Elementary Education major
Elementary Education: courses, careers, and where to study
Elementary Education prepares you to teach all core subjects to children in the elementary grades, building skills in reading, math, science, and child development.
An Elementary Education major prepares you to teach across all core subjects to children in the elementary grades, which, depending on the state and school system, can span the early years through the upper-elementary or early-middle grades. Rather than specializing in one subject the way a secondary education candidate would, you learn how to teach reading and writing, mathematics, science, and social studies to the same group of students, and how children develop cognitively, socially, and emotionally as they learn. Coursework blends child development and learning theory with hands-on methods classes that show you how to plan lessons, assess progress, manage a classroom, and adapt instruction for English learners and students with disabilities. This focus on younger learners and on teaching every subject is what separates Elementary Education from secondary education, from special education, and from a general child-development or early-childhood major.
The standard credential is a bachelor's degree, and most programs are built around supervised fieldwork that culminates in a full-time student-teaching placement, often a semester long, where you lead a real classroom under a mentor teacher. To teach in a public school you must earn a state teaching license or certification, which typically requires completing an approved preparation program, passing subject-matter and pedagogy exams, and clearing a background check; programmatic accreditation and the exact licensure steps vary by state and should be verified directly with the state education agency. Graduates most often work as classroom teachers in public and private elementary schools, and with added experience or graduate study can move into roles such as reading specialist, instructional coach, curriculum coordinator, or grade-level lead.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of elementary school teachers, except special education, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $62,340 and projects employment to decline about 2% from 2024 to 2034; a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Elementary Education maps to CIP 13.1202, Elementary Education and Teaching, within the EDUCATION family. The official definition:
A program that prepares individuals to teach students in the elementary grades, which may include kindergarten through grade eight, depending on the school system or state regulations. Includes preparation to teach all elementary education subject matter.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Elementary Education is awarded as
Of the 41,828 Elementary Education credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate<1%354
- Associate5%1,909
- Bachelor's71%29,843
- Graduate23%9,722
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 51 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 3 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Child development and learning theory across the elementary years
- Methods for teaching early reading, phonics, and writing (literacy instruction)
- Elementary mathematics methods and number sense
- Science and social studies methods for young learners
- Classroom management and positive behavior support
- Lesson planning, curriculum design, and standards alignment
- Student assessment, data interpretation, and differentiated instruction
- Supporting English learners and students with disabilities (inclusive practices)
- Supervised classroom fieldwork and a student-teaching practicum
Typical careers
- Elementary School Teacher
- Reading Specialist
- Curriculum Coordinator
- Instructional Coach
- Grade-Level Lead
- Education Consultant
Typical salary range: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 elementary school teachers, except special education median $62,340).Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Elementary Education, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $62,340 | 91,000 | -2% | Bachelor's degree |
| Education Teachers, Postsecondary | $72,090 | 5,600 | +2.1% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 2 of these 2 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Elementary Education does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Elementary Education major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Elementary Education program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Elementary Education department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Elementary Education program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Elementary Education credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Western Governors UniversityUT · 2,917
- Grand Canyon UniversityAZ · 1,398
- Liberty UniversityVA · 657
- University of the CumberlandsKY · 408
- Arizona State University Campus ImmersionAZ · 349
- University of Phoenix-ArizonaAZ · 343
- Illinois State UniversityIL · 320
- Northern Arizona UniversityAZ · 315
- University of West AlabamaAL · 301
- University of Central FloridaFL · 297
- University of Northern IowaIA · 293
- Niagara UniversityNY · 275
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Elementary Education credentials were awarded
29 states have a distinct enough set of Elementary Education colleges to be worth its own page.
- North Carolina46
- Florida45
- Iowa39
- Massachusetts39
- Indiana36
- Minnesota35
- Missouri34
- Georgia33
- Texas31
- Oklahoma29
- Kansas27
- Michigan26
- Pennsylvania26
- Maryland26
- California25
- Ohio24
- Virginia23
- Wisconsin23
- Mississippi20
- Arkansas19
- Louisiana17
- Washington16
- Oregon16
- North Dakota12
- Montana12
- West Virginia11
- New Hampshire10
- Idaho9
- Rhode Island5
Search Elementary Education schools by state
- Elementary Education in California
- Elementary Education in Florida
- Elementary Education in Georgia
- Elementary Education in Illinois
- Elementary Education in Maryland
- Elementary Education in Massachusetts
- Elementary Education in New York
- Elementary Education in North Carolina
- Elementary Education in Pennsylvania
- Elementary Education in Texas
Related majors
Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education prepares you to teach and care for children from infancy through the early primary grades, focusing on play-based learning and developmental milestones.
Secondary Education
Secondary Education prepares you to teach a subject to middle- and high-school students, blending content mastery with classroom instruction methods, and suits people who want to teach teens rather than young children.
Special Education
Special Education prepares you to teach students with disabilities and diverse learning needs, designing individualized instruction and support across grade levels and settings.
Education
Education prepares graduates for state-licensed teaching careers in public and private K–12 schools, combining content-area study with pedagogy and supervised student-teaching.
Psychology
Psychology majors study human cognition, behavior, and emotion, preparing graduates for clinical, research, business, and human-services careers (and graduate school in clinical, counseling, and I/O psych).
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Elementary Education degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Education & Library careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Elementary Education degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Elementary Education path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.