Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods at Gardner-Webb University

Gardner-Webb's teacher education program trails both state and national benchmarks, with graduates earning roughly $2,000 less than typical North Carolina teaching graduates. More concerning is the earnings trajectory: graduates actually see their pay slip from $39,850 to $38,920 between years one and four, suggesting limited advancement opportunities or possible career changes. For a state where the median teaching graduate starts at $41,645, landing in the 40th percentile means your child would likely earn less than most of their peers who attend other North Carolina programs.

The debt picture offers some relief—at $27,000, it's below the national median and only moderately higher than North Carolina's typical teaching graduate debt of $24,607. The 0.68 debt-to-earnings ratio is manageable for a teaching career, meaning your child would owe less than 70% of their first-year salary. Still, when North Carolina A&T graduates earn $49,000 and NC State grads make $45,000 in the same field, the earnings gap compounds year after year.

The critical caveat: this data represents fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes could vary significantly. However, if teaching is the goal and in-state tuition matters, several North Carolina public universities deliver stronger starting salaries with comparable or lower debt loads.