Will AI replace postsecondary engineering teachers?

Some tasks are already being done by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 3h 41m of a typical shift is made up of tasks that AI or robots have done on their own in real use somewhere. That doesn't mean those hours are automated in a typical workplace. The breakdown: 29m done by people with AI help, 3h 41m that AI mostly does alone. The other 3h 50m (48%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 7.8% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 9 of 24 tasks, about 4h 10m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media. (1h 36m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as mechanics, hydraulics, and robotics. (53m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers. (24m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others. (14m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction. (14m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

3h 50m of a typical shift, or 48%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work. (38m a shift)
• Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. (34m a shift)
• Write grant proposals to procure external research funding. (29m a shift)
• Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues. (19m a shift)
• Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. (19m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 80% talk face to face with others every day
• 54% are in constant contact with other people

For the 6 tasks in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 6h 52m for a person alone and about 37m with AI. These are Claude's own estimates from real conversations in April and May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index). They describe single requests, not whole workdays, and time saved on a task doesn't mean jobs are cut. The biggest gaps:

• Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction (about 10h 13m alone, 1h 13m with AI)
• Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media (about 8h 34m alone, 31m with AI)
• Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others (about 8h 15m alone, 25m with AI)

On Indeed, job postings in the Education & Instruction sector are at 107% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 9.5% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 3,900 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $109,270 a year, 114% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $61,550 and $210,370 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 7.8% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 55,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 3,900 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 40,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.03% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 422nd largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 55,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a doctoral degree: about 59% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Learning Strategies, Mathematics, Instructing, Science
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 3h 50m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit, C++, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks, Google Docs
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Postsecondary Computer Science Teachers (3h 12m touched, $97k median pay)
• Materials Scientists (1h 34m touched, $118k median pay)
• Postsecondary Environmental Science Teachers (3h 37m touched, $95k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 10 observed in real AI use, 14 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.