What does an Assistant Professor do?
Published 3 min read
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
Related: Top Assistant Professor Skills: Definition and Examples
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.
Related: Assistant Professor Resume Example
Related: Assistant Professor Interview Questions (With Example Answers)