MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 198 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$60,655 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$60,655Median year-4 earnings
$18,538Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$60,655Typical earnings four years after completion
$60,323Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
18thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
238Degrees awarded in 2024–25
198College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 35 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Curriculum and Instruction

How much do Curriculum and Instruction master's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $60,655 four years after completion across reportable master's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.

Does the college matter for Curriculum and Instruction?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $56,695 to $65,713 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Curriculum and Instruction?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 2 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$46,713
Federal debt
$27,000
Programs in the comparison
4
4 report earnings →
CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$60,655
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
198
198 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$83,569
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
24
24 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

First Professional Degree

Year-4 earnings
$68,838
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$68,198
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
6
6 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$71,589
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$56,695National median$60,65575th percentile$65,713
198 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$65,71375th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
Not availableMedian federal debt across programs that report it
0Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

California State University, Long Beach

$100,111 four years after completionLong Beach, CA · inspect the full program →
Largest recent graduating class

Western Governors University

3,728 reported awards in 2024–25Salt Lake City, UT · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$95,860Observed year-4 earnings$70,189
$7,000Annual college-wide average net price$33,817
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1California State University, Long Beach$100,1112Concordia University-Irvine$100,0383University of Redlands$95,8604Wilmington University$95,0715Teachers College at Columbia University$86,9456Alverno College$86,1667California State University, Fresno$86,1398University of Minnesota-Twin Cities$82,9259Utah Valley University$80,76310City University of Seattle$80,194

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Instructional Coordinators$77,440 median wage227,760 jobs nationwide+1.6% projected growth through 2035 · 23,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$47,980–$121,670 typical wage rangeEducation Teachers, Postsecondary$75,350 median wage60,830 jobs nationwide+2.5% projected growth through 2035 · 5,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$39,530–$126,860 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.