Is a research university right for me?–

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students. Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you. If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel. Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well. Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Is a liberal arts college right for me?–

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom). Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships, but also more pleasurable walks across campus. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Is an online college right for me?–

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degress you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no disctinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whehter you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college. Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain. Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands balancing work and life, or becuase the online colleges afford them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are aynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc. The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions. If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find, well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees

BEST FOR EDUCATION LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

By James Barham and James Barham

Published: Jul 20, 2022
Updated: Nov 27, 2023

The best liberal arts colleges for education degrees are those with rich histories of influence, proven through the work produced by the program’s faculty and alumni. Beyond demonstrating scholarly impact in the field, the best education degree programs maximize your opportunities to interact with outstanding education faculty.

Top 10 Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees

Swarthmore College
Smith College
Wellesley College
Vassar College
Mount Holyoke College
San Francisco State University
Bowdoin College
Morehouse College
Colgate University
Middlebury College

San Francisco State University 93%
Mills College at Northeastern University 80%
Southern University at New Orleans 79%
Ithaca College 78%
Fort Valley State University 72%
Morehouse College 65%
Gettysburg College 56%
Mount Holyoke College 52%
Monroe College 39%
Trinity College 38%

Fort Valley State University 24 to 1
San Francisco State University 22 to 1
Southern University at New Orleans 17 to 1
Monroe College 16 to 1
Morehouse College 15 to 1
College of the Ozarks 15 to 1
Tuskegee University 11 to 1
Gettysburg College 10 to 1
Macalester College 10 to 1
Colby College 10 to 1

Vassar College $62,870
Colorado College $62,070
Colgate University $61,966
Trinity College $61,370
Colby College $61,220
Wellesley College $60,752
Macalester College $60,518
Skidmore College $60,302
Gettysburg College $59,960
Bucknell University $59,802

Vassar College $61,940
Colgate University $61,594
Smith College $55,830
Mills College at Northeastern University $34,833
Colorado College $34,300
Bucknell University $26,112
Mount Holyoke College $25,833
Ithaca College $22,056
Tuskegee University $20,378
Trinity College $18,780

College of the Ozarks
Southern University at New Orleans
Monroe College
Fort Valley State University
Mills College at Northeastern University
Skidmore College
Berea College
Gettysburg College
Ithaca College
Macalester College

Swarthmore College 8%
Bowdoin College 9%
Colby College 9%
Middlebury College 13%
Colorado College 14%
Wellesley College 16%
Colgate University 17%
Vassar College 20%
College of the Ozarks 21%
Smith College 30%

Swarthmore College 7 to 1
Smith College 7 to 1
Wellesley College 7 to 1
Bowdoin College 8 to 1
Mills College at Northeastern University 8 to 1
Vassar College 8 to 1
Middlebury College 8 to 1
Skidmore College 8 to 1
Berea College 9 to 1
Bucknell University 9 to 1

Fort Valley State University $4,064
Southern University at New Orleans $4,483
San Francisco State University $5,742
Monroe College $16,686
College of the Ozarks $19,960
Tuskegee University $22,614
Morehouse College $29,468
Mills College at Northeastern University $30,950
Berea College $43,612
Ithaca College $46,760

Fort Valley State University $4,344
Southern University at New Orleans $6,024
San Francisco State University $7,176
Monroe College $16,074
Trinity College $18,780
Tuskegee University $20,378
Ithaca College $22,056
Mount Holyoke College $25,833
Bucknell University $26,112
Colorado College $34,300

Table of Contents

Majoring in education can help you start a career as a classroom teacher, guidance counselor, special education expert, district administrator, university professor and much more. The education major is among the most popular college degree programs both because it provides a clear pathway to a career in education, and because it is extremely versatile. Majoring in education can open the door to a wide range of career prospects.

Note: If you plan to teach public school for grades K-12, you must earn a bachelor’s degree from a recognized teaching education program, sit for your state license, and in some states or districts, earn an advanced degree. To learn more about earning an advanced degree, find out what you can do with a master’s in education.

If you’re getting started on the path to an undergraduate degree in education, note that the best bachelor’s degrees in education are those which are regionally accredited, which offer a full array of education concentrations, and which give you the chance to work with the best and most influential professors and classmates.

