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Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeLower pressure

What they do

Teach courses in sociology. 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 $84,290 Median per year Most earn $49,930–$160,140

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Act as advisers to student organizations.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as race and ethnic relations, measurement and data collection, and workplace social relations.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.

Job outlook

United States
2% more jobs by 2035, slower than average · about 1,000 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 schools80.2%
  • Junior colleges19.7%

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

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 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: 2 to 4 years

This is not an entry-level job. Most people need a doctoral degree and 2 to 4 years of related work, such as teaching or research, before they become a sociology professor. Counting school, the path usually takes roughly 10 to 14 years after high school.

  1. Bachelor's degree in sociology or a related social science

    4 years

    You take core sociology courses, research methods, and statistics, which build the foundation for graduate study.

  2. Doctoral program (PhD) in sociology

    4-6 years

    You take advanced theory and research courses, often work as a teaching assistant, and write a dissertation based on original research.

  3. Postdoctoral researcher or adjunct/visiting instructor

    2-4 years

    You publish research, teach your own courses, and build the record of teaching and scholarship that colleges look for when hiring faculty.

  4. Sociology Teacher, Postsecondary

    Ongoing

    You teach sociology courses at a college or university, and may split your time between teaching and research.

Where it can lead

  1. Tenured Professor of Sociology

    5-7 years as a tenure-track faculty member of experience first

    After earning tenure through strong teaching, research, and service, you gain long-term job security and more freedom to set your research agenda.

  2. Department Chair

    5+ years as a tenured professor of experience first

    You lead a sociology department, handling budgets, hiring, curriculum, and coordinating faculty, which requires strong leadership and administrative skills.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take social studies and English classesStrong reading and writing skills help you understand dense research and communicate your ideas clearly.
  • Take statistics or the highest-level math you canSociology relies heavily on data, so comfort with numbers will help in college and graduate school.
  • Join debate, Model UN, or a school newspaperThese activities build the research, argument, and public speaking skills you will use as a professor.
  • Volunteer with a community group or local organizationWorking with people from different backgrounds gives you real-world experience with the social issues sociologists study.
  • Read introductory sociology or social science booksExploring the field now helps you learn whether you enjoy the questions sociologists ask.

In college

  • Major in sociology and take research methods and statisticsThese courses build the core skills graduate programs expect and prepare you for independent research.
  • Work as an undergraduate research assistantHelping a professor collect or analyze data gives you research experience and often a strong letter of recommendation.
  • Become a tutor, peer mentor, or teaching assistantHelping other students learn gives you early teaching experience, which matters for faculty jobs.
  • Present at a campus research symposium or conferenceSharing your work in public builds confidence and shows graduate programs that you can do original research.
  • Build strong relationships with professorsFaculty mentors can guide you toward graduate programs and write the letters that help you get in.

Tips for getting started

  • Focus on research methods and statistics early. Graduate programs in sociology look closely at these skills.
  • Ask professors about research assistant jobs or independent projects. Working on real research is one of the best ways to prepare for a PhD.
  • Get teaching experience when you can, such as tutoring or serving as a peer mentor. Academic jobs value teaching as much as research.

Related jobs that often lead here

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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