Specialization

Teaching Assistance

Teaching Assistance graduates pursue 2 occupations, with top roles paying $61,540/yr or more. The career cards below break down wages, daily tasks, and 10-year job growth projections for each.

About Teaching Assistance

This page covers Teaching Assistance as a course of study: what it costs, where it is taught, and what graduates go on to earn. It sits inside the wider field of Education and how it pays overall, which is the better comparison if you are still choosing between subjects.

Teaching Assistance is a focused area of study within Education. You will not have trouble finding it: 230 colleges offer this program, from community colleges to research universities. About 2,942 students complete it each year, most walking away with a associate's. Coursework pairs research methods with the applied study of people and institutions.


Colleges Offering
230
Graduates / Year
2,942
Avg Net Price / yr
$7,849

Who Studies This? Credential Breakdown

Of the 2,942 students who complete Teaching Assistance programs each year, the majority (46%) earn a associate's degree. The breakdown below shows the full credential distribution.

Associate's 46%
Certificate 33%
Doctorate 20%

What Can You Do With a Teaching Assistance Degree?

This degree does not lock you into one job. Teaching Assistance graduates show up in 2 different occupations, and Adult Education Instructors pay the most at $61,540/yr median. Expand any card below to see daily responsibilities, in-demand skills, and 10-year growth projections.

The best-paid of these is what Adult Education Instructors earn and how fast those roles are growing, though entry requirements vary across the list.

↘ -13.9% Zone 4: Considerable preparation
$61,540
$49K $78K 25th–75th pct.
Bachelor's degree 3,800 openings/yr 37K employed nationally
Instructing Speaking Reading Comprehension Learning Strategies Active Listening
Day-to-day responsibilities

Teach or instruct out-of-school youths and adults in basic education, literacy, or English as a Second Language classes, or in classes for earning a high school equivalency credential.

  • Observe and evaluate students' work to determine progress and make suggestions for improvement.
  • Observe students to determine qualifications, limitations, abilities, interests, and other individual characteristics.
  • Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to students.
↗ +2.7% Zone 5: Extensive preparation
$42,910
$35K $61K 25th–75th pct.
Bachelor's degree 25,700 openings/yr 164K employed nationally
Reading Comprehension Active Listening Instructing Speaking Learning Strategies
Day-to-day responsibilities

Assist faculty or other instructional staff in postsecondary institutions by performing instructional support activities, such as developing teaching materials, leading discussion groups, preparing and giving examinations, and grading examinations or papers.

  • Teach undergraduate-level courses.
  • Evaluate and grade examinations, assignments, or papers, and record grades.
  • Lead discussion sections, tutorials, or laboratory sections.

Top Colleges for Teaching Assistance

Not sure where to study Teaching Assistance? These 20 colleges graduate the most students in it each year. Scroll right to compare acceptance rate, net price, and median earnings side by side.

Ranked by score, that list starts with the cost and outcomes at Ivy Tech Community College, and the rest follow the same measures.

# College Graduates Acceptance Net Price/yr Earnings 10yr
1 Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN · Public 180 Open $7,258 $37,186
2 Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI · Public 176 Open $12,928 $40,264
3 CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College New York, NY · Public 126 Open $4,976 $42,306
4 Fox Valley Technical College Appleton, WI · Public 120 Open $11,407 $45,684
5 Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay, WI · Public 84 Open $9,918 $44,553
6 CUNY Kingsborough Community College Brooklyn, NY · Public 72 Open $5,606 $42,621
7 Northwood Technical College Rice Lake, WI · Public 68 Open $8,989 $43,406
8 CUNY Hostos Community College Bronx, NY · Public 66 Open $5,297 $40,485
9 Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, CA · Public 56 Open $5,672 $42,975
10 Leeward Community College Pearl City, HI · Public 48 Open $5,137 $39,899
11 Texas State Technical College Waco, TX · Public 33 Open $13,508 $38,916
12 Finger Lakes Community College Canandaigua, NY · Public 30 Open $13,898 $40,054
13 Bluegrass Community and Technical College Lexington, KY · Public 27 Open $6,113 $36,343
14 Jefferson Community and Technical College Louisville, KY · Public 26 Open $6,376 $38,171
15 CUNY Bronx Community College Bronx, NY · Public 26 Open $4,462 $41,307
16 Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee, WI · Public 22 Open $11,101 $46,894
17 Western Technical College La Crosse, WI · Public 19 Open $11,008 $45,303
18 Big Sandy Community and Technical College Prestonsburg, KY · Public 19 Open $3,873 $32,954
19 Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College Cumberland, KY · Public 18 Open $3,731 $29,482
20 CUNY Medgar Evers College Brooklyn, NY · Public 17 86.1% $5,718 $46,498

Ranked by Teaching Assistance graduate volume. Scroll right to compare key stats. Read our methodology →

Plan Your Path

Decide with data, not guesswork. These tools turn the numbers on this page into a personal plan. Estimate the real cost of a Teaching Assistance program, compare colleges side-by-side, weigh the long-term payoff, and find schools that match your profile.

Teaching Assistance Degree: Pros & Cons

The data on Teaching Assistance shows 2 measurable strengths and 2 real trade-offs. All points are sourced from College Scorecard earnings, BLS projections, and IPEDS graduate counts.

PROS
  • Strong hiring volume Related occupations generate more than 29,500 job openings per year combined, creating consistent demand for graduates.
  • Flexible credential paths Programs are available from certificate and associate levels through bachelor's and graduate degrees, giving students real options based on timeline and goals.
CONS
  • Advanced degree often expected Top roles in this field typically expect a master's degree or higher. A bachelor's may be a starting point rather than a terminal credential for the most competitive positions.
  • Declining roles in some areas 1 related career show negative 10-year employment projections. Research specific roles before committing.

Teaching Assistance Degree: Frequently Asked Questions

What jobs can you get with a Teaching Assistance degree?
Adult Education Instructors are one path, and it pays a median of $61,540 a year. It is not the only one: the Career Paths section below lists every occupation graduates actually go into, with wages and 10-year growth for each.
How long does a Teaching Assistance program take?
Two years full-time at a community college for a Teaching Assistance associate degree. Many students use it as a stepping stone, transferring to a four-year school afterward to finish a bachelor's.
How many colleges offer Teaching Assistance?
230 colleges and universities, so you are not short on options. That range runs from community colleges granting certificates and associate degrees to research universities with full doctoral tracks. Source: IPEDS.
What is the difference between Teaching Assistance and Education?
Teaching Assistance is the narrower of the two: Education covers the full discipline, while this program limits the curriculum to Teaching Assistance-specific courses, skills, and career tracks. Pick the specialization once you already know this is the direction you want; it gets you a more targeted credential, not a broader one.
What skills do employers look for in Teaching Assistance graduates?
Coursework alone will not get you hired. Employers hiring Teaching Assistance graduates consistently look for research methodology, interpersonal communication, and policy understanding. Experience with surveys, qualitative interviews, or statistical tools is often a differentiator in government, nonprofit, and research roles. Build those into your coursework and internships now, and the job search later gets easier.
What is the job outlook for Teaching Assistance graduates?
Outlook is slow overall: related occupations average -5.6% projected job growth over the next 10 years. Teaching Assistants are among the strongest-growth roles at +2.7%. That average hides real differences by role and location, so check the Career Paths section below for the projection on each specific occupation before you count on any single number.

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