Job prospects and starting salaries for education majors have improved significantly, placing education among the 10 fastest-growing career fields for the first time in a decade, according to a national survey of employers.
The survey, conducted annually since 1970 by the placement-services office at Michigan State University, found an improved job market for college graduates generally.
According to John Shingleton, the director of placement services at msu, the outlook is especially bright for education majors. Starting salaries for teachers will jump ahead of entry-level pay for graduates in several other professions, he said.
Demand is especially strong for teachers of special education, mathematics, science, English, Spanish, and French, Mr. Shingleton said.
Nonetheless, the average starting salary for teachers in 1986--$16,903--will continue to lag behind the $21,601 average starting pay for all graduates with bachelor’s degrees, the survey found.--jrs
