State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Health Specialties Teacher, Postsecondary Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary is $107,310 a year, according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 17.3% through 2034, with about 27,400 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.
SOC 25-1071Educational Instruction and LibraryLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $107,310
- Projected growth
- +17.3%
- Openings a year
- 27,400
- Typical education
- Doctorate
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Clinical Professor, Instructor, Lecturer, Occupational Therapy Professor.
How much do Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary make?
10th percentile$59,270
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$75,690
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$107,310
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$210,370
Upper quartile
90th percentile$322,020
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $107,310 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | N/A |
| Mean annual wage | $147,570 |
| People employed | 221,270 |
Versus all US occupations
At $107,310, Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary earn 110% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $56,330 a year.
Versus educational instruction and library occupations
Inside the Educational Instruction and Library group, where the middle occupation pays $77,355, this is 39% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $322,020 or more while the bottom 10% earn $59,270, a gap of 5.4×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 84% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Utah pays the most at $168,060, and still leads at $169,991 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | $168,060 | $169,991 | 3,520 |
| District of Columbia | $167,520 | $152,428 | 1,460 |
| California | $165,110 | $149,124 | 17,350 |
| Washington | $137,520 | $128,508 | 4,510 |
| Mississippi | $137,220 | $157,809 | 1,890 |
| Colorado | $136,930 | $132,875 | 7,800 |
| New Mexico | $134,600 | $145,968 | 1,430 |
| Massachusetts | $134,520 | $127,197 | 10,250 |
| New York | $131,220 | $121,589 | 21,410 |
| Missouri | $130,490 | $143,685 | 5,700 |
Is Health Specialties Teacher, Postsecondary a growing career?
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary17.3%
All US occupations3.1%
+17.3% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary to change 17.3% over 2024–2034, roughly 5.6× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 50,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 27,400 openings are projected each year, 9.5% of the 289,600 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of postsecondary teachers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Projected employment of postsecondary teachers varies by occupation (see table). Both part-time and full-time postsecondary teachers are included in these projections.
The number of people attending postsecondary institutions is expected to grow over the projections decade. Students will continue to seek higher education to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to meet their career goals. As more people enter colleges and universities, more postsecondary teachers will be needed to serve these additional students. Colleges and universities are likely to hire more part-time teachers to meet this demand. In all disciplines, there is expected to be a limited number of full-time nontenure and full-time tenure positions.
How to become a Health Specialties Teacher, Postsecondary
Educational requirements vary with the subject taught and the type of educational institution. Typically, postsecondary teachers must have a Ph.D. or other doctoral degree in their field. However, a master's degree may be enough for some postsecondary teachers at community colleges. Other postsecondary teachers may need work experience in their field of expertise.
| Typical entry-level education | Doctoral or professional degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Considerable preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | Less than 5 years |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as health specialties teachers, postsecondary.
- Master's Degree35.9%
- Doctoral Degree24.9%
- Post-Doctoral Training19.1%
- Bachelor's Degree12.5%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)4.6%
What does a Health Specialties Teacher, Postsecondary do?
Teach courses in health specialties, in fields such as dentistry, laboratory technology, medicine, pharmacy, public health, therapy, and veterinary medicine.
Postsecondary teachers instruct students in a variety of academic subjects beyond the high school level. They may also conduct research and publish scholarly papers and books.
Day-to-day tasks
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
- Participate in campus and community events.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.1/5
- Speaking4.1/5
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Writing4.0/5
- Critical Thinking4.0/5
- Active Learning4.0/5
- Learning Strategies4.0/5
- Monitoring3.6/5
Transferable skills
- Instructing4.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.8/5
- Time Management3.8/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.3/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Persuasion3.0/5
- Negotiation3.0/5
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Compliance software
- Computer based training software
- Geographic information system
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Information retrieval or search software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Health Specialties Teacher, Postsecondary?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic3.3
Investigativeprimary5.4
Artistic3.0
Socialprimary7.0
Enterprising2.0
Conventionalprimary3.5
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Health Specialties Teacher, Postsecondary: frequently asked questions
How much do Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary make?
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary earn a median of $107,310 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 110% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. The middle half earn between $75,690 and $210,370. The top 10% earn $322,020 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Health Specialties Teacher, Postsecondary?
Yes, and beyond a bachelor's: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry requirement for Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary. Employers typically expect less than 5 years of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 35.9% hold master's degree.
Is Health Specialties Teacher, Postsecondary a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 17.3% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 27,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Health Specialties Teacher, Postsecondary do?
Postsecondary teachers instruct students in a variety of academic subjects beyond the high school level. A core O*NET task: keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary the most?
The highest state medians for Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary are Utah ($168,060), District of Columbia ($167,520), California ($165,110) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Health Specialties Teacher, Postsecondary?
O*NET scores Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary highest on the Social, Investigative and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are INFJ, ISFP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.