University of Maryland Teacher Education (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
  • Public university
  • College Park, MD
  • About 105 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Maryland teacher education graduates earn more than graduates of most teacher education programs nationally, $53,054 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,500 in federal loans, less than at 88% of teacher education programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying teacher education degrees in Maryland.

First-year earnings$53,05497th percentile of 655 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$61,21315% more than year one
Median federal debt$19,5002nd lowest of 7 Maryland programs
Debt-to-earnings37%Maryland median 51%, national 61%

How it compares

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

Five years out, University of Maryland graduates earn more than the national figure and about $5,986 more than the Maryland median.

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

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

University of MarylandOther Maryland 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 rises about 15% between the first and fifth year.

University of Maryland grads, year 1$53,054
University of Maryland grads, year 5$61,213
All Maryland teacher education grads, year 5$55,227

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

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned about the same in their first year as other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$53,463Median debt $19,500
Other graduates, year 1 earnings$53,082Median debt $19,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $207 a month, or 4.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

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. Separately, 22 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $52,124.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

82% of graduates (84 of 103) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $53,054 salary here buys what about $48,725 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

$77,680

Median pay in Maryland. 29,610 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $56,290Top 10%: $107,040

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$78,670

Median pay in Maryland. 16,640 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $58,150Top 10%: $102,690

Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$78,510

Median pay in Maryland. 14,530 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $59,890Top 10%: $115,540

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

$44,600

Median pay in Maryland. 8,020 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $35,760Top 10%: $67,510

About University of Maryland

Teacher Education ranks 20th of 51 bachelor's programs at University of Maryland by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($99,756), Computer Engineering ($95,847), and Electrical Engineering ($85,500).

Other teacher education bachelor's programs near College Park

Common questions

The median graduate earns $53,054 one year after graduating and $61,213 five years after. The median across teacher education bachelor's programs in Maryland is $52,072.

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 Maryland 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

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

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