Education & Library
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
Also called: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Astronomy Professor, Atmospheric Sciences Professor
US median pay
$103,170
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+2.4%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
800
12,000 employed
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
Preparation 5/5 · Extensive preparation
What this job is
Teach courses in the physical sciences, except chemistry and physics. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching, and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
What they do day to day
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as structural geology, micrometeorology, and atmospheric thermodynamics.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Supervise laboratory work and field work.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- 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.
- Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Instructing4.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.8/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.5/5
- Systems Analysis3.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Systems Evaluation3.0/5
- Service Orientation3.0/5
Knowledge
- Education and Training4.7/5
- English Language4.5/5
- Mathematics4.3/5
- Physics3.9/5
- Chemistry3.8/5
- Computers and Electronics3.6/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 5 of 5 — Extensive preparation. Usually a graduate degree (master's, PhD, MD, JD) and extensive experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Doctoral or professional degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Master's degree46%
- Doctoral degree29%
- Post-doctoral training16%
Who this job suits
Mostly Social
Helping, teaching and caring for people
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.