Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary: $103K vs $109K Median Pay

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

Consider Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary if you want to teach courses in the physical sciences, except chemistry and physics. Consider Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary if you would rather teach courses pertaining to the application of physical laws and principles of engineering for the development of machines, materials, instruments, processes, and services. Both list doctoral or professional degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary and Engineering 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

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $103,170
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: Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 800

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (12,000 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $109,270
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: Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 3,900

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary brief

How the national numbers differ

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on projected growth

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary is at 7.8% projected growth, compared with 2.4% projected growth for Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary.

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary is at 3,900 annual openings, compared with 800 annual openings for Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary.

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on median pay

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary is at $109,270, compared with $103,170 for Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary.

42.3/ 100

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

63.5/ 100

Engineering 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

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary

Dimension	Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary
Median pay (2025)	$103,170	$109,270
Pay percentile	85 percentile	87.6 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	2.4%	7.8%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	800	3,900
2025 employment	12,000	50,900
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 Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary brief Read Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary

How the national numbers differ

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on projected growth

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on median pay

Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary

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