Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods at Dickinson State University

Dickinson State's teacher education program shows first-year earnings of $49,811—nearly $8,000 above the national median and strong enough to rank in the 95th percentile nationally. However, with fewer than 30 graduates in the dataset, these numbers could shift significantly with a larger sample. Within North Dakota, where teaching salaries are relatively competitive, this program lands around the middle of the pack at the 60th percentile, trailing University of Jamestown and Minot State but still outperforming several alternatives.

The concerning element is the 10% earnings decline by year four, dropping to $44,927. This backward slide is unusual even for teaching, where salaries typically plateau rather than fall. The small sample size makes it hard to know if this reflects actual career trajectories or just noise in the data—perhaps graduates moving to different districts, taking time off, or shifting to part-time roles. The debt load of $25,750 is manageable, creating a 0.52 ratio that most education graduates can reasonably handle on a teacher's salary.

For North Dakota families where teaching jobs are relatively accessible and stable, this program offers a workable entry point to the profession. The strong first-year earnings suggest solid job placement, though the earnings trajectory raises questions worth investigating during campus visits—specifically, where graduates actually work and whether they stay in teaching roles.