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Education Teachers, Postsecondary

Education Teachers, Postsecondary: Career Overview

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.

What Tasks Do Education Teachers, Postsecondary Perform?

The core tasks performed by education teachers, postsecondary include:

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Skills and Knowledge

Top education teachers, postsecondary combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Key Skills

The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Speaking  4.6 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  4.2 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  4.1 / 5
0
5
Instructing  4.1 / 5
0
5
Learning Strategies  4.1 / 5
0
5
Writing  4.0 / 5
0
5

Top Knowledge Areas

English Language  4.6 / 5
0
5
Education and Training  4.6 / 5
0
5
Psychology  4.2 / 5
0
5
Sociology and Anthropology  3.7 / 5
0
5
Communications and Media  3.7 / 5
0
5
Administration and Management  3.7 / 5
0
5

This career also goes by job titles like:

  • Adjunct Education Professor
  • Adjunct Instructor
  • Adjunct Lecturer
  • Adult Basic Education Instructor
  • Assistant Professor
  • Associate Professor
  • College Professor
  • Continuing Education Instructor

Employment and Demand

The U.S. employs around 1,407,310 education teachers, postsecondary working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +2.4% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Education Teachers, Postsecondary

Education Teachers, Postsecondary Pay

Statistic Value
Annual median $98,329
Hourly median $47.27
10th percentile $61,986
25th percentile $80,157
75th percentile $116,500
90th percentile $134,672

Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Education Teachers, Postsecondary

Education Teachers, Postsecondary Salary by State

State Annual median salary
California $85,560
New York $83,270
Louisiana $80,500
Alaska $80,070
Rhode Island $79,430
Virginia $79,280
District of Columbia $79,100
Connecticut $77,870
Massachusetts $77,440
Vermont $76,030
Minnesota $75,750
Texas $75,650
Montana $75,540
North Dakota $75,190
Nebraska $75,130
New Jersey $74,990
Puerto Rico $74,850
Maine $69,710
Oregon $69,640
Wyoming $68,440
Arizona $68,350
North Carolina $68,340
Utah $67,580
New Hampshire $66,680
Washington $66,150
Alabama $65,670
West Virginia $65,670
Michigan $65,340
Arkansas $65,020
Maryland $64,980
South Carolina $64,690
Nevada $64,630
Colorado $64,620
Tennessee $64,480
Pennsylvania $64,310
Wisconsin $64,150
Georgia $63,940
Indiana $63,870
Missouri $63,470
Idaho $63,080
Kansas $63,070
New Mexico $62,460
Oklahoma $62,320
South Dakota $62,120
Florida $62,020
Kentucky $61,320
Ohio $61,160
Mississippi $61,150
Illinois $60,410
Iowa $54,720
Hawaii $49,910

Where Education Teachers, Postsecondary Earn the Most

Earnings for education teachers, postsecondary differ across the country. Top regions by median wage:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
New England $76,511 6.4% 1.40
Far Western US $76,489 9.7% 0.65
Middle Atlantic $75,322 19.3% 1.32
Other U.S. Territories $74,850 0.8% 1.26
Southwest $72,748 14.5% 1.22
Southeast $67,366 19.5% 0.90
Plains States $67,111 8.2% 1.26
Rocky Mountains $66,291 2.9% 0.76

Top Metro Areas

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA CA $103,310 30
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA CA $103,290 330
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA CA $103,170 200
Ann Arbor, MI MI $101,840 170
Wilmington, NC NC $101,790 100
Fresno, CA CA $101,270 50
Fargo, ND-MN ND $99,660 70
Eugene-Springfield, OR OR $95,810 80

Industry Breakdown

Most education teachers, postsecondary work in these industries:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Educational Services 59,060 n/a

Below are examples of industries where education teachers, postsecondary work:

Software Education Teachers, Postsecondary Use

  • Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
  • Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
  • Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
  • Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
  • Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
  • Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
  • Analytical or scientific software: SAS (hot technology)
  • Computer based training software: Learning management system LMS (in demand)

The Day-to-Day Environment

The work environment for education teachers, postsecondary is shaped by the following characteristics:

  • E-Mail
  • Freedom to Make Decisions
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

Getting Started in This Career

This career aligns with Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

Degree Programs

Students preparing for education teachers, postsecondary commonly pursue programs in:

Education

72 programs across 9 majors

References

This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 25-1081.00 (Education Teachers, Postsecondary).

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