Careers / Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$100,310
United States, 2025
Employment
13,090
United States, 2025
Typical education
Doctoral Degree
Job Zone 5
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 25-1054.00
- Job zone
- 5
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$60,200
25th percentile
$74,050
75th percentile
$132,650
90th percentile
$177,850
Most important skills
- Instructing4.3
- Science4.1
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Speaking4.1
- Writing4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Active Learning4.0
- Learning Strategies4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8
- Mathematics3.6
- Monitoring3.6
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 19 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
19
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 | 5.0 | Not selected | 5.0 |
| Speaking | 4.1 | 5.0 | Not selected | 5.0 |
| Writing | 4.0 | 5.0 | Not selected | 5.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.9 | Not selected | 4.9 |
| Science | 4.1 | 4.6 | Not selected | 4.6 |
| Instructing | 4.3 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 4.6 | Not selected | 4.6 |
| Active Learning | 4.0 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Learning Strategies | 4.0 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Mathematics | 3.6 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.6 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.6 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Time Management | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Physics Teachers, PostsecondaryHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | $172,510 | 440 | 2025 |
| College Station, TX | $167,090 | 80 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $152,190 | 120 | 2025 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | $141,400 | 80 | 2025 |
| CA | $139,420 | 1,130 | 2025 |
| Riverside, CA | $139,400 | 60 | 2025 |
| Lexington, KY | $138,980 | 50 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $133,360 | 70 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $132,790 | 80 | 2025 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $130,310 | 160 | 2025 |
| Lincoln, NE | $128,750 | 50 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $128,640 | 510 | 2025 |
| Amherst Town, MA | $114,880 | 60 | 2025 |
| Buffalo, NY | $114,590 | 50 | 2025 |
| CT | $112,410 | 260 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $111,460 | 160 | 2025 |
| MA | $111,280 | 680 | 2025 |
| MD | $110,980 | 300 | 2025 |
| MI | $109,090 | 460 | 2025 |
| NM | $108,850 | 70 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Physics Teachers, Postsecondary to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.