Occupation · SOC 25-1081
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.
Median wage
$72,090
$38,650–$126,450
Projected growth
+2.1%
Slower than average
Annual openings
160
per year
Employed (US)
59,090
Job Zone 5
Typical preparation
Extensive preparation
Stackable credential programs
5,337 mapped
Core skills
SpeakingReading ComprehensionInstructingActive ListeningLearning StrategiesActive LearningWritingMonitoring
Knowledge areas
English LanguageEducation and TrainingPsychologySociology and AnthropologyAdministration and Management
Technology & tools
Computer based training softwareData base user interface and query softwareCalendar and scheduling softwareWord processing softwareAnalytical or scientific software
Representative tasks
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.Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.Serve as a liaison between the university and other governmental and educational agencies.Advise and instruct teachers employed in school systems by providing activities, such as in-service seminars.Participate in campus and community events.Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.Act as advisers to student organizations.Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Course syllabi and assignment handouts — draft and organize under faculty mentorship for an undergraduate education course.Assigned readings and current journal articles — review and summarize to stay current with developments in the field of education.Classroom lectures on foundational topics such as learning and development — deliver with prepared notes under supervisory observation in a postsecondary setting.Student assignments and short-answer examinations — grade using provided rubrics and scoring guides in a supervised instructional context.Classroom discussions on educational theory — facilitate introductory exchanges using structured prompts with undergraduate students.Word processing and office suite software — use to prepare course materials, correspondence, and basic instructional documents.Student fieldwork placements — assist in coordinating logistics and maintaining progress records under a supervising faculty member.Active listening and social perceptiveness — apply during student office hours to identify and respond to individual learning concerns.Library databases and information retrieval software — use to locate peer-reviewed literature in support of course preparation and early research activity.Professional conferences and departmental colloquia — attend and document key insights to begin building awareness of current disciplinary trends.
developing
Course materials including syllabi, homework sequences, and multimedia handouts — design and refine independently for recurring undergraduate or graduate sections.Lectures on topics such as children's literature and reading instruction — prepare and deliver with minimal oversight, adjusting pacing to student engagement cues.Examination construction, administration, and grading — manage the full assessment cycle, delegating scoring tasks to teaching assistants when appropriate.Student class work, papers, and project submissions — evaluate against clearly articulated learning objectives, providing written developmental feedback.Original research in a specific education subfield — conduct and submit manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals or edited volumes on a regular basis.Classroom discussions — initiate and moderate to deepen critical thinking, redirecting unproductive exchanges in a live postsecondary classroom.Graduate student internship and research projects — supervise progress through scheduled check-ins, providing discipline-specific methodological guidance.Analytical and statistical software — apply to organize research data and produce findings suitable for professional publication or conference presentation.Current literature and professional networks — systematically monitor to incorporate emerging evidence into course content revisions each term.Time management across teaching, research, and service obligations — balance competing priorities to meet departmental expectations with reduced administrative support.
proficient
Advanced graduate seminars on specialized topics such as educational psychology or sociological foundations of schooling — design and lead autonomously, connecting theory to current research.Scholarly books, book chapters, and peer-reviewed articles — author and bring through the full publication process, including revision in response to peer critique.Complex, non-routine student performance problems — diagnose using systems analysis and inductive reasoning, then implement individualized instructional interventions.Dissertation and thesis committees — chair or serve on, guiding doctoral candidates through original research design, data collection, and defense in an academic department.Comprehensive course assessment systems — construct, validate, and continuously improve across a multi-course curriculum to ensure alignment with program learning outcomes.Interdisciplinary knowledge spanning psychology, sociology, philosophy, and communications — synthesize and convey to mixed graduate and undergraduate audiences in lecture and seminar formats.Professional development workshops and conference presentations — develop and deliver to share research findings and instructional innovations with a broader scholarly community.Grant proposals and external funding applications — identify opportunities, draft compelling narratives, and manage awarded projects to advance departmental research capacity.Classroom technology including computer-based training platforms and learning management systems — integrate strategically to enhance student engagement and track learning analytics.Ethical and judgment-intensive decisions involving academic integrity, student accommodation, and research conduct — navigate with independence, applying institutional policy and professional integrity standards.
advanced
Departmental or program-level curriculum frameworks — design, implement, and evaluate to ensure coherence, rigor, and alignment with accreditation standards across an entire academic unit.Faculty hiring, mentoring, and annual review processes — lead to build a high-performing instructional and research team within a college of education or related academic department.Institutional research agendas and multi-investigator grant portfolios — set strategic direction for, forging partnerships with funding agencies, industry stakeholders, and peer institutions.Scholarly identity and publishing culture of a program — shape by modeling sustained, high-impact publication and guiding junior colleagues through the research dissemination process.Systems-level evaluation of educational outcomes — conduct across programs and institutional contexts, using findings to drive evidence-based policy recommendations to academic leadership.Professional associations, editorial boards, and accreditation review panels — lead or serve on to represent the institution and advance the discipline at a national or international level.Complex, organization-wide challenges such as enrollment decline, equity gaps, or curriculum obsolescence — address through cross-functional problem solving and strategic resource allocation.Doctoral student cohorts and postdoctoral researchers — mentor through career development, sponsoring their entry into scholarly networks and the academic job market.Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the academic unit — champion and institutionalize through policy development, pedagogy reform, and faculty professional learning.Innovation in postsecondary teaching methodology — pioneer through action research, publication of pedagogical models, and dissemination to reshape instructional practice across the field.
Also known as
45 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Tenure-Track ProfessorPrimary Education ProfessorAdjunct Education ProfessorAcademic Program Manager (Air Force 82A0)Education And Training Helper (Air Force 3F211)Mathematics Education ProfessorInstructorEducational Leadership ProfessorContinuing Education InstructorEducation and Training Journeyman (Air Force 3F251)Outdoor Education InstructorAssociate ProfessorLecturerAdjunct InstructorMusic Education ProfessorEducational Teaching InstructorFaculty MemberSpecial Education ProfessorEducational Administration TeacherProfessional Military Education Instructor (Air Force 8T000)Faculty Member, College or UniversitySecondary Education ProfessorPhysical Education InstructorEnlisted Professional Military Education Instructional System Designer (Air Force 8T100)Education And Training (Air Force 3F2X1)Education ProfessorEducation InstructorEducational InstructorCollege ProfessorCounselor Education ProfessorInstructor (Navy 805A)Science Education ProfessorEducation Faculty MemberAdult Basic Education InstructorAssistant ProfessorEducatorEducation And Training Craftsman (Air Force 3F271)Education Adjunct ProfessorEducation And Training Apprentice (Air Force 3F231)Adjunct Lecturer