Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
Impact: Educational outcomes
Teach courses in economics. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
What do Economics Teachers, Postsecondary do?
What the work is really like
You teach economic theory and applied economics to undergraduates and graduate students, usually at a university. Your week divides between preparing lectures, standing in front of a classroom, holding office hours, and working on your own research. A typical semester might include an introductory microeconomics course with 80 students and a graduate seminar on labor economics with twelve. You grade problem sets that test whether students can model supply and demand shifts or calculate elasticity. You answer questions about regression output and help graduate students frame thesis proposals.
The work has two parallel tracks. Teaching means building syllabi, designing assessments, and explaining why the law of diminishing returns applies to everything from coffee to factory workers. Research means writing papers, submitting them to peer-reviewed journals, and presenting findings at academic conferences. Most faculty positions require both. A research university might expect two or three published papers a year and a 2-1 teaching load. A teaching-focused institution flips that ratio.
You also serve on departmental committees, advise students on course selection and career decisions, and occasionally review manuscripts for journals in your subfield. The rhythm follows the academic calendar: September to December, January to May, then a summer that looks like freedom but fills quickly with research, writing, and conference travel.
Skills and strengths that matter
You need a thorough grasp of economic theory and the ability to explain it without jargon to someone who has never thought about opportunity cost. Curriculum development means translating research-level economics into teachable units. Lecture delivery requires you to hold attention while working through graphs, equations, and abstract models. Strong speaking and instructing skills are not optional. Office hours test your patience and your ability to diagnose where understanding breaks down.
Research demands statistical and econometric skill. You read papers, design studies, clean datasets, run regressions, and write up results that survive peer review. Publishing in reputable journals is slow and requires resilience. Learning strategies matter because you are always absorbing new methods, new software, and new subfields within economics.
You work with people constantly: students, faculty colleagues, journal editors, conference attendees. The job has more social interaction than most academic work outside the humanities. Collaboration happens when you co-author papers or design joint courses, though much of your research writing is solitary.
Patience helps, and so does comfort with ambiguity. Students arrive with wildly different preparation, and research questions rarely resolve cleanly. Some semesters feel like a grind.
Who tends to thrive here
People who thrive here care about ideas and want to share them. You find satisfaction in the moment a student finally grasps why trade can make everyone better off, or why minimum wage effects are more complicated than intuition suggests. You like working with people but also need stretches of uninterrupted time to think and write.
The role suits those who want intellectual autonomy and are willing to trade higher pay for control over their research agenda. You get to ask questions you find interesting and follow them for years. If you value standing within a narrow expert community, academic economics offers that. If you need rapid feedback or immediate visible impact, this work will frustrate you.
It drains people who dislike repetition or find teaching the same concepts semester after semester dull. The publish-or-perish pressure wears down those who struggle with rejection or slow timelines. Faculty politics and committee work feel like a waste to some. The job also struggles to accommodate people who need geographic flexibility or predictable hours. You go where the tenure-track positions are, and those positions are scarce.
How people get into the role and grow
The standard route requires a PhD in economics. That means five to seven years of graduate school after a bachelor's degree, usually in economics or a related field with strong quantitative preparation. You write a dissertation, publish at least one working paper, and go on the academic job market in your final year. Most new faculty start as assistant professors, teaching their first courses while finishing dissertation revisions and launching new research projects.
The first five to eight years are probationary. You work toward tenure by building a publication record, demonstrating teaching competence, and contributing service to the department. Tenure decisions hinge heavily on research output. After tenure, you become an associate professor with job security and more freedom to pursue long-term projects.
Full professor rank comes after another decade or more, typically following sustained research productivity and a national reputation in your subfield. Some economists move into administrative roles: department chair, associate dean, provost. Others leave academia for think tanks, central banks, international organizations, or private sector research roles. A few move into policy advising or consulting.
The long-term outlook is stable but not expanding, with growth tracking slightly above average as universities adjust budgets and enrollments shift toward applied programs. If this sounds like the shape of work you already lean toward, CareerMatch can tell you how close the fit really is.
From people working as Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
Teaching economics at the postsecondary level is a combination of lecturing, facilitating discussions, and guiding students through complex theories and real-world applications. A significant part of the role involves staying current with economic research, often conducting your own, and publishing findings. It's to see students grasp challenging concepts and develop critical thinking skills. The work-life balance can vary, with intense periods during grading and research deadlines, but there's also considerable autonomy in shaping courses and research agendas. Collaboration with colleagues on research or curriculum development is common, and mentoring junior faculty or students adds another layer to the experience.
