Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary: Similar Median Pay, Different Work

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

Consider Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary if you want to teach courses in childcare, family relations, finance, nutrition, and related subjects pertaining to home management. Consider Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary if you would rather teach courses pertaining to recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, including exercise physiology and facilities management. Both list doctoral or professional degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary and Recreation and Fitness Studies 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

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $75,870
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: Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, projects, assignments, and papers.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 200

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (3,400 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $77,270
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: Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,000

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (15,200 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary brief

How the national numbers differ

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary is at 1,000 annual openings, compared with 200 annual openings for Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary.

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Compare actual offers, expected paid hours, schedule, and benefits before treating either career as the higher-paying option.

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on projected growth

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary is at 2.4% projected growth, compared with 2.2% projected growth for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary.

32.8/ 100

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

37.9/ 100

Recreation and Fitness Studies 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

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

Dimension	Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
Median pay (2025)	$75,870	$77,270
Pay percentile	65.7 percentile	67.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	2.4%	2.2%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	200	1,000
2025 employment	3,400	15,200
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 Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary brief Read Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

How the national numbers differ

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on projected growth

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

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