Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary
Also called: Associate Professor, Political Science Instructor, Political Science Professor, ProfessorTeach courses in political science, international affairs, and international relations. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 14 of its 22 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 2.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Postsecondary teachers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.8 hires for every 10 job openings in private educational services, which employs about 100% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $77,860 | $62,200 to $98,900 | 180 |
| Arizona | $99,910 | $79,090 to $107,420 | 190 |
| Arkansas | $58,350 | $56,800 to $76,460 | 80 |
| California | $124,890 | $100,380 to $165,810 | 1,060 |
| Connecticut | $100,230 | $78,730 to $142,000 | 320 |
| District of Columbia | $102,310 | $80,290 to $127,550 | 1,120 |
| Florida | $77,860 | $60,790 to $102,030 | 270 |
| Georgia | $79,870 | $67,860 to $103,710 | 470 |
| Illinois | $100,700 | $76,770 to $123,980 | 460 |
| Indiana | $83,770 | $66,510 to $106,130 | 630 |
| Iowa | $80,160 | $64,100 to $101,690 | 100 |
| Kansas | $78,800 | $56,480 to $112,390 | 80 |
| Kentucky | $78,670 | $60,220 to $114,300 | 140 |
| Louisiana | $88,090 | $68,810 to $100,410 | 70 |
| Maine | $96,760 | $72,510 to $125,480 | 60 |
| Maryland | $105,630 | $81,170 to $166,160 | 370 |
| Massachusetts | $128,150 | $99,500 to $164,850 | 920 |
| Michigan | $107,060 | $82,580 to $137,430 | 380 |
| Minnesota | $97,170 | $80,560 to $128,990 | 250 |
| Mississippi | $59,270 | $58,690 to $77,860 | 90 |
| Missouri | $94,500 | $63,790 to $132,040 | 280 |
| Montana | $109,050 | $83,240 to $157,450 | not published |
| Nebraska | $86,380 | $61,500 to $101,770 | 50 |
| Nevada | $93,300 | $82,090 to $104,090 | 70 |
| New Hampshire | $124,110 | $85,060 to $165,930 | 90 |
| New Jersey | $100,260 | $62,230 to $119,450 | 650 |
| New Mexico | $80,640 | $66,510 to $106,510 | 40 |
| New York | $104,050 | $77,670 to $139,500 | 1,460 |
| North Carolina | $78,760 | $63,140 to $105,700 | 440 |
| Ohio | $80,090 | $63,720 to $104,550 | 460 |
| Oklahoma | $63,400 | $57,910 to $89,810 | 90 |
| Oregon | $83,580 | $72,120 to $114,450 | 540 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,230 | $75,590 to $121,780 | 660 |
| Rhode Island | $101,320 | $80,620 to $130,870 | 170 |
| South Carolina | $78,650 | $58,480 to $101,470 | 210 |
| South Dakota | $72,580 | $64,830 to $84,400 | 30 |
| Tennessee | $81,330 | $63,420 to $119,070 | 250 |
| Texas | $86,950 | $63,840 to $120,690 | 1,890 |
| Utah | $80,610 | $61,520 to $122,150 | 70 |
| Vermont | $107,490 | $88,310 to $130,650 | 80 |
| Virginia | $101,430 | $76,320 to $135,130 | 830 |
| Washington | $101,140 | $77,810 to $107,170 | 450 |
| West Virginia | $77,420 | $60,070 to $97,290 | 70 |
| Wisconsin | $83,190 | $68,520 to $124,230 | 290 |
| Wyoming | $84,750 | $60,060 to $84,750 | 40 |
Nationally: $98,070. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 14 of its 22 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences. | Not published |
| AI + software | Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers. | Not published |
| Not much | Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as classical political thought, international relations, and democracy and citizenship. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction. | Not published |
| AI + software | Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others. | Not published |
See all 22 tasks
| AI alone | Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. | Not published |
| AI + software | Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues. | Not published |
| AI alone | Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media. | Not published |
| AI + software | Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work. | Not published |
| AI + software | Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues. | Not published |
| Not much | Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues. | Not published |
| Not much | Act as advisers to student organizations. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in campus and community events. | Not published |
| AI alone | Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments. | Not published |
| AI + software | Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head. | Not published |
| AI alone | Write grant proposals to procure external research funding. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide professional consulting services to government or industry. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 22 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 22 tasks fall under 19 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #10 Write material for artistic or commercial purposes
- #23 Prepare informational or instructional materials
- and 4 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advise others on educational or vocational matters | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Teach academic or vocational subjects | |||
| Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance | |||
| Write material for artistic or commercial purposes | |||
| Prepare informational or instructional materials | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Compile records, documentation, or other data |
Show all 19 activities
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Evaluate programs, practices, or processes | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs | |||
| Plan events or programs | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Prepare proposals or grant applications | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Serve on organizational committees |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer24%
- Teaching material18%
- A document or report14%
- Advice or a recommendation10%
- An analysis or summary9%
How they worked with Claude
19% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for political science teachers, postsecondary specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 626 moves out
- 1 Sales Managers High +4.5% 11%
- 2 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary High -0.3% 9%
- 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 9%
- 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 9%
- 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 7%
Where people moved in from
of 633 moves in
- 1 Sales Managers High +4.5% 10%
- 2 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 9%
- 3 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 8%
- 4 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary High -0.3% 5%
- 5 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 3% master's
- 97% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 33 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 3% high school
- 4% some college
- 2% associate's
- 16% bachelor's
- 28% master's
- 5% professional degree
- 42% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Postsecondary teachers” · 15,280 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Postsecondary teachers”
12 programs, such as History and Political Science, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and Public Policy Analysis, General.
See all
- History and Political Science
- Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- Public Policy Analysis, General
- Education Policy Analysis
- International Policy Analysis
- International Relations and Affairs
- National Security Policy Studies
- International Relations and National Security Studies, Other
- Political Science and Government, General
- American Government and Politics (United States)
- Political Economy
- Political Science and Government, Other
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
7.5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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