Career profile · 25-1011
Business Teachers, Postsecondary
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 the work can involve
- 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.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This O*NET group commonly calls for extensive preparation, often including advanced education and significant experience. A related certificate or associate program should not be treated as sufficient qualification.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Learning Strategies
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
- Economics and Accounting
- Mathematics
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Training and Teaching Others
- Getting Information
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
- Working with Computers
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Contact with others most of the time | 51.7%08/2019 · sample 36 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Never | 72.4%08/2019 · sample 36 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 90.5%08/2019 · sample 36 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 100.0%08/2019 · sample 36 |
| Spend Time Sitting | More than half the time | 50.9%08/2019 · sample 36 |
| Spend Time Standing | Less than half the time | 48.0%08/2019 · sample 36 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Never | 67.5%08/2019 · sample 36 |
| Time Pressure | Once a month or more but not every week | 49.0%08/2019 · sample 36 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Never | 99.2%08/2019 · sample 36 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 79.5%08/2019 · sample 36 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Accounting software: Sage 50 Accounting
- Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics, SAS, StataCorp Stata
- Computer based training software: Almaris E-Learning Systems Financial Accounting Tutor, Blackboard Learn, Blackboard software, Course management system software
- Electronic mail software: Email software, Google Gmail, Microsoft Outlook
- Information retrieval or search software: DOC Cop, Google Scholar, iParadigms Turnitin
- Internet browser software: Web browser software
- Object or component oriented development software: R
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Optical character reader OCR or scanning software: Image scanning software
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
- Web platform development software: Hypertext markup language HTML
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for business teachers, postsecondary
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Doctoral or professional degree
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- None
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 51 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $82,170 | Not published | 1,260 |
| Alaska | $168,930 | Not published | 130 |
| Arizona | $81,600 | Not published | 1,240 |
| Arkansas | $64,620 | Not published | 450 |
| California | $128,470 | Not published | 5,290 |
| Colorado | $78,210 | Not published | 2,080 |
| Connecticut | $103,750 | Not published | 1,310 |
| Delaware | $130,370 | Not published | 280 |
| District of Columbia | $128,370 | Not published | 630 |
| Florida | $78,870 | Not published | 2,900 |
| Georgia | $82,820 | Not published | 1,940 |
| Hawaii | $76,860 | Not published | 390 |
| Idaho | $84,190 | Not published | 240 |
| Illinois | $94,770 | Not published | 3,580 |
| Indiana | $86,640 | Not published | 2,030 |
| Iowa | $83,200 | Not published | 890 |
| Kansas | $83,310 | Not published | 660 |
| Kentucky | $80,140 | Not published | 760 |
| Louisiana | $129,040 | Not published | 640 |
| Maine | $83,250 | Not published | 300 |
| Maryland | $126,560 | Not published | 2,280 |
| Massachusetts | $103,110 | Not published | 4,190 |
| Michigan | $111,190 | Not published | 2,240 |
| Minnesota | $95,820 | Not published | 980 |
| Mississippi | $75,680 | Not published | 530 |
| Missouri | $100,310 | Not published | 1,720 |
| Montana | $81,490 | Not published | 170 |
| Nebraska | $88,690 | Not published | 530 |
| Nevada | $98,920 | Not published | 400 |
| New Hampshire | $83,070 | Not published | 580 |
| New Jersey | $85,250 | Not published | 3,190 |
| New Mexico | $83,980 | Not published | 410 |
| New York | $104,490 | Not published | 7,480 |
| North Carolina | $79,600 | Not published | 2,960 |
| North Dakota | $110,050 | Not published | 250 |
| Ohio | $79,770 | Not published | 3,100 |
| Oklahoma | $82,060 | Not published | 770 |
| Oregon | $100,180 | Not published | 940 |
| Pennsylvania | $101,760 | Not published | 4,630 |
| Rhode Island | $103,820 | Not published | 360 |
| South Carolina | $78,830 | Not published | 1,500 |
| South Dakota | $72,650 | Not published | 260 |
| Tennessee | $85,950 | Not published | 1,260 |
| Texas | $101,210 | Not published | 7,710 |
| Utah | $115,870 | Not published | 460 |
| Vermont | $101,170 | Not published | 110 |
| Virginia | $103,860 | Not published | 2,450 |
| Washington | $100,390 | Not published | 1,190 |
| West Virginia | $104,480 | Not published | 420 |
| Wisconsin | $96,680 | Not published | 1,940 |
| Wyoming | $69,550 | Not published | 150 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 247 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
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Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 25-1011.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.