Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods at Coastal Carolina University

Coastal Carolina's teacher education program lands squarely in the middle of the pack—exactly at South Carolina's median for first-year earnings and matching the state's typical debt load. That's neither impressive nor alarming, but the trajectory tells a more troubling story: graduates actually earn less four years into their careers than they did right after graduation. While teacher salaries often flatten, an outright decline of 5% suggests graduates may be struggling to secure stable positions or move up district pay scales.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.67 is reasonable, meaning graduates owe about eight months of salary. However, they're underperforming stronger South Carolina programs like USC Beaufort ($44,659) and Southern Wesleyan ($42,006) by $4,000-6,000 annually—a meaningful gap in a modest-paying field. At 40th percentile statewide, this program places in the bottom half despite South Carolina having 32 education programs to choose from. The robust sample size means these numbers are reliable, not statistical noise.

For families committed to teaching in South Carolina, this program gets you certified at a manageable debt level. But if your child has options, look at the higher-performing programs within the state—that extra $4,000-5,000 per year compounds significantly over a teaching career. The backward earnings trend here is particularly concerning in a profession where steady, predictable growth matters more than dramatic upside.