Degree popularity: Education bachelor’s degrees are the 24th most popular undergraduate degrees across all student demographics. It’s most popular among women, for whom it ranks as the 13th most desired degree. Education bachelor’s degrees rank as he 7th most popular degrees for white women, 11th for white men, and 15th for black women, according to the number of degree earners reported by the National Center for Educational Statistics

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Education Bachelor’s Degrees

Majoring in education can open you up to a wide range of career prospects, not just in public school teaching, but also in child psychology, family counseling, corporate training, educational technology and much more. Leaders in education have a profound influence on those whose lives they touch-both those who work one-on-one with students in the classroom and those who produce innovations that impact the lives of thousands. Today, top influencers in education are focusing their efforts on the theory of multiple intelligences, examining critical race theory and its relation to education debt in America, the modern small schools movement, and much more.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that rising enrollment in elementary, middle and high schools across the U.S. will increase the demand for teachers at every level of compulsory education over the next decade. The BLS does warn though that this demand will vary by region. As an aspiring educator, take stock of the career opportunities in your community and region.

However, note that wherever you teach, you have a good opportunity to achieve long-term job security. Once hired as a public school teacher, you’ll begin on your path toward tenure. While it can be challenging to achieve this status, tenure will provide you with inbuilt job protection against unfounded dismissal or dismissal based on budget cuts. Moreover, teachers are represented by a powerful labor union, which creates a strong negotiating position for fair pay, health coverage, retirement benefits and, of course, summers off!

Once you’ve declared your major in education, you will likely be required to complete a set of core courses in a number of related subject areas. While your concentration will give you a chance to choose from a wide range of highly-specialized education electives, there are a number of common courses that most education majors will be required to take, including:

Introduction to Instructional Design
Adult Learning Theories
Teaching for Cognitive Growth
Project-Based Learning
Science and Engineering Programs for Teachers
Foundations of Positive Psychology
Learning to Teach Online
Literacy Education

Naturally, majoring in education is the starting point if you wish to teach in the classroom. But it’s also the logical starting place if you hope to become a guidance counselor, high school principal, or college professor, as well as a good place from which to launch a career in educational technology, online teaching, college consulting, and much more. Your education major can lead to a wide range of career opportunities, including these top jobs:

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you. If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).
Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships, but also more pleasurable walks across campus. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degress you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no disctinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whehter you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.
Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands balancing work and life, or becuase the online colleges afford them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are aynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.
The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

If you think a research university may be a better fit for you, see our ranking of the best research universities for a bachelor’s in education.

How do we determine the best liberal arts colleges for education degrees?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call “Influence”.

The influence of a college or university is based on the schools’s top academic influencers related to the discipline in this ranking. We track the influence of faculty and alumni affiliate with these school counting not only the publications and citations of the school’s affiliated people, but we also consider the overall web presence of the faculty and alumni. The greater the citations, authority of web links, web searches, and page views, the greater the individuals’s influence. Those combined make up the departments’s influence in the field of study. We believe tracking the academic influence of the people affiliated with a school is the best indicator of academic excellence.

If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and misused performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is more insulated from manipulation, and more reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

Ranking: Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees

Career Outlook for Students with Education Degree

Go to Degree Finder tool

Educational Leadership And Administration

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Cost of Degree*: $10,125
Avg. Expenses*: $17,379
Avg. Starting Salary*: $37,404
Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $40,062
Avg. Cost Recoup Time**: 18 years
Job Growth: 6.59%
Number of Jobs: 637,700
* denotes ‘annually’
** denotes ‘at 15% of annual salary’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Training and Development Managers	7.35%	$110,093
Education Administrators, Postsecondary	7.38%	$96,715
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary	4.89%	$92,759
Education Administrators, All Other	9.87%	$86,241
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare	8.31%	$53,239

