Graduates of the typical education and teaching course in the UK earn £26,500 five years after graduating, the 20th highest of the 21 subject areas we compare. The best-paying, Education BA (Hons) at the University of the West of Scotland, earns £37,000.
Most graduates become teachers, in primary schools especially, or work in early years, education support and training roles.
Graduates of the typical education and teaching course earn £26,500 five years after graduating (£30,000 after 15 months), below the £31,500 median across all subjects and the 20th highest of the 21 subject areas we compare. Behind that median, its 415 courses range from £18,000 to £45,500: the best-paying earns 1.7 times the typical course.
Teachers are paid on national pay scales, so pay is predictable but rises in fixed steps.
Data last updated · HESA Discover Uni
| Course | After 5 years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Education BA (Hons) | £37,000 |
| 2 | Education | £36,500 |
| 3 | Primary Education with QTS | £35,500 |
| 4 | Education with Teaching Qualification (Primary) | £35,500 |
| 5 | Physical Education | £35,000 |
| 6 | Primary Education with QTS | £35,000 |
| 7 | BA Hons Primary Education | £35,000 |
| 8 | Biology and Professional Education | £35,000 |
| 9 | Music Education | £34,500 |
| 10 | Fd Childhood, Youth & Special Educational Needs | £34,000 |
The best-paying course at each university, ranked by salary five years after graduating. Each figure is the median of each course's own median graduate salary (HESA Discover Uni). Salaries 15 months after graduating come from the Graduate Outcomes survey; three and five years on, from LEO tax data. Joint courses that HESA also files under another subject are left out of this list but appear in the chart below.
A median salary is one number standing in for hundreds of courses. This chart plots every course individually, so you can see the spread behind it: how tightly courses in a subject cluster together, or how far apart the best- and worst-paying ones sit.
Each dot is one course's own median graduate salary (not individual graduates' pay), from the HESA Discover Uni dataset. Courses with a cohort too small to report are excluded, and postgrad/top-up/alternate-entry courses are excluded site-wide. Figures compare courses, not people.
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Each dot is one course, positioned by its salary along the horizontal axis (never shifted by more than one dot-width). Vertical position means nothing. It only spreads dots apart so they don't overlap. Hover a dot for details, or click it to open that course's page.
| Course | Institution | Subject | Salary |
|---|
← See the highest paying degrees across every subject
Not counting joint courses, Education BA (Hons) at the University of the West of Scotland, whose graduates earn a median £37,000 five years after graduating. Next are Education at the University of Dundee (£36,500) and Primary Education with QTS at St Mary's University, Twickenham (£35,500).
Graduates of the typical education and teaching course earn £30,000 15 months after graduating and £26,500 five years after graduating, 12% less than at 15 months. Across all its courses, joint ones included, salaries range from £18,000 to £45,500.
6 of the top 10 courses above ask for between A and AAB at A level. Many also require particular subjects, so check each course's entry requirements.
Below average, though the best courses pay well: it ranks 20th of the 21 subject areas we compare, with the typical course paying £26,500 five years after graduating against £31,500 across all subjects. Where you study matters too: the best-paying course earns 1.7 times the typical course.