ROI Major

Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods at University of Northwestern- St Paul

MN · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 13.12

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods degree from University of Northwestern- St Paul earn a median salary of $50,050 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $53,188. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.6 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$40,575

Typical Career

$50,050

Top Performers

$60,677

Estimated break-even: 11.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$334

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,171. Most students can comfortably afford about a $334 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x 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: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 20.6%
Health Care & Social Assistance 20.1%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 8.1%

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

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$53,188

Nominal: $50,050 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).

11.6 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 $29,536 $38,905 $48,580
5 Years After Graduation $40,575 $50,050 $60,677
10 Years After Graduation $45,149 $61,332 $79,032

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 $50,050 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)
= $50,050 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $53,188 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 Levels and Methods program at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul experience a steady earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, median earnings are reported at $38,905, which increases to $50,050 after five years and reaches $61,332 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns more closely with a national equivalent of $53,188.1, indicating that graduates can expect a competitive income relative to their peers across the country, despite Minnesota's cost of living index being slightly lower than the national average.

The primary industries that graduates enter are Educational Services (20.6%), Health Care & Social Assistance (20.1%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (8.1%). This distribution suggests a strong alignment with sectors that prioritize education and social impact. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 11.6 years, indicating a reasonable return on investment for those pursuing this educational path. Overall, the data suggests that a degree in this field can lead to stable career opportunities and a solid long-term financial outlook.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Teacher Education, Specific Levels and Methods degree at University of Northwestern- St Paul stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

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