Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary

Median salary

$84,290

Average salary

$96,980

Employment

11,850

Projected growth

2.1% growth

Annual openings

1,100

Typical entry education

Doctoral or professional degree

What Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary Do

Teach courses in sociology. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 5 of 5

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

English Languageimportance 4.9/5
Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 4.7/5
Education and Trainingimportance 4.5/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.9/5
History and Archeologyimportance 3.9/5
Psychologyimportance 3.8/5
Philosophy and Theologyimportance 3.5/5
Law and Governmentimportance 3.5/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail5.0/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.8/5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.8/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.8/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
Contact With Others4.2/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

History Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Business Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Instructingimportance 4.0/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.6/5
Time Managementimportance 3.4/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
Systems Analysisimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

In-Demand Technologies

Learning management system LMS

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Intellectual Curiosity
Dependability
Social Orientation
Achievement Orientation
Integrity
Empathy
Innovation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

SocialHigh
InvestigativeHigh
ArtisticMedium
ConventionalMedium
RealisticLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where sociology teachers, postsecondary make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Amherst Town-Northampton, MA13.41× national avg
2South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI5.96× national avg
3College Station-Bryan, TX4.78× national avg
4Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT4.70× national avg
5New Haven, CT4.26× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

Political Science Teachers, PostsecondaryLateral Move
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, PostsecondaryLateral Move
Psychology Teachers, PostsecondaryLateral Move
Social Work Teachers, PostsecondaryLateral Move

See the full career path from Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.