ROI Major

Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas at University of Minnesota Duluth

MN · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 13.13

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree from University of Minnesota Duluth earn a median salary of $55,522 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $59,003. The degree typically pays for itself in 9.8 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 graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$46,211

Typical Career

$55,522

Top Performers

$64,306

Estimated break-even: 9.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$370

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,627. Most students can comfortably afford about a $370 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 15.3%
Educational Services 14.2%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 13.9%

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

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$59,003

Nominal: $55,522 in Minnesota (COL 94.1% of national avg) · 6.3% 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).

9.8 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 $28,165 $38,197 $48,239
5 Years After Graduation $46,211 $55,522 $64,306
10 Years After Graduation $55,545 $68,131 $83,344

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 $55,522 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MN, which has a cost-of-living index of 94.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $55,522 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $59,003 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 the University of Minnesota Duluth experience a steady increase in earnings over time. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $38,197, which rises to $55,522 after five years and reaches $68,131 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $59,003.19, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive standard of living in Minnesota, where the cost-of-living index is slightly lower than the national average.

The program's graduates predominantly enter fields such as Health Care & Social Assistance (15.3%), Educational Services (14.2%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (13.9%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is around 9.8 years, suggesting that the investment in a degree can yield a favorable return over time. Overall, while the initial earnings may not be high, the long-term financial benefits and diverse career opportunities present a compelling case for pursuing this educational path.

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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.