Average Career Salaries

Bottom 10%	Median	Top 10%
$54,749	$86,578	$133,820

Promising Job Markets

State	Cost of Living	Avg. Salary
#2 New York	5% higher than average	$115,733
#3 Georgia	13% higher than average	$91,108
#4 Virginia	5% higher than average	$97,039
#5 Nebraska	6% higher than average	$93,245
#6 Kansas	9% higher than average	$90,226
#7 New Jersey	13% higher than average	$111,793
#8 Ohio	14% higher than average	$84,650
#9 Tennessee	14% higher than average	$84,346
#10 Delaware	2% higher than average	$98,562
#11 Michigan	15% higher than average	$81,078
#12 Maryland	18% higher than average	$111,171
#13 Wisconsin	7% higher than average	$87,070
#14 Texas	10% higher than average	$83,530
#15 Wyoming	2% higher than average	$90,875
#16 Missouri	16% higher than average	$77,912
#17 South Carolina	8% higher than average	$84,442
#18 Colorado	3% higher than average	$94,517
#19 Alabama	13% higher than average	$78,491
#20 Minnesota	4% higher than average	$86,435
#21 Kentucky	14% higher than average	$76,976
#22 Washington	7% higher than average	$95,709
#23 Pennsylvania	5% higher than average	$85,135
#24 Oklahoma	13% higher than average	$77,609
#25 South Dakota	7% higher than average	$81,817
#26 Illinois	7% higher than average	$81,588
#27 North Carolina	11% higher than average	$77,659
#28 Mississippi	18% higher than average	$71,741
#29 Arkansas	16% higher than average	$73,146
#30 North Dakota	average	$87,031
#31 West Virginia	11% higher than average	$77,085
#32 California	26% higher than average	$108,885
#33 Florida	6% higher than average	$81,460
#34 Iowa	9% higher than average	$78,234
#35 Rhode Island	20% higher than average	$99,753
#36 Idaho	7% higher than average	$77,199
#37 Connecticut	18% higher than average	$98,247
#38 Massachusetts	24% higher than average	$101,701
#39 Louisiana	9% higher than average	$74,106
#40 New Mexico	7% higher than average	$76,109
#41 Indiana	11% higher than average	$72,445
#42 Alaska	23% higher than average	$99,757
#43 Oregon	11% higher than average	$89,436
#44 Arizona	5% higher than average	$75,307
#45 Utah	4% higher than average	$74,829
#46 District of Columbia	49% higher than average	$115,186
#47 Montana	3% higher than average	$74,356
#48 Nevada	5% higher than average	$76,041
#49 Maine	9% higher than average	$78,045
#50 New Hampshire	13% higher than average	$80,386
#51 Vermont	13% higher than average	$74,161
#52 Hawaii	40% higher than average	$88,171

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Legal Services	$200,340
Motion Picture and Video Industries	$190,820
Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries	$190,530
Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers	$168,480
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only)	$163,450
Offices of Physicians	$163,377
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers	$162,720
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods	$161,720
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	$161,600
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services	$161,520

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

Go to all Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees

The Best Education Schools in Your State

Learn More About Education

If you want to know more about education, then check out our related content:

Learn how to major in education
Think about your next step and what you can do with a master’s degree in education

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Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees

Top 10 Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Education Bachelor’s Degrees

What can I do with an education major?

Is education a good major?

What courses will I take as an education major?

What jobs can I do with an education major?

Ranking: Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees

Career Outlook for Education degree at Swarthmore College

Most Influential Alumni

Swarthmore College Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Wellesley College

Most Influential Alumni

Wellesley College Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Bowdoin College

Most Influential Alumni

Bowdoin College Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Middlebury College

Most Influential Alumni

Middlebury College Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Colgate University

Most Influential Alumni

Colgate University Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Smith College

Most Influential Alumni

Smith College Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Vassar College

Most Influential Alumni

Vassar College Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at San Francisco State University

Most Influential Alumni

San Francisco State University Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Macalester College

Most Influential Alumni

Macalaster College Educational Studies Major

Career Outlook for Education degree at Colorado College

Most Influential Alumni

Colorado College Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Mount Holyoke College

Most Influential Alumni

Mount Holyoke College Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Colby College

Most Influential Alumni

Colby College Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Bucknell University

Most Influential Alumni

Bucknell University Education Major Concentrations

Career Outlook for Education degree at Morehouse College

Most Influential Alumni

Morehouse College Education Major

Career Outlook for Education degree at Trinity College

Most Influential Alumni

Trinity College Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Berea College

Most Influential Alumni

Berea College Education Studies Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at College of the Ozarks

Most Influential Alumni

College of the Ozarks Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Mills College at Northeastern University

Most Influential Alumni

Mills College Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Monroe College

Monroe College Education Major

Monroe College’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Education degree at Skidmore College

Most Influential Alumni

Skidmore College Education Major

Career Outlook for Education degree at Tuskegee University

Most Influential Alumni

Tuskegee University Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Gettysburg College

Most Influential Alumni

Gettysburg College Teaching Education Program

Career Outlook for Education degree at Southern University at New Orleans

SUNO Education Majors

Career Outlook for Education degree at Ithaca College

Most Influential Alumni

Ithaca College Education Major