Education & Library
Business Teachers, Postsecondary
Also called: Accounting Instructor, Accounting Professor, Associate Professor, Business Administration Professor
US median pay
$99,080
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+5.9%
faster than average
Openings a year (US)
7,600
103,600 employed
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
Preparation 5/5 · Extensive preparation
What this job is
Teach courses in business administration and management, such as accounting, finance, human resources, labor and industrial relations, marketing, and operations research. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
What they do day to day
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as financial accounting, principles of marketing, and operations management.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional organizations and conferences.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Instructing4.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.5/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4/5
- Time Management3.2/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.2/5
- Systems Evaluation3.1/5
- Systems Analysis3.1/5
- Coordination3.0/5
Knowledge
- English Language4.6/5
- Education and Training4.5/5
- Administration and Management4.1/5
- Economics and Accounting4.0/5
- Mathematics3.9/5
- Law and Government3.8/5
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:
- Doctoral degree73%
- Master's degree20%
Who this job suits
Mostly Social
Helping, teaching and caring for people
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Enterprising
Leading, persuading and starting things
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.