# Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary

US SOC code 25-1042. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/25-1042

Also called: Biology professor, Biological sciences professor, Biology postsec teacher, Biology faculty, Biology lecturer.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **50,190** US postsecondary biological science teachers, with median pay of **$84,620** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **60,260**, in May 2004. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_301.20.asp) of **250** from 1870, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for postsecondary biological science teachers: Learning management systems, 2005 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 7.3% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-1042&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **39.8%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1776
- Latest US employment: 50,190 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $84,620 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +7.3% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [22]

### All 30 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1870 | 250 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2022 [1] |
| 1900 | 1,100 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2022 [1] |
| 1950 | 8,500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2022 [1] |
| 1960 | n/a | $6,800 (estimate) | Est., AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey history [4] |
| 1970 | 26,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2022 [1] |
| 1980 | n/a | $22,000 (estimate) | Est., AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey [5] |
| 2000 | 36,910 | $54,450 | BLS OEWS 2000 [2] |
| 2003 | 51,780 | $55,840 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [3] |
| 2004 | 60,260 | $61,940 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [3] |
| 2005 | 59,540 | $63,570 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [3] |
| 2006 | 51,950 | $69,210 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [3] |
| 2007 | 52,560 | $71,780 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [3] |
| 2008 | 51,930 | $70,650 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [3] |
| 2009 | 54,810 | $73,980 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [3] |
| 2010 | 54,540 | $72,700 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [3] |
| 2011 | 50,090 | $74,110 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [3] |
| 2012 | 50,040 | $74,180 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [3] |
| 2013 | 50,230 | $75,740 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [3] |
| 2014 | 52,750 | $74,580 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [3] |
| 2015 | 51,640 | $75,320 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [3] |
| 2016 | 50,820 | $76,650 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [3] |
| 2017 | 49,910 | $78,240 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [3] |
| 2018 | 51,770 | $82,550 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [3] |
| 2019 | 53,090 | $83,300 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [3] |
| 2020 | 51,500 | $85,600 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 47,690 | $81,440 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 49,920 | $81,650 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 52,050 | $83,920 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 53,250 | $83,460 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 50,190 | $84,620 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (95)

### Employment series

1. [NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2022 — Table 301.20: Historical summary of faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions (5,553 total faculty, 1869-70)](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_301.20.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
2. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

4. [AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey history — first national survey conducted 1958-59 (AAUP Research Office, survey history documentation)](https://research.aaup.org/history), American Association of University Professors
5. [AAUP Faculty Compensation Survey — 1990 Faculty Salary Update (American Historical Association, Perspectives on History, Oct 1990), covering AAUP historical data series](https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/october-1990/1990-faculty-salary-update), American Historical Association / AAUP
6. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
8. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

