Best Education Teacher, Postsecondary programs in Tennessee, ranked by enrollment
Teach courses pertaining to education, such as counseling, curriculum, guidance, instruction, teacher education, and teaching English as a second language.
47 schools in Tennessee run programs that feed this job, graduating 3,215 people a year. The job pays a median of $72,390 in Tennessee across about 950 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Tennessee that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
32 programs in Tennessee that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Tennessee (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 Tennessee page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 13.0301In Tennessee → | 641 | 19.9% | 13 | $45,004 | $27,000 |
| 2 | Education, Generalmain feeder CIP 13.0101In Tennessee → | 621 | 19.3% | 27 | $37,953 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 13.1206In Tennessee → | 570 | 17.7% | 12 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 4 | CIP 13.1202In Tennessee → | 414 | 12.9% | 25 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 5 | CIP 13.1399In Tennessee → | 246 | 7.7% | 3 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 6 | CIP 13.1205In Tennessee → | 160 | 5.0% | 12 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 7 | CIP 13.1210In Tennessee → | 98 | 3.0% | 11 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 8 | CIP 13.1315In Tennessee → | 74 | 2.3% | 7 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 9 | CIP 13.1203In Tennessee → | 73 | 2.3% | 5 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 10 | CIP 13.1314In Tennessee → | 59 | 1.8% | 9 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 11 | CIP 13.0601In Tennessee → | 51 | 1.6% | 2 | $33,086 | $26,000 |
| 12 | CIP 13.1312In Tennessee → | 43 | 1.3% | 9 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 13 | CIP 13.1305In Tennessee → | 19 | 0.6% | 8 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 14 | CIP 13.1328In Tennessee → | 19 | 0.6% | 7 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 15 | Education, Othermain feeder CIP 13.9999In Tennessee → | 16 | 0.5% | 4 | $34,646 | $25,855 |
| 16 | CIP 13.1302In Tennessee → | 16 | 0.5% | 6 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 17 | CIP 13.1311In Tennessee → | 16 | 0.5% | 4 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 18 | CIP 44.0502In Tennessee → | 11 | 0.3% | 1 | $44,740 | $22,000 |
| 19 | CIP 13.1214In Tennessee → | 10 | 0.3% | 2 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 20 | CIP 13.1007In Tennessee → | 9 | 0.3% | 2 | $44,139 | $26,675 |
| 21 | CIP 13.1211In Tennessee → | 9 | 0.3% | 1 | $41,127 | $25,500 |
| 22 | CIP 13.1017In Tennessee → | 6 | 0.2% | 3 | $44,139 | $26,675 |
| 23 | CIP 13.1307In Tennessee → | 6 | 0.2% | 2 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 24 | CIP 13.1322In Tennessee → | 6 | 0.2% | 3 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 25 | CIP 13.1013In Tennessee → | 5 | 0.2% | 1 | $44,139 | $26,675 |
| 26 | CIP 13.1303In Tennessee → | 4 | 0.1% | 3 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 27 | CIP 13.1306In Tennessee → | 4 | 0.1% | 2 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 28 | CIP 13.1324In Tennessee → | 3 | 0.1% | 2 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 29 | CIP 13.1015In Tennessee → | 2 | 0.1% | 1 | $44,139 | $26,675 |
| 30 | CIP 13.1323In Tennessee → | 2 | 0.1% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 31 | CIP 13.0603In Tennessee → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $33,086 | $26,000 |
| 32 | CIP 13.1308In Tennessee → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
Top 25 schools in Tennessee
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 12 of the 47 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 6 feeder programs | 372 | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other | — | 74% | — | 42% |
| 2 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN Public · 5 feeder programs | 281 | Curriculum and Instruction | — | 58% | — | 76% |
| 3 | Lipscomb University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 233 | Curriculum and Instruction | — | 72% | $24,309 | 68% |
| 4 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN Public · 10 feeder programs | 229 | Curriculum and Instruction | — | 54% | — | 69% |
| 5 | University of Memphis Memphis, TN Public · 10 feeder programs | 214 | Curriculum and Instruction | — | 51% | — | 72% |
| 6 | Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN Public · 5 feeder programs | 195 | Teacher Education, Multiple Levels | $41,743 | 40% | — | 96% |
| 7 | The University of Tennessee - Martin Martin, TN Public · 3 feeder programs | 173 | Teacher Education, Multiple Levels | $41,834 | 53% | — | 88% |
| 8 | The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN Public · 4 feeder programs | 156 | Teacher Education, Multiple Levels | $39,481 | 50% | — | 81% |
| 9 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN Public · 5 feeder programs | 140 | Teacher Education, Multiple Levels | $40,276 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 10 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 10 feeder programs | 124 | Secondary Education and Teaching | — | 94% | $14,854 | 6% |
| 11 | Lee University Cleveland, TN Private not-for-profit · 15 feeder programs | 83 | Elementary Education and Teaching | $44,397 | 63% | $18,918 | 71% |
| 12 | Cumberland University Lebanon, TN Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 68 | Education, General | — | 46% | $19,206 | 67% |
| 13 | Belmont University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs | 67 | Elementary Education and Teaching | — | 71% | $29,246 | 95% |
| 14 | Tusculum University Greeneville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 65 | Education, General | $36,540 | 25% | $22,577 | 72% |
| 15 | Christian Brothers University Memphis, TN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 63 | Teacher Education, Multiple Levels | — | 55% | $11,063 | 87% |
| 16 | Nashville State Community College Nashville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 55 | Education, General | — | 18% | — | — |
