Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods at University of Mississippi

At $37,838 in first-year earnings, Ole Miss teacher education graduates earn less than the national median for education majors by about $4,000—but they're right in line with Mississippi's teaching market, where new educators typically start around $38,000. The real concern isn't the starting salary but what happens next: earnings actually decline to $35,333 by year four. This downward trajectory is unusual even in education, where salaries typically climb with experience, and it places Ole Miss in the bottom quarter nationally while hovering at the state's 40th percentile. Meanwhile, graduates carry $20,470 in debt, which is below the national median but keeps the debt-to-earnings ratio at a manageable 0.54—meaning debt equals roughly half of first-year income.

The program's performance against Mississippi competitors tells an important story. Ole Miss trails Jackson State ($40,448), William Carey ($39,520), and even Delta State ($39,008) in graduate earnings, despite being the state's flagship university. For parents considering a teaching degree in Mississippi, this means their child might secure similar outcomes at less selective alternatives while potentially building stronger regional networks. The combination of middling earnings, declining income trajectory, and better-performing in-state options suggests families should carefully compare financial aid packages across Mississippi's education programs rather than defaulting to the flagship's name recognition.