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Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary

Also called: Instructor, Professor, Psychology Instructor, Psychology Professor

Teach courses in psychology, such as child, clinical, and developmental psychology, and psychological counseling. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

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Median pay BLS, 2025$80,340
Openings a year BLS, 2025–353,700
Typical education to start BLSDoctoral or professional degree
AI exposure BLS, Aug 2026 Very high
Projected job growth BLS, 2025–35 +4.0%

What the data says: AI could halve the time on 17 of its 29 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 4.0% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. 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.

How to read these

Pay compared with all occupations BLS median wages Pays more than 74% of 825 occupations
lowest-paidhighest-paid

Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates

$61k$107knot published

Median pay in every state
StateMedianMiddle half earnJobs
Alabama$75,340$61,240 to $95,560610
Alaska$79,040$78,790 to $120,15070
Arizona$78,610$71,200 to $97,270940
Arkansas$60,730$54,120 to $76,250190
California$107,340$81,600 to $165,6604,410
Colorado$76,810$54,120 to $104,510960
Connecticut$84,500$73,160 to $120,430920
Delaware$102,340$72,550 to $127,930not published
District of Columbia$101,250$79,020 to $123,300340
Florida$69,050$61,240 to $81,2501,120
Georgia$79,440$62,520 to $100,910820
Idaho$83,010$57,810 to $109,930180
Illinois$77,860$50,960 to $105,7902,260
Indiana$77,820$61,990 to $105,130760
Iowa$78,450$62,070 to $101,580320
Kansas$79,730$58,320 to $107,840230
Kentucky$74,520$61,910 to $84,780590
Louisiana$91,340$64,820 to $105,600140
Maine$81,660$64,290 to $106,220110
Maryland$101,430$77,910 to $130,300640
Massachusetts$82,930$68,530 to $104,3902,640
Michigan$99,900$67,430 to $122,570920
Minnesota$82,640$74,970 to $104,960760
Mississippi$62,590$58,560 to $77,490260
Missouri$79,240$62,990 to $102,400590
Montana$77,120$61,060 to $97,61090
Nebraska$77,340$61,130 to $96,330170
Nevada$81,300$67,790 to $81,300140
New Hampshire$95,030$79,320 to $129,720110
New Jersey$80,790$63,450 to $126,3401,630
New Mexico$83,600$70,970 to $105,580100
New York$100,720$77,670 to $128,0604,070
North Carolina$75,260$59,870 to $92,9601,100
North Dakota$97,110$79,810 to $104,56060
Ohio$78,530$60,870 to $100,8301,500
Oklahoma$61,720$38,540 to $83,360410
Oregon$80,060$70,780 to $114,390660
Pennsylvania$75,960$61,020 to $98,9502,120
Puerto Rico$66,580$65,160 to $77,300400
Rhode Island$94,360$77,570 to $103,880180
South Carolina$74,890$61,720 to $100,260390
South Dakota$65,020$59,900 to $77,89070
Tennessee$76,010$61,580 to $96,130790
Texas$77,060$55,970 to $101,6103,380
Utah$93,090$66,780 to $98,940200
Vermont$81,100$67,450 to $105,160100
Virginia$77,950$62,070 to $102,1101,050
Washington$78,330$61,260 to $96,070840
West Virginia$74,280$55,740 to $95,480150
Wisconsin$77,580$63,680 to $89,330630
Wyoming$65,050$62,910 to $83,07080

Nationally: $80,340. 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 17 of its 29 tasks

5 · AI alone could halve the time 12 · AI + software built on it could 12 · Not much
AI ratingIts main tasks Share of Claude conversations
May 2026
Not much Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as abnormal psychology, cognitive processes, and work motivation. Not published
Not much Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions. Not published
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, laboratory work, assignments, and papers. Not published
AI alone Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. Not published
AI + software Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others. Not published
See all 29 tasks
AI + software Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction. Not published
AI + software Develop and use multimedia course materials and other current technology, such as online courses. under 0.01%
AI alone Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media. Not published
AI + software Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. Not published
AI + software Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues. 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 Write letters of recommendation for students. Not published
AI + software Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records. Not published
AI + software Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues. Not published
Not much Recruit and hire new faculty. Not published
Not much Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues. Not published
Not much Supervise students' laboratory work. Not published
Not much Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities. Not published
AI alone Write grant proposals to procure external research funding. Not published
AI + software Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head. Not published
AI + software Review books and journal articles for potential publication. 0.01%
Not much Participate in campus and community events. Not published
AI alone Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments. Not published
Not much Act as advisers to student organizations. Not published
Not much Supervise the clinical work of practicum students. Not published
Not much Provide clinical services to clients, such as assessing psychological problems and conducting psychotherapy. under 0.01%
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. 3 of the 29 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 29 tasks fall under 26 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.

