Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other
SOC Code: 25-1069.00
Education & LibraryPostsecondary social sciences teachers not listed separately teach courses across political science, economics, geography, anthropology, international relations, urban studies, and related disciplines at colleges and universities nationwide. These faculty members shape students' understanding of complex human systems, societal structures, and political and economic forces that govern everyday life. They contribute to their institutions through teaching, scholarly research and publication, and service on committees that govern academic programs and community engagement initiatives. Many hold specializations that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary social science inquiry. The role offers the intellectual freedom to pursue research agendas, mentor future scholars, and engage with pressing societal questions through an academic lens.
Salary Overview
Median
$75,040
25th Percentile
$59,550
75th Percentile
$105,390
90th Percentile
$176,350
Salary Distribution
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Growth Rate
+1.7%
New Openings
1,500
Outlook
Slower than average
Education Requirements
Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree
A Day in the Life
A typical faculty workday is rarely typical — the most common structure involves distributing time across teaching, research, advising, and service responsibilities. Teaching days involve preparing and delivering lectures or facilitating seminar discussions, engaging students in analysis of data, policy, or theory. Office hours bring student consultations on coursework, research projects, and career advice. Research days are spent reading literature, writing manuscripts, analyzing data, or conducting fieldwork relevant to the faculty member's scholarly interests. Administrative responsibilities including faculty meetings, curriculum review, graduate student supervision, and peer reviewing manuscripts for journals fill remaining hours throughout the week.
Work Environment
Faculty work is centered on university campuses, splitting time between classrooms or seminar rooms and research or faculty offices. The environment is intellectually stimulating but can be isolating for early-career researchers building their publication record and establishing a scholarly identity. Academic calendars provide structured semester teaching cycles with research-intensive periods during summer and between semesters, offering flexibility not found in most other professions. Committee work, email communication, and graduate student advising consume significant informal working time outside of stated office hours. The academic job market's concentration in major metropolitan research universities can constrain geographic flexibility in career placement.
Career Path & Advancement
The standard career path begins with a doctoral degree (PhD or EdD) in a relevant social science discipline, often taking five to seven years beyond the bachelor's degree. Postdoctoral fellowships or visiting assistant professor positions are common intermediate steps before securing a tenure-track appointment. The pre-tenure period typically lasts five to six years, during which faculty must demonstrate teaching effectiveness and establish a recognized research program through publications and grants to earn tenure. Associate professors with tenure can pursue promotion to full professor through continued scholarly productivity and institutional leadership. Some faculty move into administrative roles as department chairs, deans, or academic program directors, while others pursue policy advisory or consulting work alongside their academic careers.
Specializations
Political economy faculty bridge political science and economics, examining how political institutions and economic systems interact in shaping policy and resource distribution. Human geography and urban studies specialists focus on space, place, and the social dynamics of cities, regions, and global spatial systems. International relations and comparative politics faculty engage students in the study of global governance, diplomacy, conflict, and comparative political systems across nations. Development studies or global studies faculty teach the interdisciplinary examination of economic development, poverty, inequality, and globalization in low- and middle-income countries.
Pros & Cons
Advantages
- ✓Intellectual freedom to pursue research questions in areas of personal scholarly interest
- ✓Tenure provides exceptional employment security after successful review
- ✓Academic calendar provides concentrated non-teaching periods for research and travel
- ✓Opportunity to shape future generation of students and future social science scholars
- ✓Respected professional identity with access to scholarly communities and global networks
- ✓Teaching across multiple disciplines keeps faculty intellectually engaged and versatile
- ✓Many universities offer competitive benefits including retirement contributions and health coverage
Challenges
- ✗Extremely competitive job market — far more doctoral graduates than available tenure-track positions
- ✗Doctoral training takes five to eight years with modest stipends before achieving full salary
- ✗Pre-tenure pressure to publish creates significant stress over a multi-year evaluation period
- ✗Adjunct faculty positions are common but often poorly compensated and benefit-free
- ✗Geographic constraints — faculty must relocate wherever positions are available
- ✗Administrative service responsibilities consume time that competes with research and teaching
- ✗Career path inside academia is very linear — leaving mid-career for non-academic options requires effort
Industry Insight
The academic job market in the social sciences remains highly competitive, with tenure-track positions scarce relative to the number of doctoral graduates seeking them, driving significant reliance on contingent non-tenure-track faculty. Growing student interest in political science, economics, and related disciplines tied to current events has maintained enrollment in these departments, sustaining demand for instruction. Technology integration — including online course delivery, flipped classroom models, and computational methods in research — is reshaping how faculty teach and conduct research. Interdisciplinary programs in data science, policy analysis, and global affairs are creating new faculty positions at the intersection of traditional social science departments. Alternative academic and industry careers in policy research, think tanks, government analysis, and data science are drawing increasing numbers of social science doctoral graduates away from traditional faculty pathways.
How to Break Into This Career
A doctoral degree in the relevant discipline is a near-universal requirement; top research university positions are extremely competitive and typically require a strong publication record and external fellowship or grant history. Teaching-focused institutions, community colleges, and regional comprehensive universities offer more accessible pathways for candidates with strong pedagogical skills and emerging research records. Adjunct or lecturer positions are commonly the initial entry point, though the precarity of non-tenure-track employment is a well-documented challenge in the broader academic profession. Building a strong dissertation into publications, presenting at professional conferences, and developing a clear research identity are the key success factors for tenure-track job seekers. Graduate assistantships, teaching experience, and research fellowships during doctoral training are the most important credentials to develop.
Career Pivot Tips
Social science faculty who develop applied research and policy advisory experience alongside their academic work are well positioned for senior roles in government agencies, international organizations, and research think tanks. Those with strong quantitative skills and a publication record in economics or political economy can be competitive for economist roles in federal agencies, the Federal Reserve, the World Bank, or the International Monetary Fund. Faculty who enjoy the teaching dimension most can transition to high school teaching with relevant licensure, or pursue curriculum development and education policy work. Public-facing writing, journalism, and communication roles at policy organizations are accessible to faculty who cultivate relationships with media and advocacy communities. Those departing academia for industry often find strongest fit in market research, data analysis, corporate strategy, or management consulting with demonstrated quantitative and analytical skills.