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Boston Career Explorer

Educational Instruction and Library

Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary

Teach courses in sociology. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Also called: Adjunct Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Faculty Member, Instructor, Lecturer

Median pay in Greater Boston
$103,810
Jobs in Greater Boston
400
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+5.9%
60 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Doctoral or professional degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$59,470$76,110$103,810$137,370$207,970

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as race and ethnic relations, measurement and data collection, and workplace social relations.
  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure85 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 92
  • Language-model AIOE 99
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 64

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI tools could help with many tasks in this job, such as preparing syllabi and handouts, building exams, and first-pass grading. AI exposure is higher, but observed AI use in this job is little or none so far. Leading discussions and lectures, and guiding students, still depend on the instructor.

Likely to change

  • Drafting syllabi, handouts, and assignments
  • Grading papers and compiling exams

Still relies on people

  • Leading lively classroom discussions
  • Explaining ideas on race and social relations

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

25 programs near Boston (plus 14 graduate)

Related occupations

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