9. [NBER Working Paper — "Why Does the U.S. Have the Best Research Universities?" (Lerner, Wulf, 2021): history of American higher education from colonial era through 20th century](https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28279/w28279.pdf), National Bureau of Economic Research
10. [National Archives — Morrill Land Grant Act (1862): land-grant colleges created new demand for natural history and botany faculty](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/morrill-act), National Archives
11. [Britannica — Henry Newell Martin: first professor of biology at Johns Hopkins University (1876-1893); introduced laboratory-based biology instruction to American universities](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Newell-Martin), Encyclopaedia Britannica
12. [Physiological Society — "Our common ancestor: Henry Newell Martin (1848-1896)": Martin established graduate training and research culture in American biology; six of 24 APS founding members were his students](https://www.physoc.org/magazine-articles/our-common-ancestor-henry-newell-martin-1848-1896/), The Physiological Society
13. [Columbia Biology — History: Thomas Hunt Morgan, Edmund Beecher Wilson, and Theodosius Dobzhansky at Columbia; foundational genetics research 1900s-1940s](https://biology.columbia.edu/content/history), Columbia University Department of Biological Sciences
14. [Wikipedia — "Nucleic acid double helix": Watson and Crick published the double helix structure of DNA in Nature in April 1953; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded 1962](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleic_acid_double_helix), Wikipedia
15. [NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2016 — Table 325.20: Degrees in biological and biomedical sciences conferred by postsecondary institutions (biology bachelor's degrees: 15,576 in 1959-60; 34,034 in 1969-70)](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_325.20.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
16. [ITIF — "Healthy Funding: The Critical Role of Investing in NIH" (2019): NIH budget nearly doubled from $13 billion to $27 billion between 1998 and 2003; expanded research across American universities](https://itif.org/publications/2019/03/25/healthy-funding-critical-role-investing-nih-boost-health-and-lower-costs/), Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
17. [Synthego — "History of Genetic Engineering and the Rise of Genome Editing Tools": PCR (1983), recombinant DNA, and sequencing milestones in molecular biology](https://www.synthego.com/learn/genome-engineering-history/), Synthego
18. [Labster — Virtual lab simulations: 300+ STEM simulations; 89% knowledge gain; 90% confidence improvement; deployed at Johns Hopkins, ETH Zurich, Case Western Reserve, UT Arlington](https://www.labster.com/), Labster
19. [Federal Reserve FEDS Notes — "Educational Exposure to Generative Artificial Intelligence" (Feb 2026): life sciences teaching in above-average AI-exposure band for postsecondary education](https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/educational-exposure-to-generative-artificial-intelligence-20250226.html), Federal Reserve Board
20. [NIH NOT-OD-25-132 — Supporting Fairness and Originality in NIH Research Applications: AI-generated content banned from NIH grant proposals effective September 25, 2025](https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-132.html), National Institutes of Health
21. [ASBMB Today — "How AlphaFold transformed my classroom into a research lab" (Oct 2025): AlphaFold used to visualize CFTR delta-F508 mutation folding disruption in undergraduate biochemistry](https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/opinions/101025/how-alphafold-transformed-my-classroom-into-a-lab), American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

### Forecasts and exposure studies

22. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 25-1042 Biological science teachers, postsecondary (2025: 62.0 thousand; 2035: 66.5 thousand; +7.3%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-1042&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
23. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 25-1042.00, human-rated β 0.398)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

24. [StateUniversity.com — Higher Education in the United States: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT, SYSTEM: colonial-era faculty and natural philosophy chairs](https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2044/Higher-Education-in-United-States.html), StateUniversity.com / Macmillan Reference USA
25. [National Archives — Morrill Land Grant Act (1862): created land-grant universities with statutory obligation to teach agriculture, mechanical arts, and natural sciences](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/morrill-act), National Archives
26. [Britannica — Henry Newell Martin: first professor of biology at Johns Hopkins University (1876); introduced laboratory-based biology instruction; six of 24 APS founding members were his students](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Newell-Martin), Encyclopaedia Britannica
27. [National WWII Museum — "The GI Bill and Planning for the Postwar": 8 million veterans used educational benefits; enrollment surged 70% over prewar levels](https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/gi-bill-and-planning-postwar), National WWII Museum
28. [Wikipedia — "Nucleic acid double helix": Watson and Crick published the double helix structure of DNA in Nature in April 1953; foundational to the reshaping of biology curricula at postsecondary level](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleic_acid_double_helix), Wikipedia
29. [ITIF — "Healthy Funding: The Critical Role of Investing in NIH" (2019): NIH budget doubled from $13B to $27B (1998-2003); expanded research faculty at universities across the nation](https://itif.org/publications/2019/03/25/healthy-funding-critical-role-investing-nih-boost-health-and-lower-costs/), Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
30. [CUPA-HR / Higher Education Today — "Faculty Hiring Disrupted by COVID-19" (April 2021): tenure-track positions down 2%+; biomedical sciences among hardest-hit disciplines; adjunct faculty down ~5%](https://www.higheredtoday.org/2021/04/19/cupa-hr-faculty-survey-captures-impact-covid-19/), CUPA-HR / American Council on Education
31. [NIH NOT-OD-25-132 — Supporting Fairness and Originality in NIH Research Applications: AI-generated content banned from NIH grant proposals effective September 25, 2025; enforcement via ORI referral](https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-132.html), National Institutes of Health