Drawn from American Economic Association (AEA), Journal of Economic Education, Economics Network
Attribution: Composite
Composite · Synthesised from American Economic Association (AEA), Journal of Economic Education, Economics Network
A day in the life of Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
- People interaction
- Extensive
- Team vs solo
- 65% Team / 35% Solo
- Client facing
- Sometimes
- Impact visibility
- Low
- Travel
- Minimal
- Schedule flexibility
- Flexible
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40-50
- Stress level
- Moderate
Economics Teachers, Postsecondary salary, education and outlook at a glance
- Median salary
- $157,551
- Entry-level
- $107,000
- Senior
- $212,500
- Growth by 2033
- +2.1%
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- Moderate
- Salary growth potential
- 200%
- Typical student debt
- Very High
Skills you need as Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
Hard skills
- Curriculum Development
- Lecture Delivery
- Research Publishing
Soft skills
- Instructing
- Learning Strategies
- Speaking
Technical complexity: Low
Tools Economics Teachers, Postsecondary use
Core tools
- Learning Management Systems (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard) (Software): Facilitate course delivery, assignments, and communication with students.
- Presentation Software (e.g., PowerPoint, Google Slides) (Software): Create and deliver engaging lectures and visual aids for teaching.
- Statistical Software (e.g., R, Stata, SPSS) (Software): Analyze economic data for research, and demonstrate concepts to students.
Commonly used
- Academic Databases (e.g., JSTOR, EconLit) (Database): Access scholarly articles and research for teaching preparation and personal research.
- Spreadsheet Software (e.g., Excel, Google Sheets) (Software): Organize and analyze data, create charts and graphs for presentations and assignments.
- Video Conferencing Tools (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet) (Software): Conduct online classes, hold virtual office hours, and participate in remote meetings.
Specialist tools
- Plagiarism Detection Software (e.g., Turnitin) (Software): Ensure academic integrity by checking student submissions for originality.
How to become Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
- Minimum education
- Doctoral or Professional Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 5-9
- Years to senior
- 15-25
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where Economics Teachers, Postsecondary come from
- High School Economics Teacher: Transitioning from teaching economics at the secondary level to postsecondary education.
- Research Assistant (Economics): Moving from a research-focused role to a teaching position with research components.
- Economist (Government/Private Sector): Shifting from applied economic analysis in industry or government to an academic setting.
Where Economics Teachers, Postsecondary go next
- Economics Department Chair: Advancing into an administrative leadership role within an academic department.
- University Administrator: Moving into broader university administration, overseeing academic programs or faculty affairs.
- Economic Consultant: Transitioning to a role applying economic principles to advise businesses or governments.
Typical Economics Teachers, Postsecondary progression
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School
- Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
- or Business Teachers, Postsecondary
Economics Teachers, Postsecondary job outlook and future demand
- Automation probability
- 0.3509
- AI disruption risk
- Moderate
- Demand trend
- Stable
Job satisfaction as Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
- Overall satisfaction
- 7.2/10
- Meaning
- 8.5/10
- Work-life balance
- 7.5/10
- Prestige
- 7.5/10
- Social perception
- High
Where Economics Teachers, Postsecondary find community
Professional organisations
- American Economic Association (AEA): A leading professional organization for economists, offering resources, conferences, and publications.
- Royal Economic Society (RES): A UK-based professional body promoting the study of economics through journals, conferences, and grants.
Conferences
- AEA Annual Meeting: A major annual conference for economists to present research, attend sessions, and network with peers.
Podcasts and media
- Journal of Economic Education: A journal focused on improving the teaching and learning of economics at all levels.
Online communities
- Economics Network: An online community and resource hub for economics educators, providing teaching materials and best practices.
Questions people ask about Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
How much do Economics Teachers, Postsecondary earn?
Pay for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary starts around $107,000 at entry level, reaches $157,551 at the median and climbs to $212,500 for the most experienced.
What qualifications do Economics Teachers, Postsecondary need?
Most employers look for a Doctoral or Professional Degree, no licensing is required and reaching mid-career takes about 5-9 years.
Can Economics Teachers, Postsecondary work remotely?
The work happens on site.
What is the job outlook for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary?
Projections put employment growth at +2.1% through 2033, with demand rated Stable.
How exposed are Economics Teachers, Postsecondary to automation and AI?
This work carries a moderate risk of disruption from AI.
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