Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary
Teach courses pertaining to the chemical and physical properties and compositional changes of substances. Work may include providing instruction in the methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis.
- Median annual earnings
- $84,440
- Projected change
- +9.1%
- Typical education
- Doctoral degree or more
- Employment
- 1.78M jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
56.6% of the workforce
Growing to 1.94M by 2035
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Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
The work
What chemistry teachers, postsecondary do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and chemical separation.
- Establish, teach, and monitor students' compliance with safety rules for handling chemicals, equipment, and other hazardous materials.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory performance, assignments, and papers.
- Supervise students' laboratory work.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction.
- Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
- Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.
- Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
- Select, order, and maintain materials and supplies for teaching and research, such as textbooks, chemicals, and laboratory equipment.
- Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
- Write letters of recommendation for students.
- Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
- Prepare and submit required reports related to instruction.
- Clean laboratory facilities.
- Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
- Serve on committees or in professional societies.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $49,147
- 25th percentile
- $62,814
- 50th percentile
- $84,440
- 75th percentile
- $118,952
- 90th percentile
- $175,749
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $84,440 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
162,202 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Doctoral degree or more
- 56.6%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 35.3%
- Bachelor's degree
- 7.9%
- Some college
- 0.3%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Adjunct Chemistry Faculties412 postings
- 02Chemistry Faculties202 postings
- 03Chemistry Lecturers164 postings
- 04Biochemists66 postings
- 05Adjunct Professors of Chemistry62 postings
- 06Adjunct Chemistry Instructors57 postings
- 07Professors of Chemistry41 postings
- 08Assistant Professors of Biochemistry38 postings
- 09Chemistry Instructors34 postings
- 10Adjunct Faculties17 postings
- 11Associate Professors of Chemistry17 postings
- 12Lecturers16 postings
- 13Chemistry Scientists14 postings
- 14Non-Tenure Track Faculties14 postings
- 15Open Rank Faculties14 postings
- 16Adjunct Lecturers13 postings
- 17Biology Adjunct Faculties13 postings
- 18Organic Chemists13 postings
- 19Molecular Biologists12 postings
- 20Chemistry Managers10 postings
Top employers
- 01Herc42 postings
- 02Lone Star College System22 postings
- 03The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley20 postings
- 04Tennessee Board of Regents18 postings
- 05Alamo Colleges District16 postings
- 06Roger Williams University School of Law14 postings
- 07University of Miami14 postings
- 08Fairleigh Dickinson University12 postings
- 09Grand Canyon University12 postings
- 10Brigham Young University11 postings
- 11California State University-Chancellors Office10 postings
- 12Massachusetts College Of Pharmacy And Health Sciences10 postings
- 13Northeastern University10 postings
- 14Pennsylvania State University10 postings
- 15The University of Texas at Dallas10 postings
- 16Bard College9 postings
- 17Florida Gulf Coast University9 postings
- 18Macomb Community College9 postings
- 19Bellarmine University8 postings
- 20Prince George's Community College8 postings
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