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DOCTORAL DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 24 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$83,569 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.

$83,569Median year-4 earnings
$19,144Average 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

$83,569Typical earnings four years after completion
$81,282Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
25thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
897Degrees awarded in 2024–25
24College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 24 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 doctoral degree graduates earn?

The national median is $83,569 four years after completion across reportable doctoral 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 $78,398 to $91,306 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 →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

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

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$78,398National median$83,56975th percentile$91,306
24 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$91,30675th-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

St. John's University-New York

$153,334 four years after completionQueens, NY · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Liberty University

442 reported awards in 2024–25Lynchburg, VA · 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.

$97,572Observed year-4 earnings$73,065
$9,812Annual college-wide average net price$29,357
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.

24 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 24 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1St. John's University-New York$153,3342Northern Illinois University$117,3523University of Memphis$97,5724Mercer University$96,6865Georgia Southern University$91,5346Teachers College at Columbia University$91,3227University of Florida$91,3068Capella University$91,0349The University of Texas at Austin$85,47910Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$84,607

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.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Doctoral Degree

Educational Administration and Supervision

Year-4 earnings
$101,194
Federal debt
Not available
151 reporting programs →Doctoral Degree

Education, General

Year-4 earnings
$95,543
Federal debt
Not available
36 reporting programs →Doctoral Degree

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas

Year-4 earnings
$93,737
Federal debt
Not available
9 reporting programs →Doctoral Degree

Education, Other

Year-4 earnings
$94,581
Federal debt
Not available
8 reporting programs →

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.