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2025 Best Education Schools in North Carolina

28 Colleges in North Carolina
10,185 Education Degrees Awarded
$53,180 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in education is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #4 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 28 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for education students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 10,185 degrees in education annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Education School

Best Education Schools in North Carolina Your choice of education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for education schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Education Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Education
Bachelor's Degrees in Education
Master's Degrees in Education
Doctor's Degrees in Education

The education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Education Schools in North Carolina. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Education in North Carolina

The schools below may not offer all types of education degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Education

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
111 Education Degrees Awarded
$53,076 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in education has to check out Duke University. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were approximately 111 education students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program report average early career wages of $53,076.

More information about a degree in education from Duke University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
665 Education Degrees Awarded
$49,201 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in education has to check out East Carolina University. ECU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Greenville. A Best Colleges rank of #275 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were about 665 education students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the education program earn an average of $49,201 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in education from East Carolina University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
661 Education Degrees Awarded
$54,056 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in education needs to look into North Carolina State University. NC State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 661 education students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent data year. After graduation, education degree recipients typically make about $54,056 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in education from North Carolina State University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
869 Education Degrees Awarded
$43,014 Median Starting Salary

Appalachian State University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in education. Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #401 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were about 869 education students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program state that they receive average early career earnings of $43,014.

More information about a degree in education from Appalachian State University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,145 Education Degrees Awarded
$48,187 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #367 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were roughly 1145 education students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, education degree recipients generally earn an average of $48,187 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in education from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
241 Education Degrees Awarded
$50,047 Median Starting Salary

UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were approximately 241 education students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, education degree recipients generally make about $50,047 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in education from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

7
High Point crest
High Point University
High Point, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In NC
139 Education Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of High Point, High Point is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #593 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means High Point is a great university overall.

There were roughly 139 education students who graduated with this degree at High Point in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in education from High Point University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
383 Education Degrees Awarded
$45,619 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #415 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNCW is a great university overall.

There were approximately 383 education students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program state that they receive average early career earnings of $45,619.

More information about a degree in education from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In NC
84 Education Degrees Awarded

Located in the midsize suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #190 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Elon is a great university overall.

There were about 84 education students who graduated with this degree at Elon in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in education from Elon University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
490 Education Degrees Awarded
$45,971 Median Starting Salary

UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Greensboro. A Best Colleges rank of #549 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNC Greensboro is a great university overall.

There were roughly 490 education students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the education program state that they receive average early career wages of $45,971.

More information about a degree in education from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Best Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Education Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
West Virginia 38 1,439
Mississippi 38 3,988
South Carolina 38 3,529
Florida 38 9,462
Virginia 38 8,301
Arkansas 38 4,035
Alabama 37 4,473
Kentucky 37 5,091
Georgia 37 7,575
Tennessee 37 4,689
Louisiana 37 2,757

View All Rankings >

Education Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 5,892
Educational Administration 1,543
Teacher Education Subject Specific 890
Student Counseling 543
Special Education 463
Curriculum & Instruction 221
General Education 208
Instructional Media Design 196
Teaching English or French 68
Other Education 50

View All Education Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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