### Predecessors & successors

32. [National Archives — Morrill Land Grant Act (1862): created new class of land-grant institutions teaching agriculture, natural history, botany, and zoology](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/morrill-act), National Archives
33. [National Academies — "The Next Generation of Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences Researchers: Breaking Through" (2018): postdoctoral training as the primary pathway to biology faculty](https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/25008/chapter/4), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
34. [BLS OOH — Medical Scientists: growing demand in biotech and pharmaceutical sectors for PhD-trained biologists leaving academia](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/medical-scientists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary (25-1042.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1042.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Federal Reserve FEDS Notes — Educational Exposure to Generative AI (Feb 2026): Life Sciences Teaching in above-average AI-exposure band for postsecondary education](https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/educational-exposure-to-generative-artificial-intelligence-20250226.html), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OES — Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary (25-1042): median wage $102,840 (2025); 66,000 employed; +7.3% growth 2024–2034](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes251042.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education — "Cracking AlphaFold2: Leveraging the power of AI in undergraduate biochemistry curriculums" (PMC11210786, 2024): 83% curiosity increase; human judgment bridging predictions and biological reality remains irreplaceable](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11210786/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ASBMB Today — "How AlphaFold transformed my classroom into a research lab" (Oct 2025): AlphaFold used to visualize CFTR ∆F508 mutation folding disruption; students connect DNA mutation to molecular disease mechanism](https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/opinions/101025/how-alphafold-transformed-my-classroom-into-a-lab), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Nature Methods — "ColabFold: making protein folding accessible to all" (2022): free Google Colab implementation; 30-60 min per structure; no install required](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-022-01488-1?error=cookies_not_supported&code=8f0ea7ea-86b4-44c8-ac10-724cdb2d9b9c), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Nature Protocols — "Easy and accurate protein structure prediction using ColabFold" (2024)](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41596-024-01060-5?error=cookies_not_supported&code=31cf4ee8-84db-4185-a115-e659724a7199), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Arc Institute / Stanford — Evo 2 DNA foundation model: 100,000+ species, 1M-nucleotide context, genome-scale design; released Feb 2025, published in Nature](https://arcinstitute.org/news/evo2), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Labster — Virtual lab simulations: 300+ STEM sims; 89% knowledge gain; 90% confidence improvement; +14 pp online completion rate; deployed at Johns Hopkins, ETH Zurich, Case Western Reserve, UT Arlington (2025)](https://www.labster.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BioRender — AI figure generation from natural language prompts; reduces drafting time and makes visual design accessible for researchers without formal training (launched Oct 2024)](https://www.biorender.com/blog/ai), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Springer Research in Science Education — "ChatGPT as a Virtual Laboratory Teaching Assistant in Undergraduate Biology" (2026): human TAs more accurate and provided more substantial teaching effectiveness than ChatGPT on conceptual biology questions](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11165-025-10271-z?error=cookies_not_supported&code=0a6aeaf7-1680-4cc8-8450-c24a78e746be), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NIH NOT-OD-25-132 — Supporting Fairness and Originality in NIH Research Applications: AI-generated content banned from NIH grant proposals effective September 25, 2025; enforcement via post-award ORI referral](https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-132.html), accessed 2026-05-24
- [OpenAI — ChatGPT Edu: CSU system-wide deployment (460k+ users across 23 campuses, Feb 2025)](https://campustechnology.com/articles/2025/02/05/california-state-university-launches-systemwide-chatgpt-edu-deployment.aspx), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Gradescope — AI-assisted grading: 30-50% grading-time reductions; AI-assisted answer grouping for written lab reports; 3,000+ institutions (2025)](https://www.gradescope.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Packback — AI discussion coaching platform: 600+ higher-ed institutions; 89% faculty satisfaction improvement with student work quality (2025)](https://packback.co/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Elicit — AI research synthesis: 138M+ academic papers; up to 80% literature-review time reduction; systematic review screening up to 40,000 papers on Enterprise (2025)](https://elicit.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Postsecondary Teachers: +7% projected growth 2024–2034, much faster than average; 114,000 annual openings across all postsecondary teaching](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.