| 17 | Carson - Newman University Jefferson City, TN Private not-for-profit · 11 feeder programs | 51 | Curriculum and Instruction | — | 53% | $19,537 | 90% |
| 18 | Tennessee State University Nashville, TN Public · 4 feeder programs | 46 | Teacher Education, Multiple Levels | $34,756 | 34% | — | 70% |
| 19 | Union University Jackson, TN Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 45 | Education, General | — | 66% | $25,882 | 60% |
| 20 | Bryan College - Dayton Dayton, TN Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 42 | Elementary Education and Teaching | — | 50% | $16,130 | — |
| 21 | Freed - Hardeman University Henderson, TN Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 42 | Secondary Education and Teaching | $40,936 | 71% | $19,418 | 60% |
| 22 | Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 38 | Curriculum and Instruction | — | 50% | $18,981 | 63% |
| 23 | Bethel University McKenzie, TN Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 31 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | — | 35% | $21,324 | 60% |
| 24 | Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 30 | Elementary Education and Teaching | $43,283 | 49% | $24,187 | 65% |
| 25 | Columbia State Community College Columbia, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Education, General | — | 30% | — | — |
All 47 schools in Tennessee
Every school in Tennessee 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 Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville | Public | 372 | 6 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville | Public | 281 | 5 |
| Lipscomb University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 233 | 6 |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro | Public | 229 | 10 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis | Public | 214 | 10 |
| Austin Peay State University | Clarksville | Public | 195 | 5 |
| The University of Tennessee - Martin | Martin | Public | 173 | 3 |
| The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga | Chattanooga | Public | 156 | 4 |
| East Tennessee State University | Johnson City | Public | 140 | 5 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 124 | 10 |
| Lee University | Cleveland | Private not-for-profit | 83 | 15 |
| Cumberland University | Lebanon | Private not-for-profit | 68 | 4 |
| Belmont University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 67 | 8 |
| Tusculum University | Greeneville | Private not-for-profit | 65 | 1 |
| Christian Brothers University | Memphis | Private not-for-profit | 63 | 3 |
What education teachers, postsecondary earn in Tennessee
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $75,350. Tennessee pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Tennessee
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 Education Teachers, Postsecondary page.
How to become a Education Teacher, Postsecondary
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
- Work experience needed
- Less than 5 years
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or 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 Tennessee
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 25 majors mapped to Education Teachers, Postsecondary25 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 13.0101Education, General
- 13.0201Bilingual and Multilingual Education
- 13.0202Multicultural Education
- 13.0203Indian/Native American Education
- 13.0299Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, Other
- 13.0301Curriculum and Instruction
- 13.0601Educational Evaluation and Research
- 13.0603Educational Statistics and Research Methods
- 13.0604Educational Assessment, Testing, and Measurement
- 13.0607Learning Sciences
- 13.0699Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research, Other
- 13.0901Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education
- 13.1005Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances
- 13.1006Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities
- 13.1007Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities
- 13.1008Education/Teaching of Individuals with Orthopedic and Other Physical Health Impairments
- 13.1009Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness
- 13.1011Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities
- 13.1012Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments
- 13.1013Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism
- 13.1014Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed
- 13.1015Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs
- 13.1016Education/Teaching of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries
- 13.1017Education/Teaching of Individuals in Elementary Special Education Programs
- 13.1018Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs
Common questions
Answers for people weighing education teachers, postsecondary programs in Tennessee.
What degree do you need to become an Education Teacher, Postsecondary?+
Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Curriculum and Instruction, which awarded 641 degrees in Tennessee in 2024-25, 19.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Education Teacher, Postsecondary?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 32 programs to this occupation. The largest are Teacher Education and Professional Development, Curriculum and Instruction, Education, Teacher Education and Professional Development, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 3,215 people a year in Tennessee.
How much do education teachers, postsecondary earn in Tennessee?+
The median is $72,390 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.9% below the U.S. median of $75,350. 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 education teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a +2.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 5,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Tennessee?+
47 institutions in Tennessee reported graduates from at least one of the 32 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 education teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Education Professor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1081.
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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