Communications Teachers, Postsecondary

Teach courses in communications, such as organizational communications, public relations, radio/television broadcasting, and journalism. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Speaking
Instructing
Active Listening
Writing
Learning Strategies
Active Learning
Critical Thinking

Key knowledge

Communications and Media
English Language
Education and Training
Customer and Personal Service
Law and Government
Computers and Electronics
Telecommunications
Administrative

What the work involves

Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as public speaking, media criticism, and oral traditions.
Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Social, Investigative, Artistic.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Master's Degree (70.9% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (33.3%)
On-the-job training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (41.7%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Communications Teachers, Postsecondary is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	High	Higher on contact with others than 62% of occupations compared	58% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Low	Lower on dealing with the public than 60% of occupations compared	26% of surveyed respondents chose “Important”
Teamwork	Low	Lower on teamwork than 65% of occupations compared	46% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Freedom to make decisions	High	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 62% of occupations compared	46% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Moderate	Higher on time pressure than 58% of occupations compared	50% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	High	Higher on conflict situations than 75% of occupations compared	42% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	High	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 72% of occupations compared	33% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	Low	Lower on consequence of error than 78% of occupations compared	50% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: moderate
Conflict situations: high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: high
Consequence of error: low

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions