Best programs to become a postsecondary career/technical education teacher
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for postsecondary career/technical education teachers. It also expects less than 5 years of related work experience. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor; Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design; and Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration (IPEDS completions).
13 college programs at 838 schools train postsecondary career/technical education teachers, graduating 36,043 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $63,820 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About career/technical education teachers, postsecondary
Teach vocational courses intended to provide occupational training below the baccalaureate level in subjects such as construction, mechanics/repair, manufacturing, transportation, or cosmetology, primarily to students who have graduated from or left high school. Teaching takes place in public or private schools whose primary business is academic or vocational education.
Best programs to study to become a postsecondary career/technical education teacher
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 49.0205 | 17,965 | 49.8% | 232 | $42,812 | $7,572 |
| 2 | CIP 11.0801 | 5,354 | 14.9% | 339 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 3 | CIP 11.0802 | 3,825 | 10.6% | 115 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 4 | CIP 11.0803 | 3,730 | 10.3% | 114 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 5 | CIP 43.0202 | 2,008 | 5.6% | 46 | $48,952 | $12,750 |
| 6 | CIP 13.1301 | 1,051 | 2.9% | 68 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 7 | CIP 13.1320 | 695 | 1.9% | 31 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 8 | CIP 01.0504 | 408 | 1.1% | 11 | $27,363 | $15,774 |
| 9 | CIP 13.1309 | 389 | 1.1% | 33 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 10 | CIP 13.1319 | 356 | 1.0% | 27 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 11 | CIP 13.1303 | 165 | 0.5% | 38 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 12 | CIP 13.1327 | 89 | 0.2% | 10 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 13 | CIP 13.1310 | 8 | 0.0% | 2 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What career/technical education teachers, postsecondary earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $59,990 | 7,600 | 1.04× | 54 | 2,562 |
| Georgia | $60,320 | 3,920 | 1.09× | 31 | 2,393 |
| California | $76,630 | 11,040 | 0.83× | 78 | 2,300 |
| Utah | $50,740 | 2,280 | 1.79× | 18 | 1,987 |
| Texas | $65,180 | 12,620 | 1.22× | 32 | 1,903 |
| Alabama | $62,580 | 2,350 | 1.51× | 7 | 1,777 |
| Massachusetts | $78,780 | 1,660 | 0.62× | 19 | 1,556 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,160 | 4,780 | 1.07× | 42 | 1,492 |
| Kentucky | $61,080 | 1,560 | 1.07× | 22 | 1,490 |
| Illinois | $62,480 | 4,420 | 0.99× | 41 | 1,466 |
| New York | $75,170 | 5,250 | 0.74× | 27 | 1,289 |
| Ohio | $60,600 | 3,440 | 0.84× | 31 | 1,270 |
| Connecticut | $59,420 | 1,130 | 0.90× | 6 | 994 |
| Arizona | $64,930 | 2,190 | 0.92× | 22 | 906 |
| Mississippi | $50,670 | 1,030 | 1.21× | 10 | 859 |
| Washington | $77,530 | 3,610 | 1.39× | 30 | 769 |
| Rhode Islandmoderate | $65,210 | 310 | 0.85× | 4 | 718 |
| Michigan | $63,440 | 3,480 | 1.08× | 27 | 687 |
| Wisconsin | $82,620 | 2,000 | 0.93× | 27 | 681 |
| Tennessee | $62,310 | 2,140 | 0.89× | 24 | 674 |
| Louisiana | $56,480 | 780 | 0.55× | 8 | 670 |
| Indiana | $57,820 | 2,250 | 0.96× | 11 | 644 |
| Kansas | $48,790 | 1,160 | 1.10× | 15 | 624 |
| Maryland | $62,060 | 780 | 0.38× | 15 | 615 |
| Virginia | $57,820 | 1,860 | 0.62× | 14 | 614 |
| North Carolina | $62,390 | 6,510 | 1.80× | 14 | 599 |
| New Hampshiremoderate | $65,040 | 220 | 0.44× | 4 | 476 |
| Arkansas | $50,120 | 1,550 | 1.62× | 16 | 367 |
| Idaho | $59,730 | 570 | 0.91× | 6 | 350 |
| Minnesota | $76,920 | 1,510 | 0.70× | 24 | 338 |
| West Virginia | $65,200 | 300 | 0.59× | 14 | 307 |
| Missouri | $59,640 | 1,630 | 0.75× | 10 | 284 |
| New Jersey | $72,440 | 2,590 | 0.82× | 13 | 261 |
| Oklahoma | $67,060 | 3,040 | 2.43× | 11 | 239 |
| Iowa | $62,270 | 1,170 | 1.02× | 14 | 187 |
| Nebraska | $60,490 | 470 | 0.62× | 9 | 172 |
| New Mexico | $60,490 | 1,070 | 1.68× | 9 | 143 |
| Oregon | $65,430 | 1,140 | 0.79× | 8 | 129 |
| Colorado | $70,130 | 2,060 | 0.98× | 12 | 116 |
| South Carolina | $79,610 | 1,980 | 1.17× | 5 | 99 |
| North Dakota | $73,570 | 430 | 1.36× | 6 | 79 |
| Montana | $57,270 | 430 | 1.14× | 6 | 70 |
| South Dakota | $72,940 | 350 | 1.04× | 5 | 70 |
| Delawarelimited | $62,400 | 190 | 0.53× | 2 | 52 |
