MAJORS · 40 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI

Is a subject-specific teacher education degree worth it?

Part of Education — see the whole category’s numbers.

On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$153,908. But the spread is the real story.

MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED

+$153,908

across 468 bachelor’s programs · 42,021 graduates

MEDIAN GRADUATE

+$154K

MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN

+$38K ⟷ +$268K

NEVER BREAK EVEN

20.1%

MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE

35

Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.

ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES

+$52K

IF YOU DROP OUT

−$108K

Questions

Is a subject-specific teacher education degree worth it?
On average yes — across 468 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Subject-Specific Teacher Education is +$153,908 and the median is +$154,493. 20.1% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$37,800 and +$268,382.
How long until a subject-specific teacher education degree pays off?
For Subject-Specific Teacher Education, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 35. 20.1% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
Does the school matter for a subject-specific teacher education major?
Enormously. The middle 50% of Subject-Specific Teacher Education graduates span +$37,800 to +$268,382 — a +$231K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.

↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Subject-Specific Teacher Education: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/subject-specific-teacher-education