Careers / Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary

Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

Opens your browser print dialog — choose “Save as PDF”.

Median annual wage

$98,070

United States, 2025

Employment

16,970

United States, 2025

Typical education

Doctoral Degree

Job Zone 5

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Teach 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.

O*NET code
25-1065.00
Job zone
5
Experience required
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

Typical tasks

  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as classical political thought, international relations, and democracy and citizenship.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$56,450
10th
$73,260
25th
$98,070
Median
$129,130
75th
$174,660
90th

10th percentile

$56,450

25th percentile

$73,260

75th percentile

$129,130

90th percentile

$174,660

Most important skills

  • Speaking4.6
  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Writing4.0
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Active Learning4.0
  • Instructing4.0
  • Critical Thinking3.9
  • Learning Strategies3.9
  • Complex Problem Solving3.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.3
  • Social Perceptiveness3.1
  • Coordination3.1

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 16 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

16

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

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Speaking4.65.0Not selected5.0
Reading Comprehension4.14.9Not selected4.9
Writing4.04.9Not selected4.9
Instructing4.04.3Not selected4.3
Active Listening4.04.0Not selected4.0
Active Learning4.04.0Not selected4.0
Critical Thinking3.94.1Not selected4.1
Learning Strategies3.94.0Not selected4.0
Complex Problem Solving3.84.0Not selected4.0
Judgment and Decision Making3.33.8Not selected3.8
Social Perceptiveness3.13.5Not selected3.5
Monitoring3.03.6Not selected3.6
Persuasion3.13.1Not selected3.1
Coordination3.13.0Not selected3.0
Time Management3.03.1Not selected3.1
Service Orientation3.03.1Not selected3.1

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Riverside, CA$150,940702025
Ann Arbor, MI$137,4301402025
Boston, MA$131,6906702025
Sacramento, CA$131,440702025
Fresno, CA$128,820302025
MA$128,1509202025
San Francisco, CA$128,050602025
College Station, TX$126,2401302025
CA$124,8901,0602025
NH$124,110902025
Lexington, KY$121,300402025
Los Angeles, CA$119,5904202025
San Jose, CA$118,9501202025
McAllen, TX$111,030702025
MT$109,0502025
Burlington, VT$107,490402025
VT$107,490802025
Seattle, WA$107,1703102025
New York, NY$107,0701,2202025
Grand Rapids, MI$107,060302025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career 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.