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Boston Career Explorer

Educational Instruction and Library

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.

Also called: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Creative Writing Professor, English Instructor, English Professor, Humanities Professor

Median pay in Greater Boston
$87,020
Jobs in Greater Boston
2,110
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+3.7%
240 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
$63,260$77,220$87,020$125,860$175,600

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

What you’d do

  • Teach writing or communication classes.
  • 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.
  • Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
  • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.

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 exposure95 of 100

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

  • AIOE 97
  • Language-model AIOE 100
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 89

Observed AI use today: Substantial (Anthropic Economic Index)

This job has higher AI exposure, and observed AI use is substantial. AI tools can help draft course materials, give feedback on writing, and keep records. Teaching students to think and write, leading discussion, and guiding individuals still depend on a teacher's judgment and relationships.

Likely to change

  • Preparing syllabi and homework assignments
  • Grading essays and tracking student records

Still relies on people

  • Teaching students to think and write
  • Moderating lively classroom discussion

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

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

    Teaching writing and literature carries over directly to high school English. It needs a bachelor's degree, pays more, and has lower AI exposure.

    Pay difference
    +$11,830 median
    AI exposure
    Higher
    MA growth
    +2.0%
    To get started
    Bachelor's degree

  • Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education

    Your skills in teaching reading and writing and leading groups carry over. This job has lower AI exposure and higher Boston median pay.

    Pay difference
    +$11,040 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +1.4%
    To get started
    Bachelor's degree

  • Special Education Teachers, Secondary School

    Keeping student records, giving feedback, and guiding learners carry over. This job has lower AI exposure and offers one-on-one support work.

    Pay difference
    +$610 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +2.2%
    To get started
    Bachelor's degree

Training near Boston

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

50 programs near Boston (plus 36 graduate)

Related occupations

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