Postsecondary Teachers

How to become a Postsecondary Social Work Teacher

Official title: Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary

Also called: Adjunct Professor, Assistant Professor, Clinical Professor, Faculty Member, Field Education Coordinator, Professor, Social Work Associate Professor, Social Work Instructor, Social Work Lecturer, Social Work Professor

Teach courses in social work. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Main tasks

Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, or handouts.
Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
Supervise students' laboratory and field work.
Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as family behavior, child and adolescent mental health, or social intervention evaluation.
Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.

How to become one

Educational requirements vary by subject and the type of educational institution. Typically, postsecondary teachers must have a Ph.D. However, a master's degree may be enough for some postsecondary teachers at community colleges, and others may need work experience in their field of expertise.

Typical education to start: Doctoral or professional degree

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

College: Social Work & Community degrees, Offered by 11 universities in the US

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $77,570 a year The middle half earn $61,170 to $100,400.
About 16,000 people work in this job now, and about 16,400 are projected by 2035. (+2.6%)
People already use generative AI for a good share of this work, which usually changes the job more than it replaces it. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as high.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Postsecondary Social Work Teacher?

How much does a Postsecondary Social Work Teacher earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $77,570 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $61,170 to $100,400.

Is a Postsecondary Social Work Teacher a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 3% by 2035, from about 16,000 to about 16,400 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Postsecondary Social Work Teacher?

Usually. 94% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Postsecondary Social Work Teacher?

People already use generative AI for a good share of this work, which usually changes the job more than it replaces it. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as high.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.