Best Master's in Elementary Education Programs in North Carolina

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 20 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Greenville, NC, where elementary teachers earn a median $55,490, roughly $62,770 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 4 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Raleigh-Cary, NC, where elementary teachers earn a median $60,170, roughly $61,300 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 15 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, where elementary teachers earn a median $58,680, roughly $60,279 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 1 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Winston-Salem, NC, where elementary teachers earn a median $56,510, roughly $61,395 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 2 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Raleigh-Cary, NC, where elementary teachers earn a median $60,170, roughly $61,300 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, where elementary teachers earn a median $58,680, roughly $60,279 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 3 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, where elementary teachers earn a median $58,680, roughly $60,279 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 15 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into North Carolina statewide, where elementary teachers earn a median $54,930, roughly $58,234 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 11 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into North Carolina statewide, where elementary teachers earn a median $54,930, roughly $58,234 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 North Carolina statewide, where elementary teachers earn a median $54,930, roughly $58,234 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 3 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into North Carolina statewide, where elementary teachers earn a median $54,930, roughly $58,234 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 9 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into North Carolina statewide, where elementary teachers earn a median $54,930, roughly $58,234 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 3 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Goldsboro, NC, where elementary teachers earn a median $49,240, roughly $55,662 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.