Postsecondary Engineering Teachers: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Stan T.Career, Overview

Engineering Professors

Engineering Professors teach courses pertaining to the application of physical laws and principles of engineering for the development of machines, materials, instruments, processes, and services. Includes teachers of subjects such as chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, mineral, and petroleum engineering. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Salary
$114130
Becoming One
Very Hard
Education
Doctoral degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality
Interest Match



Job description

Postsecondary Engineering Teachers teach courses pertaining to the application of physical laws and principles of engineering for the development of machines, materials, instruments, processes, and services. Includes teachers of subjects such as chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, mineral, and petroleum engineering. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Evaluate and grade students’ class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
  • Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
Read more about what does a Postsecondary Engineering Teacher really do at work and what is it like being and working as one.



Salary

Average salary
$113680 per year


Engineering Professors with little to no experience tend to make between $52440 and $74810 while the more experienced ones can earn over $140030 per year.

Top 5 paying states Hourly Annual
RI $- $137,620
MA $- $135,140
CA $- $129,790
NY $- $127,010
NH $- $125,540

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Postsecondary Engineering Teacher is to move to a higher paying state like RI. Right now, the highest paying states for Engineering Professors are RI, MA, CA, NY and NH.

However, a higher pay at RI doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at RI might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Postsecondary Engineering Teacher is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.


Requirements

Recommended degree level
Doctoral degree

We asked other Engineering Professors what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a PhD followed by a Post-Master’s Certificate.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Engineering, General
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering
Agricultural Engineering
Architectural Engineering
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
Read more about how to become a Postsecondary Engineering Teacher and the degree, training and education you need.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Postsecondary Engineering Teacher.

PROS
Suitable for people who likes to help and teach others
Suitable for people who values achievements and are results-oriented
This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.
One of the highest paid careers in the world
CONS
Not suitable for people who likes to start and carry out projects
It is very hard to get into this career. Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience is required for this career.
Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week)

What is the job like

Job satisfaction
83%

Is this job meaningful
83%


83% of Engineering Professors said they were satisfied with their job and 83% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Monica Cox, Ph.D.
The Ohio State University

Every day is different. This semester I teach a three-hour graduate course, so I have to prepare for the class and engage with students in person. The rest of my work is done remotely since I have an unvaccinated child at home. I serve on a couple of departmental committees. One involves the admission and creation of graduate admission policies and the other is for the promotion and tenure of faculty in our department. I also oversee an entrepreneurial engineering project that explores ways to teach entrepreneurial-minded learning to undergraduate engineering students in my department. I am serving in a new role as the director of a college-wide postdoctoral programs that will bring scholars to my university in preparation for their becoming engineering faculty.

Before this, I was the first woman of color department chair in the college of engineering at my university (yes, like The Chair on Netflix). Those tasks were even more dramatic than the Netflix series, but that’s a conversation for another day. Please check out my Medium articles for the brutal details (https://drmonicacox.medium.com/).

Pros

Every day is different. I enjoy solving workplace problems so it’s great to be solutions-oriented in an environment that needs what I have to offer. I work with students and scholars who want to navigate higher education. My experiences as a faculty member and administrator help me guide people so they avoid unnecessary roadblocks.

Cons

I don’t like being one of the few women of color in my field. Working in a male-dominated industry means that I sometimes have to explain to others nuances of diversity, equity, and inclusion.. I often want to do my job and go home. The barriers that women of color face in technical environments are brutal so getting your mind right to work with that requires resilience that no person should need for a work environment.

Advice to aspiring Engineers

My advice for students who want to be engineers is to be comfortable working in teams. This career is not a solo one. Everything you do connects to others, so you must learn how to communicate effectively with people even if they are different from you.



Is this right for me

Best personality for this career
The Helpers and The Thinkers

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.



Learn more about Engineering Professors

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Related career information

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