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Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Teach courses pertaining to the application of physical laws and principles of engineering for the development of machines, materials, instruments, processes, and services. Includes teachers of subjects such as chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, mineral, and petroleum engineering. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Kinds of work

  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $109,270 Median per year Most earn $61,550–$210,370

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  • Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
  • Review manuscripts for professional journals.
  • Review manuscripts for professional journals.
  • Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as mechanics, hydraulics, and robotics.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
8% more jobs by 2035, much faster than average · about 3,900 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools92.1%
  • Junior colleges7.6%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: None

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeExperience before this job: NoneEntry-level

This is not an entry-level job. Most engineering professors need a doctoral degree, so the path usually takes about 8 to 10 years of education after high school. Many people go straight from a doctorate into teaching, though some first do postdoctoral research or work in industry.

  1. Bachelor's degree in engineering

    4 years

    You learn the core engineering principles (such as mechanical, electrical, or civil) and build a strong math and physics base, which you need before any advanced study.

  2. Master's and doctoral degree in engineering

    4-6 years

    You specialize in one area and do original research with a faculty advisor, which trains you to teach and to contribute new knowledge to your field.

  3. Engineering Teacher, Postsecondary

    Ongoing

    You teach engineering courses at a college or university, often while also doing research, and move up through ranks as you publish and teach.

Where it can lead

  1. Associate Professor

    5-7 years of experience first

    After several years of teaching and research, you usually earn tenure, which gives you job security and more say in courses and research directions.

  2. Full Professor

    5-10 years of experience first

    Full professors have a long record of published research, successful grant funding, and mentoring students, and they often lead major research projects.

  3. Architectural and Engineering Manager

    8-10 years of experience first

    Some engineering teachers with industry experience move into leading engineering teams or departments outside of academia, which usually requires a master's degree and years of leadership experience.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take advanced math and scienceCalculus, physics, and chemistry give you the foundation you will need for an engineering bachelor's degree.
  • Join a robotics or engineering clubBuilding and designing projects with a team teaches you how engineers solve problems and work together.
  • Tutor younger students in math or scienceExplaining ideas to others is an early way to discover whether you enjoy teaching.
  • Attend a summer engineering camp or programA summer program lets you try different engineering fields and meet people who work in them.

In college

  • Major in engineering and keep your grades strongA strong engineering bachelor's degree is required before you can enter a doctoral program.
  • Work as a research assistant in a professor's labResearch experience is a key part of graduate school applications and shows you what doing engineering research is like.
  • Become a teaching assistant or tutorHelping classmates or leading lab sections builds teaching skills and shows whether you enjoy explaining engineering to others.
  • Present at a student research or engineering conferenceSharing your work in public builds communication skills and helps you learn how research is presented to other experts.
  • Talk with engineering faculty about graduate schoolProfessors can explain what a doctoral program involves and help you choose a specialty and a school that fits your goals.

Tips for getting started

  • Get hands-on research experience early. Working in a professor's lab shows graduate programs that you can do the research and teaching work this career needs.
  • Look at industry experience as an option, too. A few years working as an engineer can strengthen your teaching with real-world examples and open more job options.
  • Practice explaining hard ideas to others. Tutoring, leading study groups, or being a teaching assistant builds the teaching skills this career depends on.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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