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Best Master's in Social Science Teacher Education Programs by Local Teacher Pay

Edited by Zoe MacDougall, BS in Psychology

Published ·Last updated

Ranked by the median wage for elementary teachers in each program metro area, from BLS. The top 8 out of 8 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database.

  1. 1

    DePaul University

    Chicago, ILPrivate nonprofit

    • 8Master's/yr
    • $78,390Metro teacher pay
    • Teaching and Learning: Secondary Education - Social Science (M.Ed.)
    • Hybrid
    About the program

    DePaul University offers a Master of Education in Teaching and Learning, Secondary Education with a Social Science concentration, a hybrid program leading to an Illinois Professional Educator License endorsed in Secondary Social Science and History. The social science concentration draws widely on history, economics, geography, political science, anthropology, sociology, and psychology, preparing teachers for the breadth of the secondary curriculum across grades 6 through 12. Distinctively, every candidate completes requirements for the International Baccalaureate Certificate in Teaching and Learning at both the Middle Years and Diploma Programme levels, an unusual credential that signals readiness for IB classrooms. Candidates log at least 85 hours of field experience plus ten weeks of full-time student teaching, all framed within DePaul's Vincentian social-justice mission. The result reads as a socially conscious, internationally minded path into secondary social studies teaching. Graduates of this social science teacher education program at the master's level often go on to work as secondary school teachers.

    Why it ranks here

    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 8 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, where elementary teachers earn a median $78,390, roughly $75,670 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.

    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.

    School site
  2. 2

    Concordia University-Chicago

    River Forest, ILPrivate nonprofit

    • 3Master's/yr
    • $78,390Metro teacher pay
    • Master of Arts in Teaching: Secondary Education (Social Studies/History endorsement)
    • Illinois State Board of Education approved program-accredited
    • Hybrid
    About the program

    Concordia University-Chicago offers a Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Education with a Social Studies and History endorsement, delivered in a hybrid format that leads to an Illinois Professional Educator License for grades 9 through 12. Candidates complete 32 semester hours of content coursework and 100 embedded clinical hours, and the program requires the edTPA portfolio assessment, keeping preparation tied to demonstrated classroom competence. An accelerated capstone pathway is available for candidates already teaching, while an optional Lutheran Teacher Diploma add-on reflects the university's faith-based tradition. Other endorsement areas, including English language arts, mathematics, and biology, sit alongside the social studies track within the same secondary program. Approved by the Illinois State Board of Education, it reads as a licensure-focused route with room to adapt to candidates already in the field. As a master's degree in social science teacher education, it is one of the programs that lead to careers as secondary school teachers in Illinois.

    Why it ranks here

    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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, where elementary teachers earn a median $78,390, roughly $75,670 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.

    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.

    School site
  3. 3

    Western Governors University

    Salt Lake City, UTPrivate nonprofitOnline available

    • 1Master's/yr
    • $77,920Metro teacher pay
    • Master of Arts, Teaching - Social Studies Education, Secondary
    • Regionally accredited (NWCCU)
    • Online
    About the program

    Western Governors University offers a Master of Arts, Teaching in Social Studies Education for the secondary level, delivered fully online and leading to initial teacher licensure for aspiring secondary social studies teachers. The competency-based format pairs each candidate with a dedicated Program Mentor and covers U.S. history, world history, economics, government and political science, and geography, giving future teachers command of the core social studies disciplines. Candidates complete at least 75 hours of in-classroom observation along with Early and Advanced Clinical placements, and they assemble a professional portfolio that includes a Philosophy of Teaching Statement. The program page currently lists California, North Carolina, and Utah as licensure states, so candidates should confirm alignment with where they intend to teach. Regionally accredited by the NWCCU, it reads as a flexible, mentor-supported path into secondary social studies teaching. A master's-level path in social science teacher education, it builds toward a career among secondary school teachers in Utah.

    Why it ranks here

    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 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT, where elementary teachers earn a median $77,920, roughly $77,249 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.

    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.

    School site
  4. 4

    American College of Education

    Indianapolis, INPrivate for-profitOnline available

    • 3Master's/yr
    • $60,510Metro teacher pay
    • Master of Education in Sociology Education (M.Ed. in Social Science Education)
    • On-campus
    About the program

    American College of Education offers a Master of Education in Sociology Education, delivered fully online, that reads as a content-deepening credential rather than a route into the K-12 classroom. Instead of fixed tracks, the program lets students shape the degree through elective choices with sociology-focused options, giving educators room to build expertise around their own interests. Its 34 semester credits are structured for momentum, completed in 12 to 16 months and culminating in a Capstone Experience course that ties the study together. The degree does not lead to state teacher licensure, and the school notes that graduate coursework of this kind is often what qualifies instructors to teach at the community college or dual-credit level. American College of Education is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. A master's-level path in social science teacher education, it builds toward a career among secondary school teachers in Indiana.

