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college/postsecondary/university teaching

Types of Degrees college/postsecondary/university teaching Majors Are Earning

Those studying college/postsecondary/university teaching may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	94
Doctor’s Degree	4

What college/postsecondary/university teaching Majors Need to Know

Studies in college/postsecondary/university teaching build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that college/postsecondary/university teaching graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing college/postsecondary/university teaching emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.3 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a college/postsecondary/university teaching program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to college/postsecondary/university teaching careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, college/postsecondary/university teaching graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.7 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.5 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by college/postsecondary/university teaching professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Editing software	Word processing software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Geogebra	Analytical or scientific software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
VoiceThread	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for college/postsecondary/university teaching graduates include:

• Education Teacher
• Secondary Education Professor
• Counselor Education Professor
• Educator
• Assistant Professor
• Educational Administration Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Education Adjunct Professor
• Education Instructor
• Educational Leadership Professor
• Continuing Education Instructor
• Special Education Professor
• Lecturer
• Physical Education Instructor
• Music Education Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to college/postsecondary/university teaching graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	89.8%
Master’s degree	9.4%
Bachelor’s degree	0.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in college/postsecondary/university teaching?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 76.5% of college/postsecondary/university teaching degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	75	76.5%
Men	23	23.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of college/postsecondary/university teaching graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	53	54.1%
Hispanic or Latino	9	9.2%
Black or African American	17	17.3%
Two or More Races	4	4.1%
Race Unknown	4	4.1%
International Students	11	11.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do college/postsecondary/university teaching Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of college/postsecondary/university teaching graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$44,857
4 years	$43,846
5 years	$48,879

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $48,879 — roughly 9% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online college/postsecondary/university teaching Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for college/postsecondary/university teaching. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in college/postsecondary/university teaching Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, college/postsecondary/university teaching graduates earn a median of $43,846 four years after completion — roughly 15% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	13.12
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching	13.1201
Early Childhood Education and Teaching	13.1210
Elementary Education and Teaching	13.1202
International Teaching and Learning	13.1212
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	13.1203
Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching	13.1209
Montessori Teacher Education	13.1207
Online Educator/Online Teaching	13.1211
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods	13.1213
Secondary Education and Teaching	13.1205
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other	13.1299

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.