Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Education, Training, and Library · SOC 25-1072 · O*NET 25-1072.00
Demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical units to nursing students. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary fall under the Education, Training, and Library category in the U.S. occupational classification. Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary earn a median salary of $80,250 per year, ranking in the top 26% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +17.1% job growth through 2035, projected to grow far faster than the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary earn?
The median annual wage for nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary is $80,250. That puts nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary at #219 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $48,800 |
| 25th percentile | $63,510 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $80,250 |
| 75th percentile | $101,090 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $129,500 |
Is nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary is +17.1%, projected to grow far faster than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 96K positions in 2024 to 112K in 2034, a net change of 16K. Very fast growth indicates significant talent shortages and unusually strong hiring momentum — often the most resilient outlook a teenager can plan toward.
What do nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as pharmacology, mental health nursing, and community health care practices.
- 2.Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
- 3.Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory and clinic work, assignments, and papers.
- 4.Demonstrate patient care in clinical units of hospitals.
- 5.Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
- 6.Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- 7.Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
- 8.Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
Top skills for nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary?
The standard path into nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents: what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
How to become nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary: step by step
The typical education and licensing pathway from high school into this profession. Total time to entry is about 11-17 years to tenure-track position (varies greatly by field). Steps marked optional are common for advancement but not required to start.
- 1
Bachelor's Degree in Subject Area
~4 yearsComplete a bachelor's degree in your intended teaching field. Strong GPA and research experience are crucial for PhD admission. Build relationships with professors for mentorship and recommendation letters.
- •Major in the subject you want to teach (Biology, English, History, etc.)
- •Strong undergraduate GPA (3.5+ for competitive PhD programs)
- •Research experience (work with professors on projects)
- •Strong relationships with faculty (for recommendation letters)
- •Consider graduate-level courses in senior year
- 2
Master's Degree in Subject Area
Optional~2 yearsSome students complete Master's before PhD, others enter PhD directly from bachelor's. Master's can be good exploration before PhD commitment. Community college teaching may only require Master's degree without PhD.
- •Advanced coursework in specialization
- •Master's thesis or research project
- •Teaching assistantships (if available)
- •May skip directly to PhD at some programs
- 3
Doctoral Degree (PhD) in Subject Area
~5 yearsComplete a PhD (or terminal degree for your field: MFA for arts, JD for law, MD for medicine). Takes 4-7 years on average. PhD students typically funded through teaching/research assistantships. Publishing and teaching experience during PhD are critical for faculty job market.
- •Advanced coursework and seminars
- •Comprehensive/qualifying exams
- •Original dissertation research
- •Teaching assistantships or instructor of record
- •Publish research papers in peer-reviewed journals
- •Present at academic conferences
- •Pass dissertation defense
- 4
Postdoctoral Research (Optional but Common)
Optional~2 yearsMany fields now expect 1-3 years of postdoctoral research before tenure-track faculty positions, especially in STEM. Humanities and social sciences vary. Postdocs strengthen research record and provide time to publish dissertation as book/articles.
- •Conduct advanced research at university or research institution
- •Publish additional papers
- •Build research network and collaborations
- •Gain teaching experience if PhD lacked it
- •Apply for faculty positions
- 5
Faculty Position
~6 yearsSecure faculty position (highly competitive). Tenure-track positions require teaching, research, and service. Achieve tenure after ~6 years as Assistant Professor. Community colleges emphasize teaching over research and may hire with Master's degree.
- •Assistant Professor (tenure-track) or Lecturer (non-tenure)
- •Teaching 2-4 courses per semester
- •Continue research and publishing
- •Service to department and university
- •Work toward tenure (typically 6 years as Assistant Professor)
- •Promotion to Associate Professor (with tenure), then Full Professor
Related careers your child might also consider
- Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary$79,940 median
- Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary$79,350 median
- English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary$78,760 median
- Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$78,620 median
- Communications Teachers, Postsecondary$78,580 median
- Postsecondary Teachers, All Other$77,640 median
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary
What is the median salary for nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary?
The median annual salary for nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary is $80,250 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary a growing career?
BLS projects +17.1% growth for nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary from 2025 through 2035, which is very fast growth projected to grow far faster than the US average.
What education does my child need to become nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary?
Related occupations within the Education, Training, and Library category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 release.