Geography Teachers, Postsecondary
Teach courses in geography. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
- 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
80.7% 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 geography teachers, postsecondary do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as urbanization, environmental systems, and cultural geography.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
- Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
- Supervise students' laboratory and field work.
- Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
- Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.
- Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
- Perform spatial analysis and modeling using geographic information system techniques.
- Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
- Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.
- Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
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
- 80.7%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 19.3%
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.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- 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.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- 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.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- 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.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Adjunct Faculties159 postings
- 02Geography Teachers32 postings
- 03Geography Instructors25 postings
- 04Geographers23 postings
- 05Adjunct Instructors22 postings
- 06Accounting Adjunct Faculties20 postings
- 07Adjuncts17 postings
- 08Environmental Science Lecturers10 postings
- 09Geology Instructors8 postings
- 10Science Faculties8 postings
- 11Faculty Interns7 postings
- 12Anthropology Adjunct Professors6 postings
- 13Faculties6 postings
- 14Faculty Lecturers6 postings
- 15Professors of Geography6 postings
- 16Adjunct College Professors5 postings
- 17Department Chairs5 postings
- 18Environmental Sustainability Managers5 postings
- 19Accounting Faculties4 postings
- 20Adjunct Accounting Instructors4 postings
Top employers
- 01College of the Sequoias50 postings
- 02Tennessee Board of Regents31 postings
- 03Alamo Colleges District18 postings
- 04Virginia Community College System17 postings
- 05Metropolitan Community College Area12 postings
- 06Northwest Vista College11 postings
- 07Pellissippi State Community College11 postings
- 08Blue Ridge Community College10 postings
- 09Framingham State University10 postings
- 10Herc9 postings
- 11Foothill-De Anza Community College District8 postings
- 12Foothill-De Anza Foundation8 postings
- 13Lone Star College System8 postings
- 14California State University-Chancellors Office7 postings
- 15California State University-Fullerton7 postings
- 16Mount Wachusett Community College7 postings
- 17Victor Valley College6 postings
- 18Appalachian State University5 postings
- 19California State University-Stanislaus5 postings
- 20DePaul University5 postings
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