Career
Geography teachers, postsecondary
Teach geography at a college.
$97,590
Median pay
+2.7%
Job growth, 2025–35
300
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
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as urbanization, environmental systems, and cultural geography.
- Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
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?
“Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Writing, Instructing, Speaking, Active Listening.
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 $97,590 a year and 300 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Teaching (by Subject)See the degree →
- Geography Teacher EducationCIP 13.1332
- Geography and Environmental StudiesCIP 30.4401
- Geospatial IntelligenceCIP 43.0407
- GeographyCIP 45.0701
- Geographic Information Science and CartographyCIP 45.0702
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$103,170 · +2.4%
- Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary$99,650 · +2.6%
- Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary$84,290 · +2.2%
- History Teachers, Postsecondary$83,820 · +0.0%
- Geographers$102,040 · -2.1%
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.