by our College Data Analytics Team
[Curriculum Instruction](/majors/education/curriculum-instruction/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 100 schools on the early-career earnings of their curriculum instruction graduates.
What’s on this page:
The right curriculum instruction school can pay off in your paycheck for years to come. That is why we built our Highest Paid Curriculum Instruction Graduates ranking. It looks at the median early-career salaries graduates earn, so you can find the schools whose curriculum instruction degrees pay off the most.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we offer several rankings, including this Highest Paid Curriculum Instruction Graduates list, to help you choose. Want schools in a particular part of the country? Narrow the list by region or state.
Want to compare schools head to head? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.
Learn more about our methodology
If you want to know which schools send curriculum instruction graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
St Johns University New York tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying curriculum instruction schools in the United States. Set in the city of Queens, St Johns University New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career curriculum instruction graduates from St Johns University New York make a median of around $142,452 per year.
Concordia University Irvine came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying curriculum instruction schools. Set in the city of Irvine, Concordia University Irvine is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, curriculum instruction degree recipients from Concordia University Irvine typically earn about $101,506 annually.
A rank of #3 makes Teachers College At Columbia University one of the highest-paying schools for curriculum instruction. Located in the city of New York, Teachers College At Columbia University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, curriculum instruction degree recipients from Teachers College At Columbia University typically earn about $84,701 annually.
Strong graduate earnings at Washington State University earned it the #4 place for curriculum instruction. Set in the town of Pullman, Washington State University is a public institution. After graduating, curriculum instruction degree recipients from Washington State University typically earn about $78,468 annually.
Students chasing top earnings in curriculum instruction will find them at Utah State University, which ranked #5. Utah State University is a public school located in the city of Logan. Students who complete the curriculum instruction program here go on to a median salary of roughly $96,401.
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Vanguard University Of Southern California came in at #6 for curriculum instruction graduate earnings this year. Vanguard University Of Southern California is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Costa Mesa. Students who complete the curriculum instruction program here go on to a median salary of roughly $77,406.
Boston University landed the #7 spot for curriculum instruction salaries this year. Boston University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston. Students who complete the curriculum instruction program here go on to a median salary of roughly $87,889.
City University Of Seattle came in at #8 for curriculum instruction graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Seattle, City University Of Seattle is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the curriculum instruction program here go on to a median salary of roughly $78,998.
Franklin University landed the #9 spot for curriculum instruction salaries this year. Franklin University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Columbus. Students who complete the curriculum instruction program here go on to a median salary of roughly $72,613.
Piedmont College came in at #10 for curriculum instruction graduate earnings this year. Piedmont College is a private not-for-profit school located in the town of Demorest. After graduating, curriculum instruction degree recipients from Piedmont College typically earn about $92,531 annually.
Mcdaniel College came in at #11 for curriculum instruction graduate earnings this year. Mcdaniel College is a private not-for-profit school located in the town of Westminster. After graduating, curriculum instruction degree recipients from Mcdaniel College typically earn about $79,147 annually.
Buena Vista University earned the #12 position for curriculum instruction graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Storm Lake, Buena Vista University is a private not-for-profit institution. Curriculum Instruction graduates of Buena Vista University earn a median of about $69,503 a year early in their careers.
Fitchburg State University ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying curriculum instruction schools. Set in the suburb of Fitchburg, Fitchburg State University is a public institution. Students who complete the curriculum instruction program here go on to a median salary of roughly $77,836.
Concordia University Chicago earned the #14 position for curriculum instruction graduate earnings this year. Located in the suburb of River Forest, Concordia University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career curriculum instruction graduates from Concordia University Chicago make a median of around $71,888 per year.
Walden University landed the #15 spot for curriculum instruction salaries this year. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Walden University is a private for-profit institution. Early-career curriculum instruction graduates from Walden University make a median of around $72,080 per year.
Loyola University Baltimore landed the #16 spot for curriculum instruction salaries this year. Set in the city of Baltimore, Loyola University Baltimore is a private not-for-profit institution. Curriculum Instruction graduates of Loyola University Baltimore earn a median of about $68,753 a year early in their careers.
Berry College earned the #17 position for curriculum instruction graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Mount Berry, Berry College is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, curriculum instruction degree recipients from Berry College typically earn about $67,924 annually.
Lewis University earned the #18 position for curriculum instruction graduate earnings this year. Lewis University is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Romeoville. Early-career curriculum instruction graduates from Lewis University make a median of around $67,197 per year.
Portland State University landed the #19 spot for curriculum instruction salaries this year. Located in the city of Portland, Portland State University is a public institution. Curriculum Instruction graduates of Portland State University earn a median of about $69,569 a year early in their careers.
Hood College ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying curriculum instruction schools. Hood College is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Frederick. Curriculum Instruction graduates of Hood College earn a median of about $66,094 a year early in their careers.
University Of Cincinnati Main Campus came in at #21 for curriculum instruction graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Cincinnati, University Of Cincinnati Main Campus is a public institution. Students who complete the curriculum instruction program here go on to a median salary of roughly $70,982.
University Of Toledo landed the #22 spot for curriculum instruction salaries this year. Set in the city of Toledo, University Of Toledo is a public institution. Curriculum Instruction graduates of University Of Toledo earn a median of about $65,505 a year early in their careers.
University Of St Francis placed #23 among the highest-paying schools for curriculum instruction. Located in the suburb of Joliet, University Of St Francis is a private not-for-profit institution. Curriculum Instruction graduates of University Of St Francis earn a median of about $64,512 a year early in their careers.
Georgia Southern University earned the #24 position for curriculum instruction graduate earnings this year. Georgia Southern University is a public school located in the town of Statesboro. After graduating, curriculum instruction degree recipients from Georgia Southern University typically earn about $86,980 annually.
Utah Valley University came in at #25 for curriculum instruction graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Orem, Utah Valley University is a public institution. Students who complete the curriculum instruction program here go on to a median salary of roughly $65,419.
Not far behind, these schools also produced high-earning curriculum instruction graduates:
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This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries curriculum instruction graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 100 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.