Find Affordable College Courses

What Do You Want to Study?

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary: Job Description

Teach courses pertaining to the culture and development of an area, an ethnic group, or any other group, such as Latin American studies, women's studies, or urban affairs. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

What Tasks Do Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary Take On?

Typical responsibilities of area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary include:

  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as race and ethnic relations, gender studies, and cross-cultural perspectives.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • 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.
  • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.

Key Skills and Knowledge

Top area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Top Skills

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

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

Core Knowledge

Education and Training  4.6 / 5
0
5
English Language  4.6 / 5
0
5
Sociology and Anthropology  3.7 / 5
0
5
History and Archeology  3.6 / 5
0
5
Foreign Language  3.5 / 5
0
5
Communications and Media  3.4 / 5
0
5

Types of Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary Jobs

Common job titles for this role include:

  • Adjunct Professor
  • African Studies Professor
  • American Studies Professor
  • Asian Studies Professor
  • Assistant Professor
  • Associate Professor
  • Black Studies Professor
  • College Faculty Member

How Many Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary Are There?

There are about 674,221 area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +6.5% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

Salary for Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

Statistic Value
Annual median $47,517
Hourly median $22.85
10th percentile $33,665
25th percentile $40,591
75th percentile $54,444
90th percentile $61,370

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

How Much Do Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary Make in Different U.S. States?

State Annual median salary
California $113,070
Vermont $107,220
Kansas $102,800
Rhode Island $100,680
Massachusetts $99,630
Connecticut $98,660
District of Columbia $98,500
New York $97,140
Illinois $96,980
Michigan $96,070
Pennsylvania $95,660
Maryland $88,080
New Jersey $87,450
Arizona $87,140
Virginia $80,460
Alaska $80,370
Washington $79,660
Minnesota $78,660
Nebraska $78,640
Indiana $78,400
Texas $77,650
Oregon $77,070
Montana $76,670
Wisconsin $76,600
Georgia $75,250
Ohio $72,690
Mississippi $69,110
North Carolina $67,170
Alabama $67,060
Colorado $66,810
Kentucky $65,200
Missouri $65,170
Utah $64,890
West Virginia $63,530
South Carolina $63,000
Florida $61,920
Puerto Rico $44,940

Where Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary Earn the Most

Earnings for area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary vary by region. Top regions by median wage:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Far Western US $101,739 14.1% 0.98
New England $100,109 8.6% 2.33
Middle Atlantic $94,287 32.8% 2.34
Great Lakes $85,314 10.5% 0.88
Plains States $79,918 4.0% 0.88
Southwest $79,609 8.4% 0.74
Southeast $68,643 17.0% 1.14
Rocky Mountains $68,352 4.0% 1.38

Top Metro Areas

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA CA $163,460 40
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA CA $135,530 50
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA CA $124,960 150
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA CA $115,440 70
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA CA $107,100 70
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD PA $103,510 330
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MA $103,130 440
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA CA $103,120 420

Industry Breakdown

The bulk of area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary are concentrated in the following sectors:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Educational Services 11,430 n/a

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Tools and Technology

  • 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)
  • Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
  • Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

What the Workplace Is Like

Daily working conditions for area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary reflects the following characteristics:

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

Education and Training

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

Similar Occupations

Degree Programs

Aspiring area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary often complete programs in:

Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies

50 programs across 3 majors

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

11 programs across 8 majors

Philosophy and Religious Studies

4 programs across 1 majors

Social Sciences

1 programs across 1 majors

Sources

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: 25-1062.00 (Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary).

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.