My Colorado Journey
Back to pathway map
Behavioral HealthTop JobColorado Talent Pipeline Report-aligned occupation with strong annual openings, growth, and wage signals.

Psychology Higher Education Faculty

Teach courses in psychology, such as child, clinical, and developmental psychology, and psychological counseling. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Annual openings

233

Median wage

$76,810

Typical education

Doctoral degree

Growth 2024–2034

+8%

Median wage source: Colorado BLS OEWS (2025).

Interactive walkthrough

Explore My Colorado Journey Careers

See where to compare pay, job demand, locations, skills, education, and training for a Colorado career.

Open in a new tab

Career requirements

What does this career require?

Explore education, required qualifications, voluntary credentials and employer preferences for this role. Check the details to see which apply.

Typical education

Doctoral degree

Credential requirement

There are often no additional credentials required for this job. CTE faculty do have required credentials.

Work experience

A minimum of 5 years of Behavioral Health industry experience is expected.

Work-based learning

Teachers may be part-time or full-time, which impacts their focus areas and time spent on instruction, fieldwork supervision, advising, service, and research.

Employer competency information

  • Feedback from employers identifies the following critical competencies and how they apply for this job: ● Communication - Be perceptive and responsive listeners, able to communicate with students in a variety of ways; help students to articulate their thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively ● Instruction & Customer Service - Know and demonstrate knowledge of the content being taught, making the instruction and content relevant to students while fostering a positive learning environment and adjusting instructional approaches as needed ● Psychology - Able to understand what motivates students to learn and feel valued and the ability to provide learning opportunities that meets those motivations ● Administration & Management - Able to manage interaction in the classroom and meet learning objectives across a semester ● Reading - Able to read, summarize, and communicate complex documents in relatable terms.
Experienced in the Behavioral Health field and enjoy teaching new skills? Our colleges and universities could use your help training the next generation of Behavioral Health workers!

Is this work a fit?

What the work actually feels like

How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.

A typical day

  1. Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as abnormal psychology, cognitive processes, and work motivation.
  2. Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  3. Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
  4. Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  5. Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  6. Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
Feedback