    Why it ranks here

    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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN, where elementary teachers earn a median $60,510, roughly $63,231 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.

    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.

    School site
  5. 5

    University of South Florida

    Tampa, FLPublic

    • 5Master's/yr
    • $60,120Metro teacher pay
    • Master of Arts in Teaching in Social Science Education
    • Hybrid
    About the program

    The University of South Florida offers a Master of Arts in Teaching in Social Science Education, a hybrid program that prepares candidates for Florida initial teacher certification in social science for grades 6 through 12. The 30 credit-hour curriculum blends coursework in history, civics and government, geography, and economics, giving future teachers command of the full breadth of the social studies. Field experience is staged progressively across the program and builds toward an immersive practicum and a full-time internship, so candidates take on classroom responsibility in graduated steps. A capstone course on trends in social science education, which includes a comprehensive examination, anchors the final term. The progressive placements and certification focus read as a program built to carry aspiring teachers from foundational study into confident classroom practice. Earning a master's degree in social science teacher education is a common route toward becoming one of Florida's secondary school teachers.

    Why it ranks here

    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 5 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, where elementary teachers earn a median $60,120, roughly $59,590 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.

    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.

    School site
  6. 6

    Grand Canyon University

    Phoenix, AZPrivate for-profitOnline available

    • 85Master's/yr
    • $59,180Metro teacher pay
    • Master of Education in Secondary Education with an Emphasis in Humanities (Initial Teacher Licensure)
    • Hybrid
    About the program

    Grand Canyon University offers a Master of Education in Secondary Education with an Emphasis in Humanities, a hybrid program that leads to initial secondary teacher licensure for grades 6 through 12. The humanities emphasis spans English language arts, social studies and history, world languages, and the arts, making it a broad preparation for teachers headed into content areas across the humanities. Its 41 credits pair ten core courses with an eight-credit student teaching placement, and candidates log roughly 100 hours of field experience across their coursework before the full-time placement caps the sequence. That fieldwork-heavy structure reflects a program built to move career-changers and new educators into licensed classroom roles. It carries AAQEP programmatic accreditation, Arizona State Board of Education approval, and institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. This master's-level social science teacher education program prepares graduates for work as secondary school teachers in Arizona.

    Why it ranks here

    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 85 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ, where elementary teachers earn a median $59,180, roughly $57,281 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.

    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.

    School site
  7. 7

    Truman State University

    Kirksville, MOPublic

    • 3Master's/yr
    • $50,910State teacher pay
    • Master of Arts in Education (MAE), Social Science/History Education specialty area
    • On-campus
    About the program

    Truman State University offers a Master of Arts in Education with a Social Science and History Education specialty, an on-campus program that leads to Missouri secondary teacher certification in social science and history. Admission is geared toward candidates who already hold a bachelor's degree in history or a social science discipline, so the program builds on established content knowledge rather than starting from scratch. That disciplinary grounding, reinforced by a required recommendation from a professor in the candidate's major, signals a program that expects strong subject-matter preparation before layering on pedagogy. The specialty sits within Truman's broader MAE framework, which channels content-area graduates toward secondary teaching credentials. It reads as a focused, campus-based route for humanities and social science graduates moving into the classroom. This master's-level social science teacher education program prepares graduates for work as secondary school teachers in Missouri.

    Why it ranks here

    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 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.

    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.

    School site
  8. 8

    University of North Georgia

    Dahlonega, GAPublic

    • 3Master's/yr
    • Master of Arts in Teaching
    • On-campus
    About the program

    The University of North Georgia offers a Master of Arts in Teaching, delivered online, that moves candidates into a first teaching credential through a cohort model and a culminating internship. Its tracks, Elementary Education for PK-5, a Pedagogy Only path for middle grades and secondary content fields including history and social science, and Special Education for P-12, let candidates aim the degree at the grade band and role they intend to teach. The cohort structure and accelerated pace, with the Elementary and Pedagogy Only routes finished in twelve months, signal a program built to carry motivated candidates quickly into the classroom. A full-time internship in the final semester grounds the coursework in supervised practice. Approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, the program leads to initial T-5 teaching certification in Georgia. A master's-level path in social science teacher education, it builds toward a career among secondary school teachers in Georgia.

    Why it ranks here

    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.

    School site

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