Best Master's in Elementary Education Programs in Missouri

A master's degree earns its rank on program-appropriate signals, not undergraduate ones: established scale, local teacher pay, and institutional strength. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 33 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into St. Louis, MO-IL, where elementary teachers earn a median $60,650, roughly $63,783 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market. And the institution carries weight: its research standing and program accreditation, the factor we weigh most, are a clear strength.

Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.

Master's programs are judged differently here. Undergraduate stats do not apply, so the ranking looks at whether the program is established, the pay its graduates walk into locally, and how the university stands behind it. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 23 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Missouri statewide, where elementary teachers earn a median $50,910, roughly $56,058 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market. Institutional standing and accreditation fill out the rest of the score.

Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.

For a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 26 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Missouri statewide, where elementary teachers earn a median $50,910, roughly $56,058 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market. Institutional standing and accreditation fill out the rest of the score.

Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.

For a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 1 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Kansas City, MO-KS, where elementary teachers earn a median $61,060, roughly $65,980 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market. Institutional standing and accreditation fill out the rest of the score.

Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.

For a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 24 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Springfield, MO, where elementary teachers earn a median $49,380, roughly $55,743 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market. Institutional standing and accreditation fill out the rest of the score.

Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.

A master's degree earns its rank on program-appropriate signals, not undergraduate ones: established scale, local teacher pay, and institutional strength. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 9 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Cape Girardeau, MO-IL, where elementary teachers earn a median $47,100, roughly $54,718 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market. Institutional standing and accreditation fill out the rest of the score.

Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.

A master's degree earns its rank on program-appropriate signals, not undergraduate ones: established scale, local teacher pay, and institutional strength. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 2 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Springfield, MO, where elementary teachers earn a median $49,380, roughly $55,743 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market. Institutional standing and accreditation fill out the rest of the score.

Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.

Master's programs are judged differently here. Undergraduate stats do not apply, so the ranking looks at whether the program is established, the pay its graduates walk into locally, and how the university stands behind it. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 4 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Springfield, MO, where elementary teachers earn a median $49,380, roughly $55,743 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market. Institutional standing and accreditation fill out the rest of the score.

Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.