Postsecondary Teachers

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Duties

The following is a typical postsecondary teacher's routine:

• Ensure that the course outline or syllabus they use is in accordance with college and departmental requirements.
• Create a lesson plan and give homework tasks.
• Educate students in their field of expertise.
• It is important to grade pupils' work in order to keep track of their progress.
• Teach students how to set and attain objectives by advising them on which classes to take.
• Involve coworkers in the creation or revision of a degree or certificate program's curriculum that utilizes a combination of traditional classroom instruction and distance learning.
• Stay up to date on the latest developments and advancements in their profession.
• Serve on committees, whether academic or administrative, as required.

There are a wide range of academic disciplines taught by professors and faculty members in colleges and universities. For example, at colleges and universities, academics are grouped into departments based on their fields of study. Within that department, a professor can teach one or more classes. If a professor of mathematics teaches calculus, statistics, and a graduate seminar on polynomials, for example, that professor is likely to teach all three of those subjects simultaneously.

Teaching responsibilities for postsecondary professors can vary widely, depending on the size of the school they work for. They can be professors, researchers, experimenters, authors of original research, grant applicants, or even the supervisors of graduate teaching assistants at big schools and universities. They may spend much of their time teaching and working with students in small colleges and universities or community institutions.

Many full-time professors, especially those with tenure, are required to dedicate a significant amount of time to original research. Professors with tenure are required to publish their research findings and to disclose their analyses and critical evaluations. In addition, they may be asked to participate in committees at their colleges or universities.

In most cases, adjunct instructors spend the majority of their time working with students.

Graduate teaching assistants commonly assist professors when instructing groups of several hundred students. Professors may also instruct classes with 40 to 50 students in a seminar setting or in laboratories where the subject matter is practiced. Some instructors teach online, either solely or in conjunction with face-to-face lessons.

Working with colleagues and attending conferences are other common responsibilities for professors.

The profile on career and technical education instructors contains information on postsecondary educators that give vocational training in fields including repair, transportation, and cosmetology.

Education

In order to serve as a professor at a four-year institution, most postsecondary educators must hold a doctoral degree from an accredited university or college. Schools may hire master's or doctorate degree applicants for specialty or part-time roles.

Students normally require a bachelor's or master's degree to participate in a doctoral program, which often lasts many years. PhD candidates are required to submit a doctorate dissertation, a document that presents their original research and which they subsequently defend before a panel of experts from their respective fields. For example, candidates could focus on organic chemistry or European history.

In certain cases, community institutions will hire master's degree holders. Some universities, on the other hand, require a Ph.D. from candidates.

Working Knowledge of a Related Field

Institutions may choose to recruit persons who have previously worked in the field of education or in a related field.

Hands-on experience is extremely crucial in some professions such as medicine, art, law, and teaching. These teachers generally get their hands-on expertise by working in a relevant profession while they are in college.

Some postsecondary professors have postdoctoral research experience in subjects such as biology, physics, and chemistry. This experience, which is also referred to as a "post-doc," typically takes the shape of an employment as a research associate or in a comparable role for two to three years, generally in a college or university.

As a graduate teaching assistant, a postsecondary teacher can receive teaching experience while enrolling in a graduate degree and teaching classes at the university where they are enrolled.

Registration, Licenses, and Certifications

There are certain professions that need a license, certification, or registration that require postsecondary teachers to hold the same certificate. Postsecondary nursing and education teachers, for example, may require licenses in their respective fields.

Advancement

It is common for postsecondary professors with a PhD degree to pursue tenure, which ensures that a professor can't be dismissed without good cause. To become a tenured professor, one must work their way through the ranks from assistant professor to associate professor to full professor. The quality of a candidate's research, service to the university, and ability to teach all factors towards whether or not tenure will be granted.

Deans and presidents are among the more prestigious administrative roles that professors might achieve. You may find out more about postsecondary education administrators, such as deans and other high-ranking officials. For additional information about college and university presidents, check out the profile of the most powerful people in the business world.

Qualities that may matter

The ability to use critical thinking. Research and experiment design need rational analysis of data by postsecondary professors.

The ability to interact with others. Those who teach at the postsecondary level must be able to work well with others, such as students and committee members.

Resourcefulness. It is imperative that postsecondary professors are capable of conveying complex knowledge in a way that students can grasp. As a teacher, they must be able adapt to their students' diverse learning styles and use technology into courses and tasks.

A good command of the English language. Instructors at the postsecondary level must have excellent communication skills to deliver lessons and provide students’ constructive feedback.

Skills in the craft of writing. Writers in postsecondary education must have a great command of the English language in order to publish their findings.

Pay

As of May 2024, the median annual wage for postsecondary teachers was $83,980. This means that half of all workers in this field earned more than that amount, while the other half earned less. The lowest 10 percent of earners made less than $48,570, whereas the top 10 percent earned more than $199,520 annually. Wages varied significantly depending on the subject area taught. Among the highest-paid were law teachers, earning a median of $126,650, followed by economics teachers at $119,980, and engineering teachers at $106,120. Health specialties teachers and architecture teachers also earned high median salaries, at $105,620 and $101,480 respectively. Other disciplines with six-figure median wages included atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences; forestry and conservation science; physics; and business. In contrast, teachers in areas such as education ($72,090), criminal justice and law enforcement ($71,470), and social sciences (all other) ($75,040) earned lower median wages. Overall, the salary range for postsecondary educators reflected both the level of specialization required and the demand for expertise in specific academic fields.

Job Projections

Overall employment of postsecondary teachers is projected to grow 8 percent from 2023 to 2033, faster than the average for all occupations.