Masters in Education Salaries

To the extent that the Masters in Education leads to a teaching position, the median salaries are dictated in most cases by state mandate, by seniority and by the teaching assignment.  High school teachers make a little more than middle school teachers, and special education teachers are paid better than regular classroom teachers.  The other positions such as school superintendent and curriculum& instruction coordinator vary widely by district and state.  Instructional technology may be a glorified systems maintenance job in one place and a senior IT supervisorial role in another.  School counselor wages also are not guided by any standard and seem to fluctuate among districts and regions.  We have drawn on figures provided by the U.S. Department of Labor where possible, and expanded on those figures with data from Payscale.com for more detailed information where available.

1. School Principal has a national median salary figure of $82,320 for elementary and secondary schools.  In West Virginia the mean wage is $60,760; in Vermont it is $79,520; and in California it is $103,500.  This is a well paid position for someone who can handle pressure from several directions at once.
2. Instructional Coordinator is another term for a curriculum and instruction specialist.  The U.S. Department of Labor puts the mean salary for this position at $61,270.  The mean salary in Arizona is $48,440; in Maryland it is $61,430, and in New Jersey it is $67,130.   The pay scales for this position at the district level  should be commensurately higher.
3. High School Teacher earns a mean salary of $55,150 nationwide.  According to the Department  of Labor the mean salary for this position in Mississippi is $42,120; in New York it is $68,010; and in Hawaii it is $48,660.
4. Instructional Designer with a Masters Degree has a median salary of $68,000 according to Payscale.com.  A Senior Instructional Designer working in training and development earns an average of $73,500 but those positions are principally in the corporate rather than the educational sector.
5. Elementary School Teacher has a national mean salary of $53,150.  In the State of Illinois the mean wage is $58,430; in North Dakota it is $42,880 and in the District of Columbia it is $64,200.
6. Special Education Teacher in high school earns a mean annual wage of $56,420 on a national basis.  In elementary school special education teachers earn an average of $53,320 nationwide.  For middle school special education teachers the mean salary is $54,350.  To illustrate the range, the middle school special education teacher in Massachusetts earns $59,600; in Connecticut the mean salary is $66,990 and in New Mexico it is $55,780.
7. School Counselor has a mean national salary of $55,030.  In Louisiana the mean salary is $50,430; in Rhode Island it is $62,379; and in Alaska it is $53,720.  School counselors are generally licensed by the state, which sets minimum salaries for teachers in many cases and for some of the other licensed educational professions as well.
8. Middle School Teacher makes an annual salary that averages $53,550 on a national basis.  The mean salary for a middle school teacher in Texas is $50,350; in Kansas it is $42,710; and in Mississippi it is $40,610.
9. Enrollment Management Officer in a major institution earns an average of $113,218 according to Salary.com.  The lower 25th percentile is just under $90,000 which is the range for enrollment managers for community colleges and smaller institutions.
10. Education Policy Analyst is a public sector job in most cases, or a position with a non-profit research center or organization.  The salaries for positions of this type can range from $64,000 to $102,000 according to a survey of public and privately employed professionals.  That would put the average salary in the $82,000 range.

Category: Colleges in USA , Online Degree Programs