Occupation salary profile

Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary

SOC 25-1126 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Teach courses in philosophy, religion, and theology. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

National median · BLS
$80,260
▲ +2.83% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$77,640
▲ +1.19% YoY · 152 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$92,040
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
20,460
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 152 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$49,140$55,062
25th$62,600$63,133
Median (50th)$80,260$77,640
75th$104,770$98,188
90th — top pay$139,580$118,420
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $77,640 for Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary — 3.3% below the BLS national median of $80,260.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary

BLS projects employment of philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 1,800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
26,800 → 27,300
+500 jobs
Projected change
+2%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
0.4% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. 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).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a doctoral or professional degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $77,640
Change vs prior year +1.19%
After inflation (CPI-U) -1.88%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 101 66.4% $60,000 $72,000 $93,490
Level II 23 15.1% $61,462 $72,200 $89,379
Level III 10 6.6% $90,000 $100,000 $127,987
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary

The 2 most-filed job titles inside SOC 25-1126, from 152 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Assistant Professor 60 39.47% $73,330 $89,886 $100,312 +3.34%
Assistant Professor of Philosophy 16 10.53% $65,529 $81,858 $105,100 +9.14%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Reading Comprehension4.3
  • Active Listening4.1
  • Instructing4.1
  • Speaking4.1
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Writing4.0
  • Learning Strategies3.9
  • Active Learning3.8
  • Complex Problem Solving3.5
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.4
Top knowledge areas
  • Philosophy and Theology4.8
  • English Language4.6
  • Education and Training4.2
  • History and Archeology3.5
  • Sociology and Anthropology3.1
  • Law and Government3.0
  • Computers and Electronics3.0
  • Communications and Media2.9
Software and technology used
Learning management system LMSGoogle DocsMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordBlackboard LearnCollaborative editing softwareCourse management system softwareDesire2Learn LMS softwareDOC CopEmail softwareGateway to LogicImage scanning softwareInteLext Past MastersiParadigms TurnitinMoodle

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: 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.

About the job

What philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary do

  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students and the community on topics such as ethics, logic, and contemporary religious thought.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  • Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
  • Write articles and books.
Also called
Assistant ProfessorPhilosophy ProfessorProfessorReligion ProfessorAssociate ProfessorHumanities ProfessorInstructorPhilosophy InstructorReligious Studies ProfessorTheology Professor
More job titles for this occupation (32)
Adjunct Faculty MemberAdjunct InstructorAdjunct Philosophy ProfessorAdjunct ProfessorBiblical Studies ProfessorChurch History TeacherChurch Music ProfessorCollege Faculty MemberCollege ProfessorDivinity ProfessorDivinity TeacherEastern Philosophy ProfessorEducatorEthics ProfessorJewish EducatorMetaphysics TeacherOld Testament ProfessorOnline Philosophy InstructorPastoral Ministries ProfessorPhilosophy Adjunct InstructorPhilosophy Adjunct ProfessorPhilosophy Assistant ProfessorPhilosophy Faculty MemberPhilosophy LecturerPhilosophy SpecialistReligion InstructorReligious EducatorReligious Studies TeacherSystematic Theology ProfessorTheology TeacherUniversity Faculty MemberWestern Philosophy Professor

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.