Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 25-1065

Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary

The published band from $56,450 to $174,660 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Law Teachers, Postsecondary.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary: Law Teachers, Postsecondary ($129K) , Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary ($85K) , Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary ($109K) , Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary ($99K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 25-1065 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as classical political thought, international relations…
  2. 2. Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional confe…
  3. 3. Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers
  4. 4. Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions
  5. 5. Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction
  6. 6. Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media
  7. 7. Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others
  8. 8. Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts
  9. 9. Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work
  10. 10. Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records
  11. 11. Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students
  12. 12. Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues

O*NET skills and knowledge for Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 25-1065 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Speaking 4.6
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.1
  3. 3. Active Listening 4.0
  4. 4. Writing 4.0
  5. 5. Active Learning 4.0
  6. 6. Instructing 4.0
  7. 7. Critical Thinking 3.9
  8. 8. Learning Strategies 3.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 4.6
  2. 2. Law and Government 4.5
  3. 3. Education and Training 4.3
  4. 4. History and Archeology 3.6
  5. 5. Sociology and Anthropology 3.3
  6. 6. Geography 3.0
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$56,450 to $174,660
median $98,070 · ~3.1× spread
$98K
National median
↑ +2%
Growth 2024-2034
1,600
Annual openings
16,970
Estimated US jobs
Law Teachers, Postsecondary
Highest-pay peer · $129K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary

1. Massachusetts $128,150
2. New Hampshire $124,110
3. Maryland $105,630
4. Michigan $107,060
5. California $124,890
6. Vermont $107,490
7. New York $104,050
8. Virginia $101,430
9. District of Columbia $102,310
10. Montana $109,050

Other Educational Instruction and Library Occupations titles

  1. 1. Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $109,270
  2. 2. Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary $98,700
  3. 3. Business Teachers, Postsecondary $99,080
  4. 4. Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary $85,020
  5. 5. Physics Teachers, Postsecondary $100,310
  6. 6. Law Teachers, Postsecondary $128,500

The OEWS band for Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary runs from $56,450 (10th) to $174,660 (90th), about 3.1× wide, with median $98,070. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +2% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,600 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Massachusetts at $128,150. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Law Teachers, Postsecondary at $128,500. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

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Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024–2034.

Dive into Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in Massachusetts

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in New Hampshire

Second-highest state pay

Law Teachers, Postsecondary

Highest-pay peer · $129K

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

Lower-pay peer · $85K

All Career Cards

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Highest-Paying Rankings

Top careers nationwide

Compare Side-by-Side

Head-to-head with another role
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Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

What do political science teachers, postsecondary do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary. Leading ones include: Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as classical political thought, international relations…; Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional confe…; Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers; Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for political science teachers, postsecondary? ▼
For SOC 25-1065, O*NET importance scores lead with Speaking (4.6), Reading Comprehension (4.1), Active Listening (4.0), Writing (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Law and Government, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How does Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary sit next to other Educational Instruction and Library Occupations titles? ▼
On this card, neighboring same-major-group titles include Law Teachers, Postsecondary, Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary, Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary, Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary. Among those peers, Law Teachers, Postsecondary holds the highest published national median ($128,500). Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary sits lower at $85,020. Peer titles are hash-ordered per card so adjacent SOC pages do not share an identical ladder.
What is the median salary for Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary? ▼
The median salary for Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary is $98,070 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 OEWS data). This means half of workers in this occupation earn more and half earn less. The full range is $56,450 (10th percentile) to $174,660 (90th percentile). For context beside Law Teachers, Postsecondary ($128,500), this role's median is the OEWS national figure above.
Is Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary a growing occupation? ▼
The BLS projects +2% employment change for Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary from 2024 to 2034. There are approximately 1,600 projected annual openings. This is about as fast as average relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%.
What education do you need to become a political science teachers, postsecondary? ▼
BLS assigns Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary to Doctoral or professional degree for typical education needed for entry. These occupation-level categories are not requirements for every employer or worker.
Which states pay political science teachers, postsecondary the most? ▼
The highest published state medians in this ranking for Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary are Massachusetts ($128,150), New Hampshire ($124,110), Maryland ($105,630). The table does not identify why state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

All federal data sources used on this page
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - wage estimates by area + occupation. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - occupation task statements (importance-ranked). onetcenter.org
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) - quarterly employment and wage totals by industry. bls.gov/cew
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for metro/state aggregates. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) - monthly nonfarm payroll baselines. bls.gov/ces
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context. irs.gov/statistics
  • BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) - unemployment context for labor-market comparisons. bls.gov/lau