ROI Major

Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas at Kennesaw State University

GA · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 13.13

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree from Kennesaw State University earn a median salary of $57,432 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in GA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $63,461. The degree typically pays for itself in 8.9 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$49,236

Typical Career

$57,432

Top Performers

$64,614

Estimated break-even: 8.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$383

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,786. Most students can comfortably afford about a $383 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Georgia buys what costs $0.91 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Educational Services, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Health Care & Social Assistance.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 16.7%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 15.5%
Health Care & Social Assistance 12.5%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$63,461

Nominal: $57,432 in Georgia (COL 90.5% of national avg) · 10.5% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

8.9 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $34,109 $46,589 $54,919
5 Years After Graduation $49,236 $57,432 $64,614
10 Years After Graduation $54,116 $65,341 $76,780

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $57,432 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in GA, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $57,432 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9050) = $63,461 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas program at Kennesaw State University can expect a steady earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $46,589, increasing to $57,432 after five years and reaching $65,341 a decade post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $63,460.77, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, they improve significantly over time, reflecting a solid return on investment in the context of Georgia's cost of living index of 0.905.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (16.7%), Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (15.5%), and Health Care & Social Assistance (12.5%). This distribution suggests a robust demand for educators and related professionals, providing diverse career pathways. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 8.9 years compared to a high-school-only path, the long-term financial benefits of pursuing a degree in this field appear favorable, making it a viable option for those committed to education.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree at Kennesaw State University stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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