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Youth teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a youth teacher. Youth teachers usually study psychology, business, or communication. 63% of youth teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 623 real youth teacher resumes to see exactly what youth teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for youth teachers are the California State University - Los Angeles and the California State University - Los Angeles.
There are also many online youth teacher courses to help get the education required to be a youth teacher.
What education do you need to become a youth teacher?
What degree do you need to be a youth teacher?
- Bachelor's, 63%
- Associate, 14%
- Master's, 12%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a youth teacher?
- Psychology, 14%
- Business, 11%
- Communication, 7%
- Other Majors, 61%
Most common colleges for youth teachers
| Youth teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| California State University - Los Angeles | 7.55% |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 7.55% |
| Texas Southern University | 5.66% |
| Brigham Young University | 5.66% |
| University of California - Davis | 5.66% |
Best majors for youth teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 14.3% |
| 2 | Business | 11.1% |
| 3 | Communication | 7.0% |
| 4 | Elementary Education | 6.6% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 6.1% |
Best colleges for youth teachers
The best colleges for youth teachers are Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, and New York University.
A youth 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 youth 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 youth teachers.
1. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
2. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Enrollment
13,871
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
20 best online courses for youth teachers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for youth teachers
The most affordable schools for youth teachers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and lehman college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for youth 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 youth 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. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
4. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
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 - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
7. 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
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
10. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for youth teachers
The hardest universities for youth teachers to get into are Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, and New York University.
Some great schools for youth 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 youth 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
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 youth teachers
The easiest schools for youth teachers to get into are Felician University, holy names university, and nyack college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a youth 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 youth teachers.
1. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
4. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
6. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
7. College of Mount Saint Vincent
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,021
8. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
9. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
10. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
Average youth teacher salary by education level
| Youth teacher education level | Youth teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $45,132 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $37,310 |
| Doctorate Degree | $44,784 |
Youth teacher education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025