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Colleges & Universities
Stanford University, University of Michigan, New York University
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary
These instructors teach communication courses at colleges and universities, but the job usually goes beyond lecturing. They also advise students, grade work, and often publish research, so the role sits at the intersection of teaching and scholarship. The tradeoff is clear: you get intellectual variety and academic freedom, but the pay and job security can lag behind the amount of education and publishing the field expects.
Also known as Communication ProfessorCommunications InstructorCommunication Studies ProfessorLecturer in CommunicationAssistant Professor of Communication
Median Salary
$77,800
Mean $90,340
U.S. Workforce
~29K
2.7K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+2.1%
35.8K to 36.6K
Entry Education
Doctoral or professional degree
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary sits in the Education category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~29K workers, with a median annual pay of $77,800 and roughly 2.7K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 35.8 K in 2024 to 36.6K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Master's Degree in Communication or a Related Field, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Graduate Teaching Assistant and can progress toward Full Professor / Department Chair. High-value skills usually include Learning Management Systems (Canvas, Blackboard & Moodle), Academic Research Databases (JSTOR, EBSCOhost & Google Scholar), and Microsoft Word, PowerPoint & Google Workspace, paired with soft skills such as Active Listening, Instructing, and Speaking.
Core Responsibilities
- Meet with students during office hours to help them choose classes, talk through assignments, and plan next steps after graduation.
- Lead class sessions, guide discussion, and explain communication concepts in a way students can actually use.
- Write, give, and grade exams, papers, presentations, and other course assignments.
- Study communication topics, analyze findings, and publish articles, books, or other research outputs.
Keep exploring: more Education careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Meet with students during office hours to help them choose classes, talk through assignments, and plan next steps after graduation.
02 Lead class sessions, guide discussion, and explain communication concepts in a way students can actually use.
03 Write, give, and grade exams, papers, presentations, and other course assignments.
04 Study communication topics, analyze findings, and publish articles, books, or other research outputs.
05 Work with other faculty members on course content, department issues, and research projects.
06 Keep up with changes in media, communication tools, and teaching methods by reading new research and attending conferences.
Industries That Hire
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Community Colleges
Miami Dade College, Houston Community College, Santa Monica College
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Online Higher Education
Southern New Hampshire University, Western Governors University, Arizona State University
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Corporate Learning & Development
IBM, Amazon, Deloitte
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Education Publishing & Assessment
Pearson, McGraw Hill, ETS
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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Pay is solid for academia, with mean annual pay at $90,340 and a median of $77,800.
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Once you are qualified, the role usually requires no prior work experience and no on-the-job training.
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The job is varied: you teach, advise students, grade work, and may also do research and publishing.
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There are about 2.7K annual openings, so vacancies appear regularly even in a slow-growing field.
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You stay close to new media, communication trends, and teaching methods instead of doing the same task all day.
Challenges
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The education bar is high; BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry requirement, which makes the path long and expensive.
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Job growth is only 2.1% from 2024 to 2034, so the field is not adding positions quickly.
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Many openings are contingent or adjunct roles rather than secure tenure-track jobs, which can mean lower pay and fewer benefits.
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The workload is structurally split between teaching, grading, advising, and research, so the job can feel overloaded even when the title sounds simple.
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Advancement can be slow because promotion often depends on publishing, service, and limited senior faculty openings.
Career Progression
Graduate Teaching Assistant
0-3 years
$35K-$48K
Supports a professor with discussion sections, grading, and student questions while finishing a graduate degree.
Lecturer / Adjunct Instructor
2-6 years
$49K-$68K
Teaches individual courses, handles office hours, and may juggle multiple part-time appointments across campuses.
Communications Teacher, Postsecondary THIS ROLE
5-12 years
$72K-$92K
Designs and teaches courses, advises students, grades work, and may also publish research in the field.
Associate Professor of Communication
10-18 years
$95K-$125K
Carries a heavier research and service load, mentors junior faculty, and often takes on more advanced courses.
Full Professor / Department Chair
15+ years
$130K-$170K
Leads research, teaches selected courses, and may manage hiring, budgets, curriculum, and department strategy.
Education Paths
Master's Degree in Communication or a Related Field
This is the most common path, held by 70.85% of workers in the occupation.
Doctoral Degree in Communication, Media Studies, or Rhetoric
A strong alternative for research-heavy or tenure-track roles; 17.38% of workers in the occupation hold a doctoral degree.
Post-Doctoral Training
Some faculty continue with post-doctoral training after the PhD; 10.79% of workers in the occupation report this level of preparation.
Post-Master's Certificate in College Teaching or Instructional Design
A useful non-degree option for people who already have a graduate degree and want to strengthen teaching credentials.
Key Skills
Technical
Learning Management Systems (Canvas, Blackboard & Moodle) 82%
Academic Research Databases (JSTOR, EBSCOhost & Google Scholar) 80%
Microsoft Word, PowerPoint & Google Workspace 78%
SPSS, Excel & Basic Statistics 76%
Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey & Survey Design 74%
Turnitin, Gradescope & Digital Grading Tools 72%
Soft Skills
Active ListeningInstructingSpeakingReading ComprehensionWritingCritical Thinking Job Outlook and Trends
+2.1%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
2.7K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 35.8K to 36.6 K over the next decade, representing 2.1% growth. Around 2.7 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Limited. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.