| Hawaiilimited | $51,990 | 70 | 0.15× | 1 | 48 |
| Wyoming | $74,210 | 360 | 1.74× | 6 | 30 |
| Nevadamoderate | $61,740 | 950 | 0.83× | 4 | 29 |
| Mainemoderate | $61,740 | 510 | 1.08× | 3 | 22 |
| Vermontmoderate | $62,450 | 210 | 0.94× | 3 | 14 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Observe and evaluate students' work to determine progress, provide feedback, and make suggestions for improvement.
- Present lectures and conduct discussions to increase students' knowledge and competence using visual aids, such as graphs, charts, videotapes, and slides.
- Supervise and monitor students' use of tools and equipment.
- Administer oral, written, or performance tests to measure progress and to evaluate training effectiveness.
- Provide individualized instruction and tutorial or remedial instruction.
- Prepare reports and maintain records, such as student grades, attendance rolls, and training activity details.
- Develop curricula and plan course content and methods of instruction.
- Determine training needs of students or workers.
Skills
- Learning Strategies4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Active Learning3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Writing3.6
- Monitoring3.6
Knowledge areas
- Education and Training4.5
- English Language3.8
- Mechanical3.7
- Mathematics3.7
- Customer and Personal Service3.7
- Administrative3.5
Abilities
- Oral Expression4.0
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Written Expression3.9
- Written Comprehension3.9
- Speech Clarity3.8
- Problem Sensitivity3.8
Core activities
- Training and Teaching Others4.7
- Getting Information4.4
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.3
- Coaching and Developing Others4.2
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.2
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.0
How to get in
How to become a postsecondary career/technical education teacher
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- Less than 5 years
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 15 majors mapped to Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary13 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.0207Irrigation Management Technology/Technician(no graduates reported)
- 01.0504Dog/Pet/Animal Grooming
- 01.0509Farrier Science(no graduates reported)
- 11.0801Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design
- 11.0802Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration
- 11.0803Computer Graphics
- 13.1301Agricultural Teacher Education
- 13.1303Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education
- 13.1309Technology Teacher Education/Industrial Arts Teacher Education
- 13.1310Sales and Marketing Operations/Marketing and Distribution Teacher Education
- 13.1319Technical Teacher Education
- 13.1320Trade and Industrial Teacher Education
- 13.1327Health Occupations Teacher Education
- 43.0202Fire Services Administration
- 49.0205Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a postsecondary career/technical education teacher?+
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for postsecondary career/technical education teachers. It also expects less than 5 years of related work experience. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor; Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design; and Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a postsecondary career/technical education teacher?+
The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor; Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design; and Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 13 programs to this job, which together graduate about 36,043 people a year.
How much do career/technical education teachers, postsecondary earn?+
The median is $63,820 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $41,960 at the 10th percentile to $108,620 at the 90th. 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 career/technical education teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a +0.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 8,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
838 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 13 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 career/technical education teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Instructor, Cosmetology Instructor, HVAC-R Instructor (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, And Refrigeration Instructor) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1194.
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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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