University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Subject-Area Teacher Education (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
- Public university
- Fort Smith, AR
- About 21 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith subject-area teacher education graduates earn about what subject-area teacher education graduates earn nationally, $40,525 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $16,500 in federal loans, less than at 94% of subject-area teacher education programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying subject-area teacher education degrees in Arkansas.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Arkansas and national columns are the medians across all subject-area teacher education bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Arkansas median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Arkansas subject-area teacher education program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Arkansas medians.
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 rises about 10% between the first and fifth year.
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 $175 a month, or 5.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
76% of graduates (26 of 34) were working in Arkansas one year after graduating. Prices in the Fort Smith area are about 14% below the national average, so a $40,525 salary here buys what about $47,184 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 subject-area teacher education, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
$52,700Median pay in Arkansas. 12,590 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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.
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$59,660Median pay in Arkansas. 12,890 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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.
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$59,570Median pay in Arkansas. 6,140 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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.
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors
$42,140Median pay in Arkansas. 1,390 people work in this job in Arkansas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 68,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
About University of Arkansas-Fort Smith
Subject-Area Teacher Education ranks 6th of 15 bachelor's programs at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($69,618), Dental Hygiene and Assisting ($58,380), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($54,484).
Other subject-area teacher education bachelor's programs near Fort Smith
Common questions
The median graduate earns $40,525 one year after graduating and $44,674 five years after. The median across subject-area teacher education bachelor's programs in Arkansas is $40,843.
The median federal loan balance is $16,500, which ranks 2nd lowest of 8 subject-area teacher education bachelor's programs in Arkansas. That works out to about $175 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 41% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 60%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Arkansas programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 76% (26 of 34) were working in Arkansas one year after graduating.
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 Arkansas 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 subject-area 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