Education
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
Teach courses pertaining to the laws of matter and energy. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Median salary (BLS)
$100,310
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$60k – $178k
Job outlook
+3% (about average)
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $85,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
Education
Typical entry: Master's degree
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
Entry / Junior
$60,200
~2 yrs to advance
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
Established
$100,310
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
Senior
$139,080
Key skills
A typical day
- •Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
- •Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- •Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- •Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as quantum mechanics, particle physics, and optics.
- •Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Education
Explore all- University of Michigan18% admit · $87,000 grad pay
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill19% admit · $73,000 grad pay
- University of Wisconsin–Madison49% admit · $72,000 grad pay
- Vanderbilt University7% admit · $88,000 grad pay
- University of Virginia19% admit · $85,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.