Career
Psychology teachers, postsecondary
Teach psychology at a college or university.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as abnormal psychology, cognitive processes, and work motivation.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- 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 and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as abnormal psychology, cognitive processes, and work motivation.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Learning Strategies, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Instructing.
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 $80,340 a year and 3,700 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- PsychologySee the degree →
- Teaching (by Subject)See the degree →
- Experimental PsychologySee the degree →
- Psychology Teacher EducationCIP 13.1335
- BiopsychologyCIP 30.1001
- Behavioral SciencesCIP 30.1701
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary$84,290 · +2.2%
- Education Teachers, Postsecondary$75,350 · +2.5%
- Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary$77,570 · +2.6%
- Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary$42,910 · +2.7%
- Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary$99,650 · +2.6%
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.