Best Secondary School Teacher programs in Alabama, ranked by enrollment
Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school.
25 schools in Alabama run programs that feed this job, graduating 5,362 people a year. The job pays a median of $61,990 in Alabama across about 15,880 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Alabama that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
37 programs in Alabama that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Alabama (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Alabama page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101In Alabama → | 1,162 | 21.7% | 24 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 13.1205In Alabama → | 607 | 11.3% | 14 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 3 | CIP 45.1001In Alabama → | 507 | 9.5% | 18 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 4 | CIP 23.0101In Alabama → | 406 | 7.6% | 22 | $29,622 | $24,546 |
| 5 | CIP 54.0101In Alabama → | 339 | 6.3% | 22 | $31,217 | $24,000 |
| 6 | CIP 13.1314In Alabama → | 326 | 6.1% | 12 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 7 | CIP 27.0101In Alabama → | 258 | 4.8% | 24 | $48,772 | $21,544 |
| 8 | CIP 13.1206In Alabama → | 252 | 4.7% | 7 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 9 | CIP 40.0501In Alabama → | 245 | 4.6% | 18 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 10 | CIP 50.0701In Alabama → | 227 | 4.2% | 11 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 11 | CIP 50.0901In Alabama → | 215 | 4.0% | 17 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 12 | CIP 19.0101In Alabama → | 171 | 3.2% | 4 | $31,910 | $26,500 |
| 13 | CIP 45.0601In Alabama → | 137 | 2.6% | 4 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 14 | CIP 40.0801In Alabama → | 123 | 2.3% | 10 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 15 | CIP 16.0101In Alabama → | 62 | 1.2% | 7 | $27,449 | $20,824 |
| 16 | CIP 13.1401In Alabama → | 61 | 1.1% | 6 | $36,305 | $26,250 |
| 17 | CIP 16.0905In Alabama → | 56 | 1.0% | 8 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 18 | CIP 45.0101In Alabama → | 52 | 1.0% | 4 | $35,590 | $24,095 |
| 19 | CIP 13.1312In Alabama → | 46 | 0.9% | 5 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 20 | CIP 13.1305In Alabama → | 16 | 0.3% | 5 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 21 | CIP 13.1317In Alabama → | 15 | 0.3% | 2 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 22 | CIP 16.0900In Alabama → | 14 | 0.3% | 1 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 23 | CIP 13.1315In Alabama → | 9 | 0.2% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 24 | CIP 13.1311In Alabama → | 8 | 0.1% | 3 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 25 | CIP 30.3801In Alabama → | 7 | 0.1% | 1 | — | — |
| 26 | CIP 13.1302In Alabama → | 6 | 0.1% | 2 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 27 | CIP 13.1328In Alabama → | 6 | 0.1% | 2 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 28 | CIP 13.1307In Alabama → | 5 | 0.1% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 29 | CIP 13.1316In Alabama → | 5 | 0.1% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 30 | CIP 45.1099In Alabama → | 5 | 0.1% | 1 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 31 | CIP 16.0501In Alabama → | 4 | 0.1% | 2 | $44,390 | $23,202 |
| 32 | CIP 13.1306In Alabama → | 3 | 0.1% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 33 | CIP 13.1322In Alabama → | 2 | 0.0% | 2 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 34 | CIP 30.0101In Alabama → | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $28,446 | $11,000 |
| 35 | CIP 13.1211In Alabama → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 36 | CIP 13.1318In Alabama → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 37 | CIP 16.0901In Alabama → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
Top 25 schools in Alabama
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 15 of the 25 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 17 feeder programs | 1,220 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $29,848 | 73% | — | 77% |
| 2 | University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL Public · 16 feeder programs | 611 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $32,093 | 64% | — | 88% |
| 3 | Auburn University Auburn, AL Public · 22 feeder programs | 542 | Political Science and Government, General | $32,228 | 82% | — | 46% |
| 4 | University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL Public · 13 feeder programs | 370 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $36,775 | 64% | — | 69% |
| 5 | University of West Alabama Livingston, AL Public · 10 feeder programs | 370 | Secondary Education and Teaching | — | 35% | — | 43% |
| 6 | Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, AL Public · 14 feeder programs | 361 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $33,236 | 55% | — | 78% |
| 7 | University of North Alabama Florence, AL Public · 13 feeder programs | 323 | Secondary Education and Teaching | $42,529 | 55% | — | 87% |
| 8 | Troy University Troy, AL Public · 14 feeder programs | 304 | Teacher Education, Multiple Levels | $42,788 | 50% | — | 96% |
| 9 | University of South Alabama Mobile, AL Public · 13 feeder programs | 237 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $25,950 | 53% | — | 71% |
| 10 | Alabama State University Montgomery, AL Public · 12 feeder programs | 146 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,174 | 30% | — | 98% |
| 11 | University of Montevallo Montevallo, AL Public · 12 feeder programs | 137 | Art/Art Studies, General | $25,150 | 54% | — | 54% |
| 12 | Alabama A & M University Normal, AL Public · 9 feeder programs | 125 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $29,098 | 24% | — | 58% |
| 13 | Samford University Birmingham, AL Private not-for-profit · 12 feeder programs | 102 | Teacher Education, Multiple Levels | $44,644 | 77% | $28,160 | 82% |
| 14 | Auburn University at Montgomery Montgomery, AL Public · 8 feeder programs | 95 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,385 | 33% | — | 92% |
