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Geography Teachers, Postsecondary

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeLower pressure

What they do

Teach courses in geography. 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.
  • Artistic: Creating, designing and expressing ideas through art, writing, music or performance.

Lower 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 $97,590 Median per year Most earn $52,550–$165,460

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
  • Act as advisers to student organizations.
  • Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.
  • Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.

Job outlook

United States
3% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 300 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 schools84.2%
  • Junior colleges15.5%

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

Experience before this job: 4 to 6 years

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: 4 to 6 years

This is not an entry-level job. Most people need a doctoral degree and several years of teaching and research experience, so the path usually takes more than a decade from the start of college. Much of that experience comes from graduate school.

  1. Bachelor's degree in Geography

    4 years

    You build a base in physical and human geography, mapping, and research methods, and you can explore research through class projects and fieldwork.

  2. Master's degree in Geography

    about 2 years

    This step is optional but common. It deepens your research skills, can strengthen applications to doctoral programs, and often includes early teaching or research assistant work.

  3. Doctoral degree (PhD) in Geography

    about 4-6 years

    You complete original research for a dissertation and usually teach as a teaching assistant or instructor, which builds the teaching and research experience employers look for.

  4. Visiting Assistant Professor or Adjunct Instructor

    1-2 years

    You teach your own geography courses on a temporary or part-time basis while publishing research and applying for permanent faculty jobs.

  5. Geography Professor

    You teach geography courses at a college or university, and in many roles you also do research and publish.

Where it can lead

  1. Associate Professor of Geography

    about 5-7 years as an Assistant Professor of experience first

    After earning tenure through strong teaching, research publications, and service, you take on more responsibility and often lead larger research projects.

  2. Department Chair (Geography)

    several years as a tenured professor of experience first

    You manage the geography department's courses, budget, faculty hiring, and planning, which adds leadership and administrative work to your teaching.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take AP Human Geography or AP Environmental ScienceThese courses introduce you to geography concepts and show whether you enjoy the subject enough to study it deeply.
  • Take statistics or the highest math class you canGeography research uses data analysis, so strong math skills will help in college and graduate school.
  • Join Model UN, a debate team, or a geography beeThese activities build research, writing, and public speaking skills that professors use every day.
  • Volunteer at a local museum, library, or historical societyWorking with maps, local history, or archives gives you real experience with how places are studied and explained.
  • Write regularly and get feedback on your writingStrong writing is essential for research papers and teaching, and you will need it throughout a long academic path.

In college

  • Major or minor in GeographyCore courses in physical and human geography give you the foundation you need for graduate study in the field.
  • Take GIS and research methods coursesGeographic Information Systems and research methods are core skills for geography research and make you a stronger graduate school applicant.
  • Work as a research assistant for a geography professorHelping with real research shows you how studies are designed, carried out, and published, and it builds the references you will need later.
  • Become a tutor or teaching assistantHelping other students learn is direct experience with teaching and makes your future teaching applications stronger.
  • Attend a student research conference or fieldwork coursePresenting your work or taking part in field research helps you build a record of achievement and connect with other students and professors.

Tips for getting started

  • Talk with geography professors at your college about their research and what their graduate students do day to day. Their advice can help you decide if a PhD is right for you.
  • Start teaching or tutoring early, such as being a peer tutor or helping in a class. Teaching experience is important for academic jobs.
  • Look for research opportunities with a professor and aim to present at a student conference or co-author a paper. This builds the publication record that graduate programs and faculty hiring committees look for.

Related jobs that often lead here

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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