POST-BACCALAUREATE CERTIFICATE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a post-baccalaureate certificate in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 7 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$58,135 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.
$58,135Median year-4 earnings
$16,659Average institution net-price context
$20,089Median federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$58,135Typical earnings four years after completion
$56,646Average earnings five years after completion
$20,089Typical federal student debt
19thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
72Degrees awarded in 2024–25
5College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 5 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
How much do Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods post-baccalaureate certificate graduates earn?
The national median is $58,135 four years after completion across reportable post-baccalaureate certificate programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $20,089. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $54,610 to $62,114 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 12 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
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
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $35,034
- Federal debt
- $15,500
- Programs in the comparison
- 46
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $38,349
- Federal debt
- $13,568
- Programs in the comparison
- 184
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $47,730
- Federal debt
- $26,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 742
Post-baccalaureate Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $58,135
- Federal debt
- $20,089
- Programs in the comparison
- 7
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $58,916
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 385
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $87,754
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 7
First Professional Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $59,670
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $54,842
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 7
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $54,617
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 9
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$54,610National median$58,13575th percentile$62,114
5 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
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
Duke University
$74,987 four years after completionDurham, NC · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtLipscomb University
$11,625 among completer borrowersNashville, TN · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa
33 reported awards in 2024–25Honolulu, HI · 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.
$62,114Observed year-4 earnings$47,705
Duke University$29,612 price · $74,987 earningsUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa$15,664 price · $62,114 earningsLipscomb University$24,739 price · $58,135 earningsSanta Fe Community College$11,067 price · $54,610 earningsEastern Michigan University$15,407 price · $47,705 earnings
$11,067Annual college-wide average net price$24,739
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
7 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 7 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Duke University$74,9872University of Hawaii at Manoa$62,1143Lipscomb University$58,1354Santa Fe Community College$54,6105Eastern Michigan University$47,7056Pima Community CollegeNot available7Westfield State UniversityNot availableObserved year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
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
Higher median wage ↑
-16%Projected employment growth →13%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Education 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 rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 typical wage rangeElementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$63,970 median wage1,388,390 jobs nationwide-0.4% projected growth through 2035 · 87,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$47,960–$104,340 typical wage rangeMiddle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$64,370 median wage620,090 jobs nationwide-0.4% projected growth through 2035 · 38,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,080–$102,540 typical wage rangeKindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education$62,680 median wage108,870 jobs nationwide-0.3% projected growth through 2035 · 11,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$46,990–$101,830 typical wage rangePreschool Teachers, Except Special Education$38,140 median wage478,780 jobs nationwide+4.5% projected growth through 2035 · 66,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$28,990–$61,390 typical wage rangeTeachers and Instructors, All Other$66,140 median wage113,790 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 15,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$37,010–$118,020 typical wage rangeSelf-Enrichment Teachers$46,800 median wage332,110 jobs nationwide+3.5% projected growth through 2035 · 50,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$30,050–$92,840 typical wage rangePostsecondary Teachers, All Other$77,640 median wage149,840 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 12,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$44,300–$160,700 typical wage rangeTraining and Development Specialists$69,280 median wage458,300 jobs nationwide+10.8% projected growth through 2035 · 46,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$38,760–$123,250 typical wage rangeAdult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors$61,540 median wage37,310 jobs nationwide-13.9% projected growth through 2035 · 3,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$41,810–$98,030 typical wage rangeNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide
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.