Professors and other postsecondary teachers instruct students in academic and career subjects beyond the high school level, at universities, colleges and community colleges. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics lists their duties as writing the course outline or syllabus, planning lessons and assignments, teaching courses in their subject, grading assignments, papers and exams, advising students, working with colleagues on curriculum for in-person, online or hybrid programs, keeping up with their field and serving on committees.
The short answer: the job is more likely to change than to disappear. The ILO's 2025 index rates university and higher education teachers as minimal exposure, with a score of 0.37. The BLS projects employment of postsecondary teachers to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 103,300 openings a year. Projections are estimates, not guarantees.
How exposed professors are
The International Labour Organization scores occupations' tasks from 0 (cannot be automated with generative AI) to 1 (could be done without a human operator), and groups them into gradients from 1 to 4, with 4 the most exposed; below them sit minimal exposure and not exposed (ILO Working Paper 140, 2025).
| Occupation (ISCO-08) | ILO category | Mean task score (0 to 1) |
|---|---|---|
| University and Higher Education Teachers | Minimal exposure | 0.37 |
A score of 0.37 puts the group just below the exposed gradients: some tasks, such as drafting course material or giving written feedback, can be sped up by generative AI, but much of the job is teaching, judging and advising people.
What the BLS projects
| Occupation | Projected change 2025 to 2035 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|
| Postsecondary teachers | Grow 7% | About 103,300 |
The BLS expects the number of people attending postsecondary institutions to grow, as students seek the knowledge and skills for their career goals, and says more teachers will be needed to serve them. It also expects more postsecondary teachers to be needed to educate healthcare workers for an aging population. But it adds that colleges and universities are likely to hire more part-time teachers to meet this demand, that a limited number of full-time tenure and nontenure positions is expected in all disciplines, and that growth at public institutions depends on state and local budgets.
Where AI is helping
- Drafting syllabi, lesson plans, reading lists and assignment prompts for the teacher to revise.
- Producing practice questions and first-pass feedback on routine work.
- Preparing material for online and hybrid courses, which the BLS notes some postsecondary teachers already teach.
- Searching and summarizing literature, which the teacher still has to check against the sources.
What stays with professors
- Teaching people: explaining, answering questions and adjusting to a class in the room or online.
- Assessment: deciding what counts as good work and grading it fairly, including deciding how students may use AI in it.
- Advising: helping students choose courses and reach their goals.
- Expertise: keeping up with changes in their field and shaping the curriculum with colleagues.
- Checking AI help: generated summaries, citations and answers can be wrong, which NIST calls confabulation (NIST AI 600-1). See checking AI output.
How the job is changing
Enrollment and healthcare training keep demand growing on BLS projections, while the bigger pressure on the job is the shift toward part-time positions rather than AI. Generative AI changes how courses are prepared and how students' work is assessed, and much of that change falls to teachers to manage. This page is general information, not career advice.
See also will AI replace teachers?, will AI replace college administrators?, will AI replace tutors? and will AI replace instructional coordinators?
Pay and how to get in
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual pay for postsecondary teachers at $85,330 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all workers. The BLS says the education needed to enter varies; its profile explains the routes in. See how this job compares in AI exposure by pay and AI exposure by education level.
Questions and answers
Will AI replace professors?
Not on current projections. The BLS projects 7 percent growth for postsecondary teachers from 2025 to 2035, with about 103,300 openings a year, though it expects more of the new hiring to be part-time.
How exposed are professors to AI?
The ILO rates university and higher education teachers as minimal exposure, with a score of 0.37.
What drives demand for postsecondary teachers?
The BLS points to growing enrollment and to training more healthcare workers for an aging population. Growth at public colleges depends on state and local budgets.
What education do professors need?
The BLS says 4-year colleges and universities typically require a Ph.D. or other doctorate, while community colleges may hire people with a master's degree.