Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary
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.
Most important skills
- Speaking
- Learning Strategies
- Instructing
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Critical Thinking
Key knowledge
- Engineering and Technology
- Design
- Computers and Electronics
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Physics
- Education and Training
- Mechanical
What the work involves
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as mechanics, hydraulics, and robotics.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
- 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.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Social, Investigative, Realistic.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Doctoral Degree (58.6% of respondents)
- Related experience
- None (52.1%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (22.1%)
- 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 Engineering 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.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Low | Lower on contact with others than 61% of occupations compared | 54% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Very low | Lower on dealing with the public than 82% of occupations compared | 32% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all” |
| Teamwork | Very low | Lower on teamwork than 86% of occupations compared | 41% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very high | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 86% of occupations compared | 74% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Low | Lower on time pressure than 72% of occupations compared | 57% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Conflict situations | High | Higher on conflict situations than 63% of occupations compared | 82% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Very low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 87% of occupations compared | 86% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | Low | Lower on consequence of error than 72% of occupations compared | 41% of surveyed respondents chose “Serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: low
- Conflict situations: high
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very low
- 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
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 5.2%
- Contact with others about half the time: 17.71%
- Contact with others most of the time: 23.5%
- Constant contact with others: 53.6%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2019
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 31.97%
- Fairly important: 24.33%
- Important: 19.84%
- Very important: 12.62%
- Extremely important: 11.24%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2019
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 19.84%
- Important: 15.99%
- Very important: 41.46%
- Extremely important: 22.71%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2019
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 0%
- Limited freedom: 15.9%
- Some freedom: 10.28%
- A lot of freedom: 73.82%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2019
Time pressure
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 0.47%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 57.08%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 29.82%
- Every day: 12.63%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2019
Conflict situations
- Never: 0.19%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 7.59%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 81.52%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 10.69%
- Every day: 0%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2019
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 86.08%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 11.22%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 2.7%
- Every day: 0%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2019
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 15.77%
- Fairly serious: 30.81%
- Serious: 40.98%
- Very serious: 9.92%
- Extremely serious: 2.52%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2019
Is this career right for me? Find jobs with conditions you prefer
Where people with this background could move
- Analyze
Atmospheric and Space Scientists
Closeness 91/100 · job zone -1
- Analyze
Astronomers
Closeness 91/100
- Analyze
Validation Engineers
Closeness 90/100 · job zone -1
- Analyze
Wind Energy Engineers
Closeness 90/100 · job zone -1
- Analyze
Geographers
Closeness 89/100 · job zone -1
- Analyze
Geneticists
Closeness 89/100
Find more alternativesCompare skills with another job
O*NET-SOC 25-1032.00 · SOC 25-1032 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8