
9. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
10. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
Average teacher assistant salary by education level
| Teacher assistant education level | Teacher assistant salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $31,050 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $28,300 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $29,188 |
| Doctorate Degree | $31,576 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $28,575 |
Teacher assistant education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025