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.
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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:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
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.
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.
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:
- 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
- Education Administrators, Postsecondary (Primary-Long)
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (Supplemental)
- Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Long)
- Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Short)
- Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Long)
- Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Short)
- Communications Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Long)
- Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Long)
Degree Programs
Students preparing for education teachers, postsecondary commonly pursue programs in:
Education
72 programs across 9 majors
- Teacher Education Grade Specific
- Teacher Education Subject Specific
- General Education
- Curriculum & Instruction
- Special Education
- Educational Assessment
- Other Education
- Multilingual Education
- Education Philosophy
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).