Prevailing Wage for Communications Teachers, Postsecondary
Prevailing wages for Communications Teachers, Postsecondary under SOC 25-1122 are set by DOL across four experience levels, from entry-level Instructors through senior Associate Professors and full Professors. Whether you're filing as a Communication Professor or an Assistant Professor, the wage floor varies significantly by worksite city.
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Level 1 covers entry-level postsecondary communications instructors with limited teaching experience, typically newly appointed to a department with routine course assignments and close faculty oversight. Applies to candidates just beginning their academic careers in the field.
Level 2 is the most common filing level for Communications Teachers, Postsecondary. It fits candidates with a few years of teaching experience who handle standard course loads independently, contribute to departmental service, and may supervise graduate assistants.
Level 3 reflects experienced faculty who lead specialized courses, conduct independent research or applied media projects, mentor junior instructors, and take on substantial committee or program responsibilities beyond routine teaching duties.
Level 4 applies to fully competent senior faculty, including tenured Associate Professors or full Professors, who design curriculum, lead research agendas, hold departmental leadership roles, and set professional standards within their communications program.
Prevailing Wage for Communications Teachers, Postsecondary by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
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See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Communications Teachers, Postsecondary and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
Search visa-sponsored jobsPrevailing Wage Guide for Communications Teachers, Postsecondary
Confirm your appointment type before filing
Lecturer, adjunct, and visiting instructor positions are sometimes filed under different SOC codes than tenure-track roles. Verify your employer's LCA names SOC 25-1122 so your offer is measured against the correct Communications Teachers, Postsecondary wage floor.
Account for California metro premiums in negotiations
The prevailing wage floor for this occupation in Riverside, San Francisco, and Los Angeles far exceeds the national median. If your offer is in a California metro, compare it against the local Level 2 floor, not the national figure, before accepting.
Watch how summer teaching contracts are counted
Summer course stipends paid outside your base contract are sometimes excluded from prevailing wage calculations on the LCA. Confirm your base annual salary alone clears the applicable level floor before factoring in per-course supplemental pay.
Use Migrate Mate to find sponsored faculty positions
Migrate Mate shows which universities and colleges have actually sponsored Communications Teachers, Postsecondary visas before, so you can target departments with a demonstrated H-1B or green card sponsorship track record in this occupation.
Jobs for Communications Teachers, Postsecondary are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 25-1122.00 alongside Communications Teachers, Postsecondary, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Assistant Professor Prevailing Wage
Assistant Professor Prevailing Wage
Assistant Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1122.00 (Communications Teachers, Postsecondary). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Associate Professor Prevailing Wage
Associate Professor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Associate Professor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1122.00 (Communications Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Communication Arts Professor Prevailing Wage
Communication Arts Professor Prevailing Wage
Communication Arts Professor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1122.00 (Communications Teachers, Postsecondary). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Communication Instructor Prevailing Wage
Communication Instructor Prevailing Wage
Communication Instructor positions fall under SOC 25-1122.00 (Communications Teachers, Postsecondary). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Communication Professor Prevailing Wage
Communication Professor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Communication Professor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1122.00 (Communications Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Instructor Prevailing Wage
Instructor Prevailing Wage
Instructor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1122.00 (Communications Teachers, Postsecondary). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Mass Communications Professor Prevailing Wage
Mass Communications Professor Prevailing Wage
Mass Communications Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1122.00 (Communications Teachers, Postsecondary). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Professor Prevailing Wage
Professor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Professor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1122.00 (Communications Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Speech Instructor Prevailing Wage
Speech Instructor Prevailing Wage
Speech Instructor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1122.00 (Communications Teachers, Postsecondary). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Speech Professor Prevailing Wage
Speech Professor Prevailing Wage
Speech Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1122.00 (Communications Teachers, Postsecondary). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Communications Teachers, Postsecondary?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate prevailing wages by SOC code and geographic area. For SOC 25-1122, OFLC assigns one of four wage levels based on the employer's stated experience and responsibility requirements. The employer certifies on the Labor Condition Application that the offered wage meets or exceeds that level.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
The four levels reflect increasing experience and responsibility. Level 1 is entry-level, Level 2 is qualified with independent duties, Level 3 is experienced with program leadership responsibilities, and Level 4 is fully competent senior faculty. The level is set by the employer on the LCA based on the actual job requirements, not your personal credentials. Review the LCA job description and cross-check it against DOL's level definitions published by OFLC.
Why does the prevailing wage for this occupation vary so much between cities?
OFLC uses regional Bureau of Labor Statistics OES survey data to calculate area wages, and faculty compensation in communications varies sharply by local labor markets and cost of living. The LCA must list the actual worksite location, so the wage floor is tied to where you teach, not where the university's main campus is. Dense academic markets in California carry significantly higher floors than smaller metros in the South or Mountain West.
What happens if an employer offers a salary below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
USCIS and DOL will not certify an LCA or approve an H-1B petition if the offered wage falls below the prevailing wage for the worksite location and experience level. The employer must either increase the salary to the required floor or reclassify the role. Accepting a below-floor offer does not waive the requirement; the burden stays with the employer throughout the visa period.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Communications Teachers, Postsecondary at a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up SOC 25-1122 wages by metropolitan area. Enter the worksite city and select the appropriate wage level to see the current floor. O*NET provides additional occupational context. Migrate Mate can help you identify which employers in your target location have an active sponsorship history for this role, so you can focus on departments already familiar with the process.
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