Best Secondary School Teacher programs in North Carolina, ranked by enrollment
Teach one or more subjects to students at the secondary school.
51 schools in North Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 10,634 people a year. The job pays a median of $57,650 in North Carolina across about 28,620 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in North Carolina that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
47 programs in North Carolina that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in North Carolina (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 North Carolina page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101In North Carolina → | 3,519 | 33.1% | 50 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 45.1001In North Carolina → | 1,417 | 13.3% | 38 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 3 | CIP 23.0101In North Carolina → | 1,004 | 9.4% | 43 | $29,622 | $24,546 |
| 4 | CIP 54.0101In North Carolina → | 817 | 7.7% | 44 | $31,217 | $24,000 |
| 5 | CIP 40.0501In North Carolina → | 658 | 6.2% | 35 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 6 | CIP 27.0101In North Carolina → | 570 | 5.4% | 39 | $48,772 | $21,544 |
| 7 | CIP 45.0601In North Carolina → | 541 | 5.1% | 14 | $51,725 | $22,907 |
| 8 | CIP 40.0801In North Carolina → | 293 | 2.8% | 17 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 9 | CIP 50.0701In North Carolina → | 228 | 2.1% | 17 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 10 | CIP 50.0901In North Carolina → | 172 | 1.6% | 30 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 11 | CIP 16.0905In North Carolina → | 142 | 1.3% | 19 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 12 | CIP 45.0101In North Carolina → | 129 | 1.2% | 4 | $35,590 | $24,095 |
| 13 | CIP 13.1203In North Carolina → | 111 | 1.0% | 17 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 14 | CIP 13.1312In North Carolina → | 103 | 1.0% | 15 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 15 | CIP 16.0101In North Carolina → | 85 | 0.8% | 7 | $27,449 | $20,824 |
| 16 | CIP 13.1315In North Carolina → | 76 | 0.7% | 5 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 17 | CIP 13.1401In North Carolina → | 64 | 0.6% | 3 | $36,305 | $26,250 |
| 18 | CIP 13.1302In North Carolina → | 61 | 0.6% | 6 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 19 | CIP 13.1314In North Carolina → | 61 | 0.6% | 9 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 20 | CIP 13.1311In North Carolina → | 57 | 0.5% | 6 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 21 | CIP 13.1318In North Carolina → | 46 | 0.4% | 8 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 22 | CIP 13.1305In North Carolina → | 43 | 0.4% | 9 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 23 | CIP 13.1328In North Carolina → | 43 | 0.4% | 3 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 24 | CIP 13.1205In North Carolina → | 39 | 0.4% | 5 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 25 | CIP 16.1200In North Carolina → | 39 | 0.4% | 7 | — | $22,560 |
| 26 | CIP 13.1206In North Carolina → | 38 | 0.4% | 3 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 27 | CIP 13.1309In North Carolina → | 35 | 0.3% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 28 | CIP 19.0101In North Carolina → | 34 | 0.3% | 3 | $31,910 | $26,500 |
| 29 | CIP 16.0999In North Carolina → | 33 | 0.3% | 2 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 30 | CIP 13.1316In North Carolina → | 30 | 0.3% | 3 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 31 | CIP 16.0501In North Carolina → | 28 | 0.3% | 5 | $44,390 | $23,202 |
| 32 | CIP 16.0901In North Carolina → | 25 | 0.2% | 7 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 33 | CIP 16.0302In North Carolina → | 21 | 0.2% | 2 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 34 | CIP 13.1213In North Carolina → | 20 | 0.2% | 1 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 35 | CIP 13.1324In North Carolina → | 12 | 0.1% | 3 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 36 | CIP 30.3601In North Carolina → | 10 | 0.1% | 1 | — | — |
| 37 | CIP 45.1002In North Carolina → | 7 | 0.1% | 2 | $35,631 | $23,538 |
| 38 | CIP 16.0900In North Carolina → | 6 | 0.1% | 2 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 39 | CIP 13.1308In North Carolina → | 4 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 40 | CIP 16.1101In North Carolina → | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | $48,355 | $15,526 |
| 41 | CIP 13.1322In North Carolina → | 2 | 0.0% | 2 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 42 | CIP 16.0402In North Carolina → | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $60,240 | $5,500 |
| 43 | CIP 30.0101In North Carolina → | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $28,446 | $11,000 |
| 44 | CIP 13.1307In North Carolina → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 45 | CIP 16.0301In North Carolina → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 46 | CIP 16.9999In North Carolina → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $34,944 | $24,828 |
| 47 | CIP 40.0101In North Carolina → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $27,007 | $9,000 |
Top 25 schools in North Carolina
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 28 of the 51 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 13 feeder programs | 1,751 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $33,471 | 91% | — | 15% |
| 2 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 17 feeder programs | 1,139 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $36,157 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 3 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 16 feeder programs | 969 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $34,094 | 69% | — | 80% |
