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High school teacher vs college professor

The differences between high school teachers and college professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a high school teacher and a college professor. Additionally, a college professor has an average salary of $81,207, which is higher than the $52,441 average annual salary of a high school teacher.

The top three skills for a high school teacher include classroom management, professional development and culinary. The most important skills for a college professor are curriculum development, classes taught, and mathematics.

High school teacher vs college professor overview

High School TeacherCollege Professor
Yearly salary$52,441$81,207
Hourly rate$25.21$39.04
Growth rate5%12%
Number of jobs83,55427,390
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age4346
Years of experience22

High school teacher vs college professor salary

High school teachers and college professors have different pay scales, as shown below.

High School TeacherCollege Professor
Average salary$52,441$81,207
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $72,000Between $39,000 And $166,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NY-
Highest paying stateNew York-
Best paying companyBoston Public Schools-
Best paying industryProfessional-

Differences between high school teacher and college professor education

There are a few differences between a high school teacher and a college professor in terms of educational background:

High School TeacherCollege Professor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common majorEducationBusiness
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityNorthwestern University

High school teacher vs college professor demographics

Here are the differences between high school teachers' and college professors' demographics:

High School TeacherCollege Professor
Average age4346
Gender ratioMale, 46.5% Female, 53.5%Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 3.6% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage12%16%

Differences between high school teacher and college professor duties and responsibilities

High school teacher example responsibilities.

  • Coordinate training for the after-school soccer league, manage game schedules and transportation for the school team
  • Plan English conversation and writing classes, grade assignments, design and lead an English summer camp course for freshmen.
  • Manage FBLA, assist with meeting notes, financial records, and agendas for meetings, events, and fundraisers.
  • Coordinate and conduct LPAC meetings, ESL testing, and state testing.
  • Create and implement district-wide general math, pre-algebra, and science curriculum.
  • Facilitate and teach online students in California and Colorado: English, history; economics
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College professor example responsibilities.

  • Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
  • Create and teach lessons about business management, business procedures, economics, finance, and religion
  • Model when creating new course work each semester.
  • Work as a part-time mathematics instructor teaching courses from basic mathematics to pre-calculus in the evening program.
  • Survey literature pertaining to health consequences in the disruption of biological rhythms, with particular emphasis on fatigue.
  • Administer instructional align with the collegiate level syllabus.
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High school teacher vs college professor skills

Common high school teacher skills
  • Classroom Management, 12%
  • Professional Development, 7%
  • Culinary, 5%
  • K-12, 5%
  • Curriculum Development, 5%
  • Student Learning, 5%
Common college professor skills
  • Curriculum Development, 31%
  • Classes Taught, 9%
  • Mathematics, 6%
  • Syllabus, 4%
  • Semester, 4%
  • Anatomy, 3%

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