Somewhat Resilient

Last Update: 8/30/2026

AI Resilience Score for Math Science Teachers, Postsecondary:

40.5%

Median Score

Meaningful human contribution

Low

Long-term employer demand

Med

Sustained economic opportunity

Med

Our confidence in this score:
Medium-high

Contributing sources

Methodology and Scoring Rationale

To score how resilient postsecondary math and science teaching is to AI, we ask one question in three parts:

First, how much of the job still needs a human, read from five AI-exposure sources: our own AI Resilience Model, Anthropic's Observed Exposure, Microsoft's AI Applicability, Will Robots Take My Job, and OpenAI Signals. We call this dimension Meaningful Human Contribution (MHC) and weight it at 40%.

Next, whether employers will keep hiring for this job over the long term. This dimension, which we call Long-term Employer Demand (LTE), is calculated from BLS data and weighted at 30%.

Last, whether pay and mobility will hold up. We use wage bill and adaptive capacity data from independent researchers (Althoff & Reichardt, 2026; Manning & Aguirre, 2026). We call this dimension Sustained Economic Opportunity (SEO) and weight it at 30%.

For postsecondary math and science teachers, all eight sources had data. Four of five AI exposure sources rated resilience Low, meaning they see AI handling much of the content delivery and problem-solving guidance, while Will Robots Take My Job disagreed and rated it High. That split holds confidence at medium-high. Steady demand and mid-range pay kept this role "Somewhat Resilient."

AI Resilience Report forMathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary

$79,940 median salary3,900 annual openingsSOC Code: 25-1022.00

Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary are somewhat less resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 8 sources.

Math professors are "Somewhat Resilient" because AI is genuinely changing parts of the job, even if it is not replacing it entirely. Routine tasks like grading, drafting syllabi, and creating handouts are already being handled or assisted by AI tools, and students are using AI to solve problems in ways that force professors to rethink how they teach and assess learning.

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This role is somewhat resilient

Math professors are "Somewhat Resilient" because AI is genuinely changing parts of the job, even if it is not replacing it entirely. Routine tasks like grading, drafting syllabi, and creating handouts are already being handled or assisted by AI tools, and students are using AI to solve problems in ways that force professors to rethink how they teach and assess learning.

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Analysis of Current AI Resilience

Math Science Teachers, Postsecondary

Updated Quarterly

Analysis
Suggested Actions
State of Automation

How is AI changing Math Science Teachers, Postsecondary jobs?

Right now, AI is showing up more as an assistant than a replacement for college math instructors. The tasks getting automated are mostly the routine, behind-the-scenes ones — grading, prepping handouts, and drafting syllabi — while the human parts of the job (office hours, mentoring, committee work) remain firmly in professors' hands. In a survey of math faculty published in MSOR Connections, researchers found that ChatGPT is the most widely used GenAI tool among participants, indicating its central role in current instructional practices, with generally positive attitudes toward GenAI, alongside cautious levels of trust, particularly regarding the accuracy of AI-generated mathematical solutions, according to the MSOR Connections study on faculty use [1].

At Cal Poly Pomona, a math professor described how "I saw students using their phones to take pictures of equations on the board and using AI to solve them", and she decided to embrace the technology rather than fight it [2]. Even research is being augmented: the Mathematical Association of America recently reported [3] that ChatGPT made major math news by solving an Erdős problem — a real mathematical discovery that would be publishable in a leading research journal if it had been made by a human mathematician. Still, an essay in SIAM News [4] frames AI as a possible collaborator, not a replacement, exploring whether AI could ever be a genuine partner in mathematics.

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AI Adoption

How fast is AI adoption growing for Math Science Teachers, Postsecondary?

Adoption is happening quickly on the student side but more cautiously on the faculty side. A Deseret News feature [5] profiled a Cal State math professor who explained that "these new technologies allow students to completely and totally offload their cognition… That's the disaster scenario for higher education" — a concern pushing many math departments to redesign in-class problem-solving instead of automating instruction itself. WFYI's reporting [6] notes that AI has added a new type of labor for professors: trying to determine whether a student's work is their own, a problem compounded by the fact that many institutions provide students access to AI tools.

Cost and availability aren't really the bottleneck — free tools like ChatGPT are everywhere. Instead, Inside Higher Ed's 2026 predictions [7] point to a growing "disenchantment" that could slow things down, and EDUCAUSE's research on AI's impact on work in higher ed [8] shows institutions are still writing the policies and guidelines that will govern classroom use. The good news for you: skills like guiding a stuck student, running office hours, and building trust are exactly the things AI can't do — and they're becoming more valuable, not less.

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Will AI replace Math Science Teachers, Postsecondary?

Will AI replace Math Science Teachers, Postsecondary?

Not entirely. We think AI will take over some tasks, but not the whole job.

Our 40.5% AI Resilience Score signals real pressure on this role. The parts of the job that AI is already handling well are the routine ones: grading, drafting syllabi, prepping handouts. On the research side, AI has even solved serious mathematical problems that would be publishable if a human had found them [3]. That is not a small thing.

But the core of college math teaching is harder to automate than it looks. Running office hours, mentoring a struggling student, building the kind of trust that makes someone willing to ask a "dumb question" in the first place, those are human skills. Faculty are also taking on new work that AI created, like figuring out whether a student actually did their own thinking [6]. And while many professors are cautiously adopting tools like ChatGPT, they remain skeptical about AI accuracy in mathematical reasoning [1]. Meanwhile, institutions are still writing the policies that will govern all of this [8], which means the full shape of AI's role is not settled yet.

The job will change. Professors who learn to work alongside AI tools, while doubling down on mentorship and genuine human connection, will be in the strongest position.

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Latest AI news for Math Science Teachers, Postsecondary

These articles highlight the transformative impact of AI in mathematics education, essential for future postsecondary teachers. For instance, the systematic review on AI-driven personalized learning demonstrates how tailored tutoring can enhance problem-solving skills, equipping teachers with innovative strategies. Additionally, the exploration of AI literacy emphasizes the need for educators to adapt to new technologies, ensuring they remain effective in the classroom. Embracing AI resilience will empower future teachers to leverage these tools, ultimately enriching student learning experiences in mathematics.

More Career Info

Career: Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary

They teach college students about math, guide them in solving problems, and help them understand mathematical concepts better.

Employment & Wage Data

Median Wage

$79,940

Jobs (2025)

57,100

Growth (2025-35)

+1.7%

Annual Openings

3,900

Education

Doctoral or professional degree

Experience

None

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025-2035

Task-Level AI Resilience Scores

AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years

1

97% ResilienceSupplemental

Participate in campus and community events.

2

96% ResilienceSupplemental

Act as advisers to student organizations.

3

95% ResilienceCore Task

Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.

4

94% ResilienceSupplemental

Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.

5

93% ResilienceCore Task

Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.

6

92% ResilienceCore Task

Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.

7

92% ResilienceSupplemental

Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.

Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.

The AI Resilience Report is a project from CareerVillage.org®, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

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