Can you earn a teaching degree online? Yes, you certainly can when you enroll in accredited online colleges or universities. Many reputable online colleges offer teaching degrees in an asynchronous format, in which classes do not take place at specific times.
In other words, you can attend classes at your preferred time, which in turn allows you to work full-time or part-time or care for your family. How cool is that?
All states require licensure to teach in school. Therefore, it would help if you checked if the online college prepares you for that. As graduation requires student teaching, find out if your online college would help you find placement sites.
An online bachelor’s degree in education typically takes four years to complete. It contains general education courses on top of major coursework and electives, allowing you to specialize in subjects you wish to teach.
Career outlook on the teaching profession
We have looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the salary earned by various teaching professions and the respective projected demand and summarized the information below. The demand data is as per their projections from 2019 to 2029.
High School Teachers
- Median pay (2019): $61,660 per year
- Job growth rate: 4%
- Projected employment: 40,200
Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers
- Median salary (2019): $59,420 per annum
- Job growth rate: 4%
- Projected employment: 56,100
What courses will you be taking?
An online bachelor’s degree in education may come in the following specialties:
- Elementary education
- Early childhood education
- Secondary education
- Post-secondary/Adult education
- Special education
- Reading and literacy
- English Language Learning (ELL).
As mentioned above, you would be choosing electives based on subjects you want to teach in school.
Although graduation requirements vary between schools, you can expect the following courses at a bachelor’s degree level:
- Foundations of education: historical, sociological, and philosophical influences on the teaching profession.
- Educational technology: the use of the right technology to educate and for students to learn at their appropriate levels, including the use of hardware and software for instructions.
- Education psychology: comprises various cognitive development theories and case studies on how children’s emotions and mental development affect and enhances learning.
- Children’s learning assessment: evaluating the effectiveness of teachers’ instructions on children’s learning outcome and remediation measures.
Degree students seeking licensure teach about one semester under a licensed educator after completing their online degree core curriculum. Licensed educators will mentor and help you apply your knowledge and teaching skills in an actual classroom setting.
Why opt for an online degree in education?
Students who opt to earn degrees online usually do so when they have a family to care for or are committed to a full-time or part-time job.
Online education is best known for its flexible schedule. You get to fulfill work and family commitments while earning a degree where you work on lessons and coursework at times and places most convenient for you.
Whether you choose to study before work, after work, while waiting to pick up your kids from school, or in a coffee shop is entirely up to you.
Moreover, there is no need to relocate, commute to classes, and physically attend lectures. All you need is a good computer and a stable internet connection. Learn more about how online colleges work here.
To go further in the education industry, you can later pursue a two-year online master’s degree in education to qualify for higher responsibility and leadership positions.
Online teaching degrees are also more cost-effective as most colleges offer lower tuition and fees for online students. When you factor in the cost of room, board, commute, and on-campus service costs, the saving can be substantial.
Hence, if you are considering a teaching degree, it would be wise to consider getting it online for the reasons mentioned above. We further advise you to look for accredited online colleges as a safer and more reliable path to your academic success.