What does an Assistant Professor do?

An assistant professor is a junior faculty member at a college or university who has not yet been granted tenure. In the United States, assistant professor is the lowest rank of full-time professor.

Assistant Professor job duties include:

Advise students on academic and career matters
Serve on departmental, college, and university committees
Teach courses in their discipline
Develop new courses in their discipline
Conduct research in their field of expertise
Publish research findings in scholarly journals
Present research findings at national and international conferences
Obtain external funding for their research projects
Supervise graduate students' thesis and dissertation research

Assistant Professor Job Requirements

An assistant professor typically has a PhD in their field of specialty, and is responsible for teaching classes and conducting research. They may also be required to have experience working in a university setting. In some cases, assistant professors may be required to have a certain amount of teaching experience or be certified in their field.

Assistant Professor Skills

Classroom management
Scheduling
Lecturing
Course planning
Grading
Advising
Research
Writing
Publishing
Presenting
Service

How to become an Assistant Professor

The path to becoming an assistant professor generally involves completing a bachelor's degree, followed by a master's degree or doctorate, and then working as a postdoctoral researcher. After several years of research experience, one can apply for jobs at colleges and universities. The job market for assistant professors is competitive, so it is important to have a strong research record and be able to teaching effectively. To be successful in academia, it is also important to be able to work well with others and to be able to secure funding for one's research.