Want to be a teacher? Teachers with a doctorate degree in education earn a high salary. Learn how much teachers make with a doctorate degree, based on location, experience and other factors.
Teachers with doctorate degrees earn more than teachers with bachelor’s degrees.
Teachers in the top 10% of their field make around $84,000 per year. Teachers in the bottom 10% make around $45,000 per year.
In California, teachers earn an average salary of $72,000 per year. This is the highest in the nation. The lowest average salary goes to teachers in Utah at $42,000 per year.
College vs. K-12
K-12 teachers with doctorates aren’t what you’d call thick on the ground. As of 2016, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics, only 3 percent of teachers in primary and secondary schools had a Ph.D. That compares to 40 percent with a bachelor’s degree and 47 percent with a master’s.
College graduates with doctorates are more likely to look at college teaching, Inside Higher Ed says. Teaching at college or university has more prestige, and a tenure-track position pays well. Nevertheless, there are advantages to teaching K-12 that make it worth considering.
A big advantage, Eos says, is that it’s much easier to land a job in primary and secondary schools. Universities are saving money by shifting more and more teaching from tenure track to lower-paid adjunct professors with less job security. The chance of new hires achieving tenure dwindles every year. The number of students with post-grad education is far, far more than the teaching opportunities available at the college level.
Landing a job in high school is a lot easier for a qualified candidate. Schools are increasingly keen on tapping, for example, history or biology teachers with in-depth professional knowledge of their field. You may not get to bring all that you’ve learned to bear, Beyond Professoriate says, but you’ll use a lot of your knowledge. It’s also a chance to have a positive impact on people’s lives.
Teacher Salary With Doctorate Degree
Like the starting salary for teachers with a bachelor’s degree, the effect of a doctorate on high school teacher salary varies across the country. There’s a $40,000 gap between average teacher pay in New York state and low-paying Mississippi, Education Week says. Time factors in, too, as union negotiations and state budget pressures move states up and down in the rankings. You should also consider the cost of living: It’s way higher in New York, for instance, which eats up the bigger paycheck.
Even within a given state, teacher salary with a doctorate degree is affected by other factors such as experience and training. For example, the New Mexico Public Education Department says it has multiple salary schedules for K-12 teachers. Advancing from one schedule to the next is based on factors including time spent teaching, school district approval and becoming certified in their area of teaching expertise. Other states will have their own requirements.
For another example, consider North Carolina. The state says a teacher with a Bachelor of Arts and three years experience receives $3,166.67 a month. With a master’s degree and equivalent experience the pay is $3,483.33; with a doctorate, $3,694.17.
Why You Should Get Your Doctorate
There are several reasons why getting your doctorate is a great idea. First of all, it can improve your job prospects and save you money on tuition. For example, Ohio State University’s education department requires master’s degree-holders to complete an additional year of coursework before they’re allowed to teach in the state without supervision. But those with a doctorate can teach under direct supervision as soon as they arrive on campus. That means more students taught by highly qualified teachers and more time saved on pursuing an advanced degree for those who already have one. It can also increase your salary. While the average teacher with a master’s degree earns about $40,000 per year, those with a Ph.D. earn nearly double that at around $80,000 per year. The same holds for principals, who earn an average of $67,000 to start if they hold a doctorate compared to $51,000 if they don’t have one.
Job Satisfaction With A PhD
Of course, no matter how much money you make or how qualified you are for your job title, many teachers still don’t find it easy to keep working in education. For example, according to one Gallup poll, just 62% of public school teachers plan to stay in the classroom next year. While that’s an improvement from the 44% who planned to stay in 2010, it’s still not great. If you’re wondering “How can I get a doctorate in education?” The answer may have something to do with helping teachers enjoy their careers more. For example, teachers with a Ph.D. who took part in Gallup’s survey reported significantly lower turnover rates than those without advanced degrees (54%, compared to 85%). Teachers also felt like they made a difference and were highly satisfied with their job (96% and 91%, respectively), even if they weren’t completely engaged (26%) or actively disengaged (13%).
Which Doctorate To Choose
Which doctorate you pursue should depend on your career goals. For example, if you want to teach college students at a university or obtain an administrative position in education, then a Ph.D. is the way to go. But if you’re looking for a research-based job and don’t mind leaving the classroom setting (at least temporarily), choose EdD or DBA instead – both degrees are more research-focused than their Ph.D. counterparts and can be obtained while still teaching full time. The benefits are obvious – get more money for longer periods, better job satisfaction, and an opportunity to pursue your passion.
