# English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

> Teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/english-language-and-literature-teachers-postsecondary
- SOC code: 25-1123.00
- Career family: Education
- Median annual pay: $78,760 (10th percentile $48,270, 90th percentile $137,250)
- Projected growth: Little or no change, 0.0%
- Openings a year: 4,500
- Typical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SIA)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 21 |
| Investigative (I) | 63 |
| Artistic (A) | 53 |
| Social (S) | 100 |
| Enterprising (E) | 24 |
| Conventional (C) | 42 |

## What you'd do

- Training and Teaching Others (importance 93/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 89/100)
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others (importance 88/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 88/100)
- Thinking Creatively (importance 87/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 85/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 81/100)
- Coaching and Developing Others (importance 80/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 80/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 78/100)

## Skills

Reading Comprehension, Instructing, Writing, Speaking, Active Listening, Learning Strategies, Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making

## Knowledge

English Language, Education and Training, Communications and Media, History and Archeology, Philosophy and Theology, Sociology and Anthropology, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics, Psychology, Administrative

## Also called

Adjunct English Instructor, Adjunct Instructor, Adjunct Lecturer, Adjunct Professor, Adjunct Writing Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Children's Literature Professor, Classics Teacher, College Faculty Member

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [English Language and Literature, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/2301) (CIP 2301, 1,510 colleges)
- [Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1313) (CIP 1313, 1,257 colleges)
- [Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/2313) (CIP 2313, 792 colleges)
- [Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1601) (CIP 1601, 538 colleges)
- [Literature](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/2314) (CIP 2314, 121 colleges)
- [English Language and Literature/Letters, Other](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/2399) (CIP 2399, 93 colleges)
- Digital Humanities and Textual Studies (CIP 3052, 25 colleges)
- Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature (CIP 3036, 5 colleges)
- Linguistics and Anthropology (CIP 3047, 4 colleges)
- Linguistics and Computer Science (CIP 3048, 4 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Duke University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/duke-university-837) | Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | $44,371 | $88,098 | not reported |
| [California State University-Sacramento](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-sacramento-375) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $69,280 | $82,062 | $23,000 |
| [Stanford University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/stanford-university-2589) | English Language and Literature, General | not reported | $82,036 | not reported |
| [University of Richmond](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-richmond-3026) | Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | not reported | $81,253 | not reported |
| [CUNY Brooklyn College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-brooklyn-college-735) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $54,793 | $80,207 | $12,875 |
| [Seattle University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/seattle-university-2393) | English Language and Literature, General | not reported | $78,906 | not reported |
| [Brandeis University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brandeis-university-292) | Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | not reported | $78,746 | not reported |
| [Georgetown University-DC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/georgetown-university-dc-1068) | English Language and Literature, General | $49,940 | $78,370 | $15,625 |

## Related careers

- [Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/area-ethnic-and-cultural-studies-teachers-postsecondary): $85,020 median pay
- [Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/foreign-language-and-literature-teachers-postsecondary): $79,350 median pay
- [Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/philosophy-and-religion-teachers-postsecondary): $80,260 median pay
- [Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sociology-teachers-postsecondary): $84,290 median pay
- [History Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/history-teachers-postsecondary): $83,820 median pay
- [Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/art-drama-and-music-teachers-postsecondary): $78,620 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.