| 4 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC Public · 17 feeder programs | 841 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $29,946 | 75% | — | 90% |
| 5 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC Public · 23 feeder programs | 755 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $38,992 | 63% | — | 89% |
| 6 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC Public · 20 feeder programs | 625 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,922 | 56% | — | 89% |
| 7 | Duke University Durham, NC Private not-for-profit · 17 feeder programs | 505 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,939 | 97% | $16,260 | 6% |
| 8 | University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC Public · 13 feeder programs | 493 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,925 | 71% | — | 64% |
| 9 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC Private not-for-profit · 15 feeder programs | 448 | Economics, General | $56,416 | 89% | $20,914 | 22% |
| 10 | Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC Public · 17 feeder programs | 310 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,381 | 60% | — | 82% |
| 11 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC Public · 12 feeder programs | 304 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,660 | 57% | — | 50% |
| 12 | Davidson College Davidson, NC Private not-for-profit · 12 feeder programs | 241 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $39,602 | 91% | $16,628 | 13% |
| 13 | North Carolina Central University Durham, NC Public · 11 feeder programs | 239 | Social Sciences, General | $35,978 | 42% | — | 87% |
| 14 | University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville, NC Public · 12 feeder programs | 201 | English Language and Literature, General | $19,136 | 54% | — | 92% |
| 15 | Elon University Elon, NC Private not-for-profit · 14 feeder programs | 175 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,683 | 84% | $33,688 | 66% |
| 16 | University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC Public · 15 feeder programs | 175 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,147 | 44% | — | 93% |
| 17 | Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC Public · 11 feeder programs | 155 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,332 | 38% | — | 82% |
| 18 | High Point University High Point, NC Private not-for-profit · 11 feeder programs | 117 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 74% | $37,072 | 75% |
| 19 | Wingate University Wingate, NC Private not-for-profit · 13 feeder programs | 105 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,729 | 46% | $21,585 | 91% |
| 20 | Winston - Salem State University Winston-Salem, NC Public · 9 feeder programs | 103 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,719 | 47% | — | 78% |
| 21 | Meredith College Raleigh, NC Private not-for-profit · 13 feeder programs | 97 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $43,182 | 70% | $19,552 | 74% |
| 22 | Greensboro College Greensboro, NC Private not-for-profit · 9 feeder programs | 78 | Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor | — | 46% | $19,549 | 70% |
| 23 | Lenoir - Rhyne University Hickory, NC Private not-for-profit · 13 feeder programs | 72 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 48% | $23,920 | 85% |
| 24 | Gardner - Webb University Boiling Springs, NC Private not-for-profit · 12 feeder programs | 69 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 55% | $22,863 | 77% |
| 25 | Campbell University Buies Creek, NC Private not-for-profit · 14 feeder programs | 65 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $35,579 | 61% | $23,331 | 87% |
All 51 schools in North Carolina
Every school in North Carolina 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | Public | 1,751 | 13 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Raleigh | Public | 1,139 | 17 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte | Public | 969 | 16 |
| Appalachian State University | Boone | Public | 841 | 17 |
| East Carolina University | Greenville | Public | 755 | 23 |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro | Public | 625 | 20 |
| Duke University | Durham | Private not-for-profit | 505 | 17 |
| University of North Carolina Wilmington | Wilmington | Public | 493 | 13 |
| Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem | Private not-for-profit | 448 | 15 |
| Western Carolina University | Cullowhee | Public | 310 | 17 |
| North Carolina A & T State University | Greensboro | Public | 304 | 12 |
| Davidson College | Davidson | Private not-for-profit | 241 | 12 |
| North Carolina Central University | Durham | Public | 239 | 11 |
| University of North Carolina Asheville | Asheville | Public | 201 | 12 |
| Elon University | Elon | Private not-for-profit | 175 | 14 |
What secondary school teachers earn in North Carolina
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $72,040. North Carolina pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in North Carolina
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 North Carolina
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 North Carolina.
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 3,519 degrees in North Carolina in 2024-25, 33.1% 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 47 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Political Science and Government, English Language and Literature, History, plus 22 more. Together they graduate about 10,634 people a year in North Carolina.
How much do secondary school teachers earn in North Carolina?+
The median is $57,650 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 20.0% 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 North Carolina?+
51 institutions in North Carolina reported graduates from at least one of the 47 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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