Prevailing Wage for Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary
Prevailing wage data for Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary (SOC 25-1032) sets the minimum salary a U.S. employer must offer when sponsoring a visa. Whether the role is titled Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Engineering Instructor, DOL assigns four experience levels and the floor shifts significantly by metropolitan area.
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Level 1 covers entry-level postsecondary engineering instructors with limited teaching experience, typically new to a faculty position, performing well-defined duties under close departmental oversight, and not yet expected to lead independent research programs or mentor doctoral candidates.
Level 2 is the most common filing level for Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. It fits candidates with some independent teaching and research experience who apply established methods, contribute to departmental service, and hold a terminal degree but are still building a tenure-track record.
Level 3 applies to experienced faculty who exercise independent judgment, lead funded research programs, supervise graduate students, and have a demonstrated publication record. Associate professors with tenure or those under active tenure review typically align with this level.
Level 4 covers fully competent senior faculty, including full professors or endowed chairs, who set departmental research direction, hold substantial external funding, mentor junior faculty, and are recognized contributors in their engineering discipline at a national or international level.
Prevailing Wage for Engineering 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 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Verify the worksite city listed on the LCA
For postsecondary engineering faculty, the LCA must name the campus where teaching and research actually occur. A university with campuses in both a low-wage metro and a high-wage metro must use the worksite address, not the system headquarters, when certifying the prevailing wage.
Confirm research stipends count toward the wage floor
Many engineering professor offers bundle base salary with separate research stipends or grant-funded supplements. Only guaranteed, recurring compensation counts toward the prevailing wage floor. One-time startup funds, equipment budgets, and discretionary research accounts do not satisfy the DOL wage requirement.
Watch for title aliasing between SOC codes
Universities sometimes post engineering faculty roles under broader education titles that map to different SOC codes, potentially missing the SOC 25-1032 wage floor. Confirm that the LCA specifically cites SOC 25-1032 and the Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary occupation title before accepting an offer.
Find employers that have sponsored engineering faculty before
Migrate Mate shows which universities and research institutions have a track record of sponsoring Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary, letting you target schools with established H-1B or green card processes rather than those filing for this occupation for the first time.
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Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 25-1032.00 alongside Engineering 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 25-1032.00 (Engineering 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 25-1032.00 (Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Chemical Engineering Professor Prevailing Wage
Chemical Engineering Professor Prevailing Wage
Chemical Engineering Professor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1032.00 (Engineering 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.
Electrical Engineering Professor Prevailing Wage
Electrical Engineering Professor Prevailing Wage
Electrical Engineering Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1032.00 (Engineering 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.
Engineering Instructor Prevailing Wage
Engineering Instructor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Engineering Instructor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1032.00 (Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Engineering Professor Prevailing Wage
Engineering Professor Prevailing Wage
Engineering Professor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1032.00 (Engineering 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.
Environmental Engineering Professor Prevailing Wage
Environmental Engineering Professor Prevailing Wage
Environmental Engineering Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1032.00 (Engineering 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.
Instructor Prevailing Wage
Instructor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Instructor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1032.00 (Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Mechanical Engineering Professor Prevailing Wage
Mechanical Engineering Professor Prevailing Wage
Mechanical Engineering Professor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1032.00 (Engineering 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.
Professor Prevailing Wage
Professor Prevailing Wage
Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1032.00 (Engineering 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 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary?
DOL derives prevailing wages from Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For SOC 25-1032, OFLC maps those survey results to four wage levels using a formula based on the occupational wage distribution in each metropolitan area. Employers certify that the offered salary meets or exceeds the applicable level before USCIS accepts a petition.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
Level 1 is entry-level, Level 2 is qualified with some independent experience, Level 3 is experienced with demonstrated research or teaching output, and Level 4 is fully competent at a senior or lead scope. The employer selects the level based on the actual job duties and required experience in the position description. Review the LCA your employer files with OFLC to confirm which level they certified.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same engineering faculty role vary so much by city?
OFLC calculates prevailing wages from regional wage surveys, so the floor reflects local labor market conditions in each metropolitan area. The LCA worksite rule requires that the wage floor used match the city where the employee actually works. Dense research university markets and high cost-of-living metros produce higher survey medians, while smaller markets or Puerto Rico metros produce lower floors for the same occupation.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
OFLC will not certify an LCA where the offered wage falls below the applicable prevailing wage level for the worksite metro. Without a certified LCA, USCIS cannot approve an H-1B or PERM-based petition. The employer must either increase the salary to meet the floor or reclassify the position at an appropriate wage level before the sponsorship process can proceed.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for an engineering faculty position at a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up current prevailing wages by SOC code, experience level, and metropolitan area. Enter SOC 25-1032 and the city where the position is based to see the certified floor for each level. You can also review O*NET for the occupation profile and cross-reference recent LCA disclosure data through OFLC. Migrate Mate lists engineering faculty roles filtered by location so you can compare posted salaries against the local floor.
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