Tasks AI could speed up17 of 29 tasksEloundou et al. ratings (2023)
Its activities among the 50 people ask AI for help with most8 of 26 activities
  • #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
  • #10 Write material for artistic or commercial purposes
  • #20 Present research or technical information
  • and 5 more, in the table below
Microsoft Copilot (2024), ranked among all 332 activities. The cut-off of 50 is ours.
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 14#74 34#36
Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise 408#4 247#8
Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance 2.31#189 0.62#188
Supervise personnel activities 0.56#266 0.05#283
Prepare informational or instructional materials 73#23 195#11
Teach academic or vocational subjects 22#54 143#14
Write material for artistic or commercial purposes 149#10 105#18
Present research or technical information 100#20 339#6
Show all 26 activities
Perform administrative or clerical activities 58#30 25#44
Compile records, documentation, or other data 52#33 33#37
Purchase goods or services 47#36 0.39#220
Select materials or equipment for operations or projects 45#38 19#49
Evaluate programs, practices, or processes 15#67 5.67#80
Promote products, services, or programs 14#72 85#20
Counsel others about personal matters 5.42#120 5.00#88
Plan events or programs 5.26#123 1.90#133
Evaluate scholarly work 4.55#134 1.06#165
Maintain operational records 2.92#170 0.49#209
Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures 2.52#181 2.47#121
Evaluate patient or client condition or treatment options 2.36#185 0.41#219
Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases 1.95#199 0.14#258
Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures 1.85#204 0.36#225
Prepare proposals or grant applications 1.47#214 0.60#190
Perform recruiting or hiring activities 0.99#237 0.43#217
Administer therapeutic treatments 0.89#242 0.05#280
Serve on organizational committees 0.21#294 0.04#288
Task: AI alone Task: AI + software Task: not much #: rank among all 332 activities Microsoft measured (#1 = most common; activities that never came up share last place, shown as “tied”)
Where the two sources differ: “Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance” holds 3 tasks rated AI + software, yet people asked AI for help with it in 2.31 of every 10,000 conversations, #189 of 332.

How people in this work use Claude

What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations

  • An explanation or answer27%
  • Teaching material17%
  • A document or report12%
  • Advice or a recommendation12%
  • A plan or strategy8%

How they worked with Claude

29% handed the task off71% worked on it together

15% 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 psychology 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.

AI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213 growingModerate151 of 206 growingHigh165 of 206 growingVery high141 of 206 growing11 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Click a dot to see that occupation.Psychology teachers, postsecondary: +4.0%Psychology Teachers, PostsecondaryAI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213Moderate151 of 206High165 of 206Very high141 of 20611 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Tap a dot.Psychology teachers, postsecondary: +4.0%Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary

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 5,059 moves out

  1. 1 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 9%
  2. 2 Mental Health Counselors 6%
  3. 3 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 5%
  4. 4 Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
  5. 5 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 4%

Where people moved in from

of 7,675 moves in

  1. 1 Mental Health Counselors 8%
  2. 2 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 6%
  3. 3 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 6%
  4. 4 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 5%
  5. 5 Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%

Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).

Education and training for the occupation

Education people in it hold

O*NET survey of workers in this occupation

  • 15% master's
  • 55% research doctorate
  • 31% post-doctoral training

O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 31 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”

Programs that prepare people for it (NCES)
35 programs, such as Psychology Teacher Education, Biopsychology and Behavioral Sciences.
See all
  • Psychology Teacher Education
  • Biopsychology
  • Behavioral Sciences
  • Thanatology
  • Psychology, General
  • Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics
  • Comparative Psychology
  • Developmental and Child Psychology
  • Experimental Psychology
  • Personality Psychology
  • Behavioral Neuroscience
  • Social Psychology
  • Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology
  • Developmental and Adolescent Psychology
  • Research and Experimental Psychology, Other
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Community Psychology
  • Counseling Psychology
  • Industrial and Organizational Psychology
  • School Psychology
  • Educational Psychology
  • Clinical Child Psychology
  • Environmental Psychology
  • Geropsychology
  • Health/Medical Psychology
  • Family Psychology
  • Forensic Psychology
  • Applied Psychology
  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Performance and Sport Psychology
  • Somatic Psychology
  • Transpersonal/Spiritual Psychology
  • Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology, Other
  • Psychology, Other
  • Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling

Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023

<5% this occupation

45.3% all occupations

By kindThis occupationAll occupations
a licensenot published
a certificationnot published
an educational certificatenot 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

These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide

See where your own career could go Start by uploading your resume Browse careers

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 · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)

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