Indiana·Educational Instruction and Library Occupations·SOC 25-1054

Best Physics Teacher, Postsecondary programs in Indiana, ranked by enrollment

Teach courses pertaining to the laws of matter and energy.

25 schools in Indiana run programs that feed this job, graduating 330 people a year. The job pays a median of $102,970 in Indiana across about 270 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledProfessorInstructorPhysics ProfessorPhysics InstructorTeacherLecturerPhysics LecturerAcoustics Teacher
Graduates / yr
330
in Indiana
Median pay · Indiana
$102,970
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
270
people employed
Schools
25
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
62%
across those schools
Median net price
$20,836
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Indiana that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

6 programs in Indiana that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Indiana (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Indiana page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 40.0801In Indiana
252
76.4%
20$47,156$23,490
2
CIP 13.1316In Indiana
37
11.2%
3$43,033$26,044
3
CIP 51.2205In Indiana
20
6.1%
2$36,762$25,076
4
CIP 13.1329In Indiana
15
4.5%
1$43,033$26,044
5
CIP 40.0299In Indiana
5
1.5%
1$39,728$24,678
6
CIP 40.0810In Indiana
1
0.3%
1$47,156$23,490

Top 25 schools in Indiana

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 2 of the 25 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN Public · 2 feeder programs
110Physics, General$30,20383%50%
2University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
53Physics, General95%$19,45211%
3Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, IN Public · 1 feeder programs
32Physics, General80%78%
4American College of Education
Indianapolis, IN Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
30Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
5Indiana University - Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN Public · 1 feeder programs
20Physics, General54%76%
6Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global
Marion, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Physics Teacher Education35%$18,316
7Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN Public · 1 feeder programs
12Physics, General36%84%
8Butler University
Indianapolis, IN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
6Astronomy and Astrophysics, Other80%$35,69685%
9Rose - Hulman Institute of Technology
Terre Haute, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Physics, General78%$36,77577%
10Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Physics, General69%$25,89676%
11Ball State University
Muncie, IN Public · 1 feeder programs
5Physics, General62%85%
12Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN Public · 2 feeder programs
4Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education$45,86243%81%
13Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Physics, General70%$20,15589%
14Vincennes University
Vincennes, IN Public · 1 feeder programs
4Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education39%
15DePauw University
Greencastle, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Physics, General75%$20,87457%
16Indiana University - South Bend
South Bend, IN Public · 1 feeder programs
3Physics, General40%84%
17Purdue University Northwest
Hammond, IN Public · 1 feeder programs
3Physics, General43%72%
18Wabash College
Crawfordsville, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Physics, General77%$19,02163%
19Earlham College
Richmond, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Physics, General69%$23,21373%
20Goshen College
Goshen, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Physics, General65%$15,43084%
21John Patrick University of Health and Applied Sciences
South Bend, IN Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Health/Medical Physics$23,30482%
22Taylor University
Upland, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Physics, General74%$20,83674%
23Hanover College
Hanover, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Theoretical and Mathematical Physics67%$20,44284%
24Manchester University
North Manchester, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Physics, General46%$17,98071%
25University of Southern Indiana
Evansville, IN Public · 1 feeder programs
1Physics, General48%96%

All 25 schools in Indiana

Every school in Indiana with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Indiana that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Purdue University - Main CampusWest LafayettePublic1102
University of Notre DameNotre DamePrivate not-for-profit531
Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomingtonPublic321
American College of EducationIndianapolisPrivate for-profit301
Indiana University - IndianapolisIndianapolisPublic201
Indiana Wesleyan University - National & GlobalMarionPrivate not-for-profit151
Purdue University Fort WayneFort WaynePublic121
Butler UniversityIndianapolisPrivate not-for-profit62
Rose - Hulman Institute of TechnologyTerre HautePrivate not-for-profit61
Saint Mary's CollegeNotre DamePrivate not-for-profit61
Ball State UniversityMunciePublic51
Indiana State UniversityTerre HautePublic42
Valparaiso UniversityValparaisoPrivate not-for-profit41
Vincennes UniversityVincennesPublic41
DePauw UniversityGreencastlePrivate not-for-profit31

What physics teachers, postsecondary earn in Indiana

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Indiana
$102,970
Mean annual
$107,750
Jobs in state
270
What the range looks like
10th pct$61,600Median$102,97090th pct$161,080
Versus the national median
+2.7%

U.S. median $100,310. Indiana pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
1.02×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Indiana

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
$80,670median
40 jobs
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
$85,000median
30 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+2.5%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
1,300
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
400
17,100 → 17,500
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Physics Teachers, Postsecondary page.

How to become a Physics Teacher, Postsecondary

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Top skills

SpeakingScienceReading ComprehensionLearning StrategiesActive LearningActive Listening

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Indiana

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 16 majors mapped to Physics Teachers, Postsecondary15 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 13.1316Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
  • 13.1329Physics Teacher Education
  • 40.0299Astronomy and Astrophysics, Other
  • 40.0508Chemical Physics
  • 40.0801Physics, General
  • 40.0802Atomic/Molecular Physics
  • 40.0804Elementary Particle Physics
  • 40.0805Plasma and High-Temperature Physics(no graduates reported)
  • 40.0806Nuclear Physics
  • 40.0807Optics/Optical Sciences
  • 40.0808Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
  • 40.0809Acoustics
  • 40.0810Theoretical and Mathematical Physics
  • 40.0899Physics, Other
  • 40.1101Physics and Astronomy
  • 51.2205Health/Medical Physics

Common questions

Answers for people weighing physics teachers, postsecondary programs in Indiana.

What degree do you need to become a Physics Teacher, Postsecondary?+

Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Physics, General, which awarded 252 degrees in Indiana in 2024-25, 76.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Physics Teacher, Postsecondary?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Physics, Teacher Education and Professional Development, Public Health, Astronomy and Astrophysics. Together they graduate about 330 people a year in Indiana.

How much do physics teachers, postsecondary earn in Indiana?+

The median is $102,970 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.7% above the U.S. median of $100,310. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for physics teachers, postsecondary growing?+

BLS projects a +2.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 1,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Indiana?+

25 institutions in Indiana reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do physics teachers, postsecondary work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Instructor, Physics Professor, Physics Instructor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1054.

Physics Teachers, Postsecondary in other statesCaliforniaNew YorkTexasMassachusettsPennsylvaniaIllinoisUtahFlorida

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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