Career
Communications teachers, postsecondary
Teach communication and media at a college.
$78,580
Median pay
+2.1%
Job growth, 2025–35
2,400
Openings a year
Doctoral or professional degree
Typical education
7–8 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on people & care, then ideas & analysis?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Instructing, Speaking, Writing.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
7–8 years of education after high school (doctoral or professional degree), for a median of $78,580 a year and 2,400 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- CommunicationSee the degree →
- Public Relations and AdvertisingSee the degree →
- Film and PhotographySee the degree →
- Radio, TV and Digital MediaSee the degree →
- JournalismSee the degree →
- Communication, GeneralCIP 09.0100
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Education Teachers, Postsecondary$75,350 · +2.5%
- Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary$84,290 · +2.2%
- Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary$98,070 · +2.5%
- Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary$80,340 · +2.7%
- English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary$78,760 · +0.0%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.