Is a teacher education degree from Oklahoma Baptist University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 56% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 61%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Oklahoma programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Oklahoma Baptist University Teacher Education (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Oklahoma Baptist University teacher education graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,825, which ranks 7th lowest of 11 teacher education bachelor's programs in Oklahoma. That works out to about $274 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Oklahoma Baptist University teacher education graduates stay in Oklahoma?

Most do. 78% (18 of 23) were working in Oklahoma one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
Private nonprofit university
Shawnee, OK
About 19 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Oklahoma Baptist University teacher education graduates earn more than graduates of most teacher education programs nationally, $45,802 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,825 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,075. Several Oklahoma programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$45,80279th percentile of 655 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$45,909About the same as year one

Median federal debt$25,8257th lowest of 11 Oklahoma programs

Debt-to-earnings56%Oklahoma median 56%, national 61%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Oklahoma and national columns are the medians across all teacher education bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Oklahoma Baptist University	Oklahoma	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$45,802	$43,892	$41,955
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$45,909	$45,454	$46,679
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,825	$24,750	$26,075
Debt as share of first-year pay	56%	56%	61%
Programs compared		13	655

Five years out, Oklahoma Baptist University graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Oklahoma median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Oklahoma teacher education program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Oklahoma medians.

Oklahoma Baptist UniversityOther Oklahoma programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay is about the same in the first and fifth year.

Oklahoma Baptist University grads, year 1$45,802

Oklahoma Baptist University grads, year 5$45,909

All Oklahoma teacher education grads, year 5$45,454

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $274 a month, or 7.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (32 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

78% of graduates (18 of 23) were working in Oklahoma one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Oklahoma outside metro areas are about 16% below the national average, so a $45,802 salary here buys what about $54,803 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to teacher education, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education

$48,200

Median pay in Oklahoma. 18,500 people work in this job in Oklahoma. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 87,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $41,400Top 10%: $61,930

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$48,710

Median pay in Oklahoma. 15,480 people work in this job in Oklahoma. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $45,150Top 10%: $71,650

Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$48,440

Median pay in Oklahoma. 7,620 people work in this job in Oklahoma. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 38,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $43,400Top 10%: $68,990

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

$31,790

Median pay in Oklahoma. 7,010 people work in this job in Oklahoma. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $23,100Top 10%: $58,130

About Oklahoma Baptist University

Tuition and fees	$35,570 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,958 / year
Admission rate	49%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	52%
Undergraduate students	1,308

Teacher Education ranks 2nd of 4 bachelor's programs at Oklahoma Baptist University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($68,584), Teacher Education ($45,802), and Subject-Area Teacher Education ($44,135).

Other teacher education bachelor's programs near Shawnee

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Oklahoma Baptist UniversityShawnee, OK · private nonprofit		$45,802	$25,825
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusNorman, OK · public	31 mi	$44,049	$22,626
Oklahoma Christian UniversityEdmond, OK · private nonprofit	35 mi	$47,801	$27,000
University of Central OklahomaEdmond, OK · public	37 mi	$45,974	$26,510
East Central UniversityAda, OK · public	43 mi	$40,370	$24,750
Oklahoma StateStillwater, OK · public	53 mi	$43,892	$24,585

Common questions

The median graduate earns $45,802 one year after graduating and $45,909 five years after. The median across teacher education bachelor's programs in Oklahoma is $43,892.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Oklahoma comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the teacher education program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Teacher Education bachelor's programs in Oklahoma, ranked13 programs by pay and debt Teacher Education bachelor's programs in the US, ranked655 programs by pay and debt All Oklahoma Baptist University programs, ranked4 programs by pay and debt