| 15 | Athens State University Athens, AL Public · 10 feeder programs | 90 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $36,907 | — | — | — |
| 16 | Tuskegee University Tuskegee, AL Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs | 69 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $14,102 | 55% | $33,313 | 49% |
| 17 | Miles College Fairfield, AL Private not-for-profit · 9 feeder programs | 57 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 16% | $16,735 | — |
| 18 | Spring Hill College Mobile, AL Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs | 44 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 52% | $14,119 | 77% |
| 19 | Oakwood University Huntsville, AL Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs | 37 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 45% | $23,870 | 45% |
| 20 | Stillman College Tuscaloosa, AL Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 36 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | — | 25% | $13,151 | 62% |
| 21 | Huntingdon College Montgomery, AL Private not-for-profit · 9 feeder programs | 26 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 48% | $21,604 | 69% |
| 22 | University of Mobile Mobile, AL Private not-for-profit · 12 feeder programs | 25 | Music, General | — | 57% | $19,817 | 78% |
| 23 | Talladega College Talladega, AL Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 14 | Music, General | — | 31% | $15,807 | 85% |
| 24 | Faulkner University Montgomery, AL Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 12 | English Language and Literature, General | — | 37% | $25,801 | 73% |
| 25 | United States Sports University Daphne, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | — | — | — | 61% |
All 25 schools in Alabama
Every school in Alabama with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa | Public | 1,220 | 17 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham | Public | 611 | 16 |
| Auburn University | Auburn | Public | 542 | 22 |
| University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville | Public | 370 | 13 |
| University of West Alabama | Livingston | Public | 370 | 10 |
| Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville | Public | 361 | 14 |
| University of North Alabama | Florence | Public | 323 | 13 |
| Troy University | Troy | Public | 304 | 14 |
| University of South Alabama | Mobile | Public | 237 | 13 |
| Alabama State University | Montgomery | Public | 146 | 12 |
| University of Montevallo | Montevallo | Public | 137 | 12 |
| Alabama A & M University | Normal | Public | 125 | 9 |
| Samford University | Birmingham | Private not-for-profit | 102 | 12 |
| Auburn University at Montgomery | Montgomery | Public | 95 | 8 |
| Athens State University | Athens | Public | 90 | 10 |
What secondary school teachers earn in Alabama
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $72,040. Alabama pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Alabama
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Secondary School Teachers page.
How to become a Secondary School Teacher
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Alabama
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 25 majors mapped to Secondary School Teachers24 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 13.0201Bilingual and Multilingual Education
- 13.1203Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching
- 13.1205Secondary Education and Teaching
- 13.1206Teacher Education, Multiple Levels
- 13.1207Montessori Teacher Education
- 13.1208Waldorf/Steiner Teacher Education(no graduates reported)
- 13.1211Online Educator/Online Teaching
- 13.1212International Teaching and Learning
- 13.1213Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods
- 13.1302Art Teacher Education
- 13.1304Driver and Safety Teacher Education
- 13.1305English/Language Arts Teacher Education
- 13.1306Foreign Language Teacher Education
- 13.1307Health Teacher Education
- 13.1308Family and Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education
- 13.1309Technology Teacher Education/Industrial Arts Teacher Education
- 13.1311Mathematics Teacher Education
- 13.1312Music Teacher Education
- 13.1314Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
- 13.1315Reading Teacher Education
- 13.1316Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
- 13.1317Social Science Teacher Education
- 13.1318Social Studies Teacher Education
- 13.1321Computer Teacher Education
- 13.1322Biology Teacher Education
Common questions
Answers for people weighing secondary school teachers programs in Alabama.
What degree do you need to become a Secondary School Teacher?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Biology/Biological Sciences, General, which awarded 1,162 degrees in Alabama in 2024-25, 21.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Secondary School Teacher?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 37 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Teacher Education and Professional Development, Political Science and Government, Teacher Education and Professional Development, plus 16 more. Together they graduate about 5,362 people a year in Alabama.
How much do secondary school teachers earn in Alabama?+
The median is $61,990 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 14.0% below the U.S. median of $72,040. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for secondary school teachers growing?+
BLS projects a -1.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 66,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Alabama?+
25 institutions in Alabama reported graduates from at least one of the 37 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do secondary school teachers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Teacher, English Teacher, Social Studies Teacher, Math Teacher (Mathematics Teacher) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-2031.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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