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Key takeaway: Instructional Coordinators are the occupation this online teaching guide treats as the primary outcome. The national median annual wage was $77,440, with the 10th percentile at $47,980 and the 90th at $121,670 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 232,600 in 2024, projected to grow 1.3 percent through 2034, with 21,900 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Individual outcomes vary. Most of the IPEDS completions in this CIP are master's degrees. A standalone bachelor's in online teaching is rare. If you need initial teacher licensure, start at the [education](/programs/education) silo and confirm your state's rules; a professional master's in online teaching will not issue a first license in most states.
The BLS occupation used on this page is Instructional Coordinators (SOC 25-9031). Job ads use other titles. Read the duties.
Confirm the occupation, not the vibe. Read a handful of live postings and match duties to instructional coordinators, not to the degree title.
Check the real gate. CAEP accredits teacher-preparation programs. An online-teaching master’s that does not lead to initial licensure is often not CAEP-accredited, and that is fine if you already hold a license. Confirm whether the catalog is a licensure program or a professional master’s for teachers who already teach.
Pick the degree level that the postings actually ask for. Compare the bachelor’s and master’s pages. In IPEDS 2024, 250 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in the CIP codes used for this guide, and 245 of those institutions reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024).
Build the portfolio, hours, clearance, or license the job uses. This is not a first teaching license in most states, and it is not the designer credential. If you want to build courses rather than teach them, use instructional design.
Use the wage range, not the median, when you decide. The 10th percentile is $47,980 and the 90th is $121,670 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Geography and employer type move this number more than the brand on the diploma.
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47,980 |
| 25th percentile | $60,780 |
| Median | $77,440 |
| 75th percentile | $98,820 |
| 90th percentile | $121,670 |
See all careers for a online teaching degree.
Data verified: September 7, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.