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

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

Teach courses pertaining to the laws of matter and energy.

35 schools in Ohio run programs that feed this job, graduating 403 people a year. The job pays a median of $96,310 in Ohio across about 420 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledProfessorInstructorPhysics ProfessorPhysics InstructorTeacherLecturerPhysics LecturerAcoustics Teacher
Graduates / yr
403
in Ohio
Median pay · Ohio
$96,310
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
420
people employed
Schools
35
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
63%
across those schools
Median net price
$22,491
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Ohio that lead to this job

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

6 programs in Ohio that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Ohio (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 Ohio 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 Ohio
353
87.6%
28$47,156$23,490
2
CIP 13.1316In Ohio
35
8.7%
13$43,033$26,044
3
CIP 40.0899In Ohio
6
1.5%
3$47,156$23,490
4
CIP 40.0508In Ohio
4
1.0%
2$42,620$23,900
5
CIP 40.0807In Ohio
4
1.0%
2$47,156$23,490
6
CIP 40.0802In Ohio
1
0.2%
1$47,156$23,490

Top 25 schools in Ohio

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 2 of the 35 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Ohio State University - Main Campus
Columbus, OH Public · 3 feeder programs
106Physics, General$53,50488%61%
2Kent State University at Kent
Kent, OH Public · 3 feeder programs
34Physics, General64%86%
3Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
32Physics, General87%$27,97637%
4University of Toledo
Toledo, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
27Physics, General57%92%
5Ohio University - Main Campus
Athens, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
25Physics, General65%85%
6University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Cincinnati, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
25Physics, General75%85%
7Miami University - Oxford
Oxford, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
19Physics, General80%75%
8Kenyon College
Gambier, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Physics, General82%$20,47531%
9Denison University
Granville, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
13Physics, General79%$23,86417%
10Wright State University - Main Campus
Dayton, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
13Physics, General42%96%
11The College of Wooster
Wooster, OH Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
11Physics, General74%$22,49160%
12Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
10Physics, General81%$28,31334%
13Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Bowling Green, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
8Physics, General64%81%
14Baldwin Wallace University
Berea, OH Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
7Physics, General67%$25,10476%
15Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
7Physics, General51%91%
16Marietta College
Marietta, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Physics, General61%$18,56179%
17University of Akron Main Campus
Akron, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
5Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education$35,11152%60%
18University of Mount Union
Alliance, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Physics, General59%$21,12178%
19Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, OH Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
4Physics, General59%$18,32556%
20The University of Findlay
Findlay, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education58%$23,12883%
21John Carroll University
University Heights, OH Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
3Physics, General79%$25,70581%
22Stark State College
North Canton, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
3Physics, General23%
23University of Dayton
Dayton, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Physics, General80%$28,56065%
24Cedarville University
Cedarville, OH Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
2Physics, General73%$22,70165%
25Sinclair Community College
Dayton, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
2Physics, General41%

All 35 schools in Ohio

Every school in Ohio 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 Ohio that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Ohio State University - Main CampusColumbusPublic1063
Kent State University at KentKentPublic343
Case Western Reserve UniversityClevelandPrivate not-for-profit322
University of ToledoToledoPublic271
Ohio University - Main CampusAthensPublic251
University of Cincinnati - Main CampusCincinnatiPublic251
Miami University - OxfordOxfordPublic192
Kenyon CollegeGambierPrivate not-for-profit161
Denison UniversityGranvillePrivate not-for-profit131
Wright State University - Main CampusDaytonPublic132
The College of WoosterWoosterPrivate not-for-profit112
Oberlin CollegeOberlinPrivate not-for-profit101
Bowling Green State University - Main CampusBowling GreenPublic81
Baldwin Wallace UniversityBereaPrivate not-for-profit72
Cleveland State UniversityClevelandPublic72

What physics teachers, postsecondary earn in Ohio

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

Median annual in Ohio
$96,310
Mean annual
$92,760
Jobs in state
420
What the range looks like
10th pct$47,960Median$96,31090th pct$132,700
Versus the national median
-4.0%

U.S. median $100,310. Ohio pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.91×

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

Metro areas in Ohio

Columbus, OH
$101,060median
80 jobs
Cleveland, OH
$95,410median
60 jobs
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
$78,430median
130 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 Ohio

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 Ohio.

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 353 degrees in Ohio in 2024-25, 87.6% 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, Chemistry. Together they graduate about 403 people a year in Ohio.

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

The median is $96,310 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.0% below 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 Ohio?+

35 institutions in Ohio 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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