Education Teachers, Postsecondary
Teach courses pertaining to education, such as counseling, curriculum, guidance, instruction, teacher education, and teaching English as a second language. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Also called: Adjunct Instructor · Assistant Professor · Associate Professor · Education Instructor · Education Professor · Faculty Member
Median pay (national)
$72,090
$38,650–$126,450 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
59,090
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+2.1%
~5,600 openings/yr
Typical entry
Doctoral or professional degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for education teachers, postsecondary shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $126,450 versus $38,650 at the bottom 10% — 3.3x. The median of $72,090 leaves roughly 75% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +2.1% from 2024 to 2034 — about as fast as the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 5,600 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 51 states with released data, California pays the most for this role (median $85,560, +19% vs the national median), while Hawaii sits lowest at $49,910 — a 71% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Learning management system LMS as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Learning Strategies
- Writing
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Supervise students' fieldwork, internship, and research work.
- Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as children's literature, learning and development, and reading instruction.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
Tools & technology
- Learning management system LMS
- SAS
- Blackboard Learn
- Blackboard software
- Collaborative editing software
- Course management system software
- Desire2Learn LMS software
- Desmos
- DOC Cop
- Editing software
- Geogebra
- Image scanning software
- iParadigms Turnitin
- Padlet
- Sakai CLE
- VoiceThread
Knowledge areas
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Psychology
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Administration and Management
- Communications and Media
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service