Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary vs English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary: $85K vs $79K Median Pay

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary vs English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

Consider Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary if you want to teach courses pertaining to the culture and development of an area, an ethnic group, or any other group, such as Latin American studies, women's studies, or urban affairs. Consider English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary if you would rather teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. Both list doctoral or professional degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary and English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $85,020
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,000

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (14,300 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary brief

English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $78,760
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Teach writing or communication classes.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 4,500

Know before you choose

BLS projects essentially flat employment (0%) through 2035. Annual openings mostly reflect replacement, not a rapidly expanding field.

See the full English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary brief

How the national numbers differ

English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary is at 4,500 annual openings, compared with 1,000 annual openings for Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary.

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on projected growth

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary is at 2.7% projected growth, compared with 0% projected growth for English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary.

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on median pay

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary is at $85,020, compared with $78,760 for English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary.

41.9/ 100

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

44.6/ 100

English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary vs English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

Dimension	Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary	English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
Median pay (2025)	$85,020	$78,760
Pay percentile	76 percentile	70.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	2.7%	0%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	1,000	4,500
2025 employment	14,300	69,300
How you qualify	Doctoral or professional degree	Doctoral or professional degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 5
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary brief Read English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary vs English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

How the national numbers differ

English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on projected growth

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on median pay

Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary vs English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

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