Communications Teachers, Postsecondary
Under the title Communications Teachers, Postsecondary, workers teach courses in communications, such as organizational communications, public relations, radio/television broadcasting, and journalism. You may also need to evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers. Interest ratings put Social on top at 7.0 out of 7 and Investigative second, so the code is SIA and the day leans toward helping, teaching or caring for people. Plan on graduate school and often five years or more of related experience; O*NET labels this extensive preparation. Strength in speaking, reading comprehension, and instructing helps most here. A regular part of the work is to prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. People who want helping, teaching or caring for people usually fit better here than those who need hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world.
What they do
Teach courses in communications, such as organizational communications, public relations, radio/television broadcasting, and journalism. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Main tasks
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as public speaking, media criticism, and oral traditions.
Skills
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Instructing
- Writing
- Learning Strategies
- Active Listening
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
- You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
- You are comfortable relying on speaking and reading comprehension.
May not suit you if
- You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
- You want to work with your hands for most of the day. Realistic rates 2.2 out of 7 here.
- You want to be working in the field within the next few years.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SIA takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.
Preparation
Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Master's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Communication Arts Professor
- Communication Instructor
- Communication Lecturer
- Communication Professor
- Communication Skills Instructor
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.