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Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary

Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary: Career Profile

Teach courses in psychology, such as child, clinical, and developmental psychology, and psychological counseling. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

What Do Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary Take On?

The day-to-day responsibilities of psychology teachers, postsecondary include:

  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as abnormal psychology, cognitive processes, and work motivation.
  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
  • Recruit and hire new faculty.

Skills and Knowledge

Effective psychology teachers, postsecondary combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

These are the skills most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

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

Top Knowledge Areas

Psychology  5.0 / 5
0
5
English Language  4.8 / 5
0
5
Education and Training  4.3 / 5
0
5
Sociology and Anthropology  3.9 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  3.8 / 5
0
5
Therapy and Counseling  3.8 / 5
0
5

This career also goes by job titles like:

  • Abnormal Psychology Teacher
  • Adjunct Instructor
  • Adjunct Professor
  • Adjunct Psychology Faculty Member
  • Adjunct Psychology Instructor
  • Adjunct Psychology Professor
  • Applied Psychology Professor
  • Applied Psychology Teacher

Job Outlook

There are about 529,292 psychology teachers, postsecondary working in the United States today. Employment is projected to decline by -3.0% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary

Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary Pay

Statistic Value
Annual median $98,479
Hourly median $47.35
10th percentile $62,590
25th percentile $80,534
75th percentile $116,424
90th percentile $134,368

Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary

How Much Do Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary Make in Different U.S. States?

State Annual median salary
California $106,470
North Dakota $100,340
Maryland $99,740
New York $98,630
Connecticut $98,390
Oregon $96,330
Rhode Island $90,820
Michigan $89,550
New Jersey $85,590
New Hampshire $84,540
Texas $81,880
Louisiana $81,640
Delaware $81,530
Utah $81,370
Vermont $81,140
Minnesota $80,760
Virginia $80,750
Massachusetts $80,300
New Mexico $80,260
Nevada $80,230
Nebraska $80,130
Montana $79,370
Kansas $79,240
Indiana $77,310
Washington $77,250
Florida $76,910
Colorado $76,850
Georgia $76,640
Pennsylvania $76,490
Arizona $76,460
District of Columbia $76,450
Missouri $76,400
Alabama $76,300
Alaska $75,820
Iowa $75,540
Illinois $75,350
Idaho $75,320
Ohio $75,300
Maine $75,060
South Carolina $74,510
North Carolina $74,190
West Virginia $73,390
Tennessee $73,360
Kentucky $72,380
Wisconsin $68,430
Mississippi $64,580
Wyoming $64,370
Puerto Rico $63,950
Arkansas $62,880
South Dakota $62,400
Oklahoma $60,870
Hawaii $49,850

Where Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary Earn the Most

Pay for psychology teachers, postsecondary differ across the country. The following regions pay the most:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Far Western US $99,211 16.5% 1.02
Middle Atlantic $89,994 21.1% 1.44
New England $84,770 7.0% 1.58
Southwest $78,927 11.1% 0.90
Plains States $78,457 5.5% 0.82
Great Lakes $77,486 14.4% 1.12
Rocky Mountains $76,982 3.7% 1.05
Southeast $75,426 19.4% 0.82

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
Fresno, CA CA $164,770 100
Ann Arbor, MI MI $137,070 140
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA CA $133,830 40
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA CA $130,830 440
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA CA $129,830 170
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA CA $124,860 570
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA CA $123,520 420
Madison, WI WI $123,180

Industry Breakdown

The bulk of psychology teachers, postsecondary are found across these industries:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Educational Services 41,570 n/a

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

Tech Stack

  • Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
  • Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics (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)
  • Object or component oriented development software: R (hot technology)
  • Analytical or scientific software: SAS (hot technology)
  • Analytical or scientific software: The MathWorks MATLAB (hot technology)
  • Computer based training software: Learning management system LMS (in demand)

The Day-to-Day Environment

The work environment for psychology teachers, postsecondary tends to involve the following characteristics:

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

Education and Training

This occupation sits in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.

Similar Occupations

Top Programs to Study For This Career

Future psychology teachers, postsecondary often complete programs in:

Education

1 programs across 1 majors

Sources

Data on this page comes from 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: 25-1066.00 (Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary).

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