Career Path

In this career, your responsibilities may include:

• Instructing students in academic and vocational subjects beyond the high school level.
• Professors may be required to conduct and publish research.
• Some academic departments require professors and faculty to have work experience in the subject they teach, such as law or medicine.
• May work in junior or community colleges, career and vocational schools, or public or private four-year colleges or universities.

Job Titles

In your job search, you may find job listings for this career under different titles. You can find some examples of these, as well as more information about this career, at Career One Stop.

Academic Requirements

Typically requires a master’s degree to teach in community college, or as adjunct faculty at a four-year college; but full-time faculty at four-year colleges and universities are typically required to have a doctorate. Even when not required, obtaining a doctorate can make you eligible for careers with greater responsibility and higher salaries in this career pathway, if you do not already have the U.S. equivalent of a doctorate.