Best programs to become a postsecondary sociology teacher in Pennsylvania
55 Pennsylvania schools offer programs that train postsecondary sociology teachers, graduating 548 people a year. Postsecondary sociology teachers in Pennsylvania earn a median of $99,660 across about 440 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education for postsecondary sociology teachers. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job in Pennsylvania are Sociology; Sociology and Anthropology; and Demography and Population Studies (IPEDS completions).
Teach courses in sociology.
4 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (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 Pennsylvania page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 45.1101In Pennsylvania → | 498 | 90.9% | 50 | $34,099 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 45.1301In Pennsylvania → | 43 | 7.8% | 5 | $28,378 | $24,924 |
| 3 | CIP 45.1102In Pennsylvania → | 5 | 0.9% | 1 | $34,099 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 45.0501In Pennsylvania → | 2 | 0.4% | 1 | — | — |
Top 25 schools in Pennsylvania
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 22 of the 55 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 45 | Sociology, General | $35,016 | 86% | — | 61% |
| 2 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 36 | Sociology, General | $30,274 | 85% | — | 58% |
| 3 | Pennsylvania Western University California, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 27 | Sociology, General | $32,325 | 52% | — | 94% |
| 4 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 27 | Sociology, General | $33,427 | 75% | — | 80% |
| 5 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 25 | Sociology, General | $34,883 | 58% | — | 86% |
| 6 | Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 24 | Sociology, General | — | 82% | $19,073 | 29% |
| 7 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 24 | Sociology, General | $32,323 | 56% | — | 91% |
| 8 | Lafayette College Easton, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 24 | Sociology and Anthropology | $43,321 | 88% | $20,396 | 31% |
| 9 | Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 23 | Sociology, General | $36,396 | 83% | $24,453 | 39% |
| 10 | Delaware County Community College Media, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 21 | Sociology, General | — | 24% | — | — |
| 11 | Albright College Reading, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 18 | Sociology, General | $24,310 | 51% | $21,906 | 76% |
| 12 | Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 17 | Sociology, General | — | 88% | $26,912 | 26% |
| 13 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 16 | Sociology, General | $34,490 | 54% | — | 91% |
| 14 | Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 14 | Sociology, General | $29,661 | 77% | $32,060 | 84% |
| 15 | Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 12 | Sociology and Anthropology | — | 92% | $18,174 | 7% |
| 16 | Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Cheyney, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 11 | Sociology, General | $28,128 | 41% | — | — |
| 17 | Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 11 | Sociology, General | $37,461 | 54% | — | 93% |
| 18 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 10 | Sociology, General | — | 71% | — | 78% |
| 19 | Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 9 | Sociology, General | — | 86% | $30,675 | 29% |
| 20 | Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 9 | Sociology, General | $31,444 | 84% | $27,178 | 28% |
| 21 | Villanova University Villanova, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 9 | Sociology, General | — | 92% | $33,774 | 27% |
| 22 | Arcadia University Glenside, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 8 | Sociology, General | $36,919 | 67% | $23,796 | 80% |
| 23 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 8 | Sociology, General | — | 78% | $36,004 | 79% |
| 24 | Lebanon Valley College Annville, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 8 | Sociology, General | — | 65% | $24,925 | 84% |
| 25 | Moravian University Bethlehem, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 8 | Sociology, General | $26,583 | 72% | $28,454 | 54% |
All 55 schools in Pennsylvania
Every school in Pennsylvania 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus | University Park | Public | 45 | 1 |
| University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh | Public | 36 | 1 |
| Pennsylvania Western University | California | Public | 27 | 1 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia | Public | 27 | 1 |
| Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Millersville | Public | 25 | 1 |
| Bryn Mawr College | Bryn Mawr | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 1 |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania | Indiana | Public | 24 | 2 |
| Lafayette College | Easton | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 1 |
| Gettysburg College | Gettysburg | Private not-for-profit | 23 | 1 |
| Delaware County Community College | Media | Public | 21 | 1 |
| Albright College | Reading | Private not-for-profit | 18 | 1 |
| Lehigh University | Bethlehem | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | Kutztown | Public | 16 | 1 |
| Duquesne University | Pittsburgh | Private not-for-profit | 14 | 1 |
| Swarthmore College | Swarthmore | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 2 |
Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
What sociology teachers, postsecondary earn in Pennsylvania
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $84,290. Pennsylvania pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Pennsylvania
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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 and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary page.
How to become a postsecondary sociology teacher
- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Pennsylvania
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 45.0103Survey Research/Methodology
- 45.0501Demography and Population Studies
- 45.0502Applied Demography(no graduates reported)
- 45.0599Demography, Other(no graduates reported)
- 45.1101Sociology, General
- 45.1102Applied/Public Sociology
- 45.1103Rural Sociology
- 45.1199Sociology, Other
- 45.1301Sociology and Anthropology
Common questions
Answers for people weighing sociology teachers, postsecondary programs in Pennsylvania.
What degree do you need to become a postsecondary sociology teacher?+
BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education for postsecondary sociology teachers. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job in Pennsylvania are Sociology; Sociology and Anthropology; and Demography and Population Studies (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a postsecondary sociology teacher?+
The fields of study that lead most directly to this job in Pennsylvania are Sociology; Sociology and Anthropology; and Demography and Population Studies (IPEDS completions). In all, 4 feeder programs graduate about 548 people a year in Pennsylvania (IPEDS completions).
How much do sociology teachers, postsecondary earn in Pennsylvania?+
The median is $99,660 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 18.2% above the U.S. median of $84,290. 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 sociology teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a +2.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 1,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Pennsylvania?+
55 institutions in Pennsylvania reported graduates from at least one of the 4 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 sociology teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Assistant Professor, Sociology Professor, Sociology Instructor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1067.
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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