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Studies & Degrees in General Education

General education, as a field of study, is the broad study of how people learn and how teaching is organised. The US Department of Education's classification of study programmes defines "Education, General" as a programme on the general theory and practice of learning and teaching, the basic principles of educational psychology, the art of teaching, the planning and administration of educational activities, school safety and health issues, and the social foundations of education.

It differs from specialised education degrees, such as early childhood, special needs or music education, because it does not prepare for one age group or one subject only. Students take courses in educational psychology, teaching methods, curriculum design, assessment, the history and sociology of education, and school organisation. Programmes that lead to a teaching qualification add supervised practice in schools.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degree. In the United States an education major is part of a four-year bachelor's degree. Hope College in Michigan, for example, structures its teacher education programme in three levels over four years. It ends with a semester-long, all-day student teaching placement and leads to certification in elementary or secondary education.
  • Master's degree and doctorate. Colleges of education also offer master's programmes, doctoral programmes and certificates for teachers who want to specialise or move into curriculum, administration or research. Purdue University's College of Education lists master's, doctoral, certificate, licensure and online programmes. Among US workers with an education degree, 51 percent hold an advanced degree, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, 2023 data).
  • Postgraduate route into teaching. Graduates in another subject can qualify later. In the United States all states offer an alternative route to certification for people who already have a bachelor's degree. In England, qualified teacher status (QTS) can be obtained through undergraduate or postgraduate initial teacher training.
  • Spain. Official bachelor's degrees (grados) have 240 ECTS credits and official master's degrees 60, 90 or 120. Specific grados qualify for the regulated professions of pre-primary teacher (Maestro en Educación Infantil) and primary teacher (Maestro en Educación Primaria).

A degree is not the same as a licence to teach

An education degree and the right to teach in state schools are separate things in most countries. In the United States, public school teachers must have a state-issued certification or licence, and requirements vary by state. Many states also require high school teachers to have majored in a content area, such as mathematics or science. In England, QTS is needed to teach in maintained primary, secondary and special schools. International students should check whether a programme leads to a teaching qualification, and whether that qualification is recognised in the country where they plan to work.

Accreditation is a useful sign of quality in the United States. The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) accredits, for example, the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 23 active schools for general education. Twenty are in the United States, and Denmark, the United Kingdom and Iraq have one each. US examples are Purdue University, the University of Florida, the University of Connecticut, Hope College, Texas Tech University, the University of Dayton and Eastern Connecticut State University.

In Denmark the listed school is Aarhus University. Its Danish School of Education (DPU) describes itself as Denmark's largest university environment for basic and applied research in education and educational theory; it currently offers a bachelor's programme and 20 postgraduate programmes in Danish. The language of instruction at the US schools is English.

Careers

Most graduates work in schools. BLS data for 2023 show about 5.55 million employed people with an education degree in the United States. Of these, 53 percent work in educational instruction and library occupations, and 29 percent are elementary school teachers. General education is the largest single major within the field, with 31 percent of education degree holders.

Other roles are school administration, curriculum development, training in companies, educational publishing and work in non-profit organisations. Instructional coordinators, who develop curricula and teaching standards, typically need a master's degree; the BLS projects 2 percent growth in that occupation from 2025 to 2035. For kindergarten and elementary school teachers it projects little or no change in employment over the same period, with about 99,400 openings each year, mostly to replace teachers who leave the occupation.

Frequently asked questions

Is a general education degree the same as "general education requirements"?

No. In US universities "general education requirements" are the core courses that every undergraduate takes, whatever the major. A general education degree is a programme about learning and teaching itself.

Can I become a teacher with a general education degree?

Only if the programme leads to a teaching qualification or you complete one afterwards. Public school teachers in the United States need a state certification or licence, and teachers in maintained schools in England need QTS.

How long does it take?

A bachelor's degree takes four years in the United States and in Spain (240 ECTS credits). A master's degree in Spain has 60 to 120 ECTS credits.

Can I study education if my first degree is in another subject?

Yes. In the United States, graduates in another subject can complete a teacher education programme to obtain certification, and all states offer an alternative route. England offers postgraduate initial teacher training.