Associate Professor Job Description, Skills & Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of an associate professor. Feel free to use our Associate Professor job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as an associate professor.
Who is an Associate Professor?
An Associate professor is different from a professor. He is an expert in a particular field or area of specialization below a full professor. An associate professor is an entry-level professor assistant in universities or colleges, they usually teach or lecture students in their area of expertise. The duties of an associate professor typically range from developing lesson plans and curricula to lecturing various students at the university. Many associate professors tend to be closer to students than professors. They counsel students on how to be successful and how also to conduct research. Associate professors do not have a fixed tenure, which is the point at which a professor can be removed from a contract or probation period and is granted a more secure position based on the assessment of his or her duties. An associate professor becomes an associate professor when they conclude a tenure, which usually takes five to seven years into employment.
An associate professor is also mandated to conduct research and publish such research in journals. You will be solely responsible for writing proposals and networking to secure research funding or grant. There are many research grants for research available worldwide. The funding or grant an associate professor acquires can be used for research and also to further his education. An associate professor also collaborates with other assistant professors and full professors to ensure the smooth running of the academic institution. You will be organizing and attending departmental meetings, you will be writing proposals, and help guide the program’s overall direction.
Receiving tenure is the largest opportunity a professor looks up to. Having tenure means your job is highly secured. Most associate professors who have tenure take on the responsibility of working on controversial issues, banned books, unique courses, and alternative teaching methods; this is because the school cannot abort your working contract once you have tenure. Associate professors usually need to gain five to seven years of experience as assistant professors before being offered the tenure track to associate professors. This experience includes not only time but also showcasing their teaching and research skills exceptionally. After obtaining the first tenured title, the associate professor begins another five to seven years of teaching and research experience to be offered a tenured professor position.
Associate professors regularly conduct research and present their findings at conferences and also publish their work in a journal. In addition, also perform administrative tasks and collaborate with their other colleagues. To be successful as an associate professor, you should be able to meet up with deadlines and multitask. Incredible associate professors have excellent management and networking skills. The work environment of an associate professor is slightly different from a professor. An associate professor is a mid-level position, meaning the university may expect them to have a more flexible working schedule. They may not have the monopoly of work like the entire professor; they have less control over scheduling the topics of classes they teach. They can also be employed to work on a part-time schedule depending on the needs of the university.
Associate Professor Job Description
Below are the Associate Professor job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write an associate professor job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of Associate Professors include the following:
- Developing and delivering course material, curricula, and syllabus
- Assisting with the training and recruitment of new lecturers, teaching assistants, and professor
- Acquiring funding for research
- Conducting research, publishing papers, and attending conferences
- Creating lesson plans and syllabuses
- Teaching classes and mentoring students in a particular field
- Grade students in exams and other assessment
- Attending academic events and networking with other researchers and field experts
- Participating in faculty and departmental meetings
- Shortlisting interviews, and selecting students for graduate programs
- Organizing guest seminars and faculty events where students can establish industry professionals
- Write proposals to secure funding for research
- Answer questions in the class or through email or
- Represent the university at conferences and deliver presentations when mandated
- Train and mentor junior staff
- Traveling to other higher education settings to gain experience and expand networks
- Writing proposals to secure research funding
- Stay abreast of new findings and issues in your area of expertise
Qualifications
- a master’s or Ph.D. in a relevant discipline
- Extensive experience teaching in an academic setting
- Proven academic experience
- Excellent research teaching, and presentation skills
- Willingness to engage with a range of professionals solution
- Dedication to excellence in your field
- A professional attitude and great work
- Ability to complete the curriculum on time
- Ability to work collaboratively
- Ability to work under minimal supervision
- A pleasant and hardworking individual
- Ability to manage a classroom
Essential Skills
An associate professor may have many skills similar to a full professor. However, an associate professor is new on the job scene which implies they have to work very hard to demonstrate their skills. An associate professor needs to have the following skills and competencies:
- Teaching: An associate professor will be teaching or lecturing for the rest of his career; this skill is highly paramount. Associate professors develop their lecturing skills based on the years they have spent teaching. They also must develop their classroom management skills. An associate professor must be highly sound to present lectures or research papers in the best way students can comprehend.
- Researching: Associate professors may begin their research to have a progressive career growth; they may begin research skills by assisting on projects and developing their research for a tenure track. Associate professors use their research skills to plan, conduct and publish research in a journal.
- Technical: associate professors like professors use technical gadgets such as research computers to compute academic results and store academic records of students. The science-oriented associate professors use research equipment such as chemical lab equipment and aerial photography to carry out research. Associate professors continue to use this equipment and gadgets to bring about new findings in the academic world.
- Presentation Skills: an associate professor must know how to present his lectures and research eloquently and understandably. Presentation skills are a core skill an associate professor must develop to have steady career growth. Professors have distinguished themselves in their field of endeavor by their knowledge and presentation skills.
- Interpersonal Skills: an associate professor mentors students in his/ her area of discipline. He advises students on how they can excel in their academics. He also serves as a friend who students can have a close relationship with. They must always build strong professional relationships between students and colleagues.
- Organizational Skills; an associate professor must be highly organized just like a full professor. He keeps records of students’ information and other academic catalogs. Apart from the fact that he lectures; he also performs administrative and management tasks when his not lecturing. He also keeps records of research, lecture notes, and curricula. He must be very organized to ensure there is proper documentation of information.
How to Become an Associate Professor
An individual; considering to be an associate professor must know that there are stipulated steps him/her must follow to qualify. An associate professor’s job demands an individual that has distinguished himself in the academic setting. These are the following steps to follow:
- Enroll for an Undergraduate Degree
The first step to becoming an associate professor is to enroll in an undergraduate degree in the area you want to specialize in, for instance, if you want to become an English professor, you must study English as your undergraduate course. This is the first step to becoming an associate professor. An undergraduate degree usually takes four to five years to complete depending on the course of study. In some academic institutions, candidates that graduate with first-class honors are immediately offered employment in the university or also a candidate that graduates with the best result in the department. This caliber of candidates are called graduate assistants; becoming a graduate assistant is a remarkable advantage to becoming an associate professor.
- Acquire a Master’s Degree
To become an associate professor; you need to acquire a master’s degree in your area of specialization. For instance, if you study mathematics at your undergraduate level; you are to study mathematics at your post-graduate level to qualify to be an associate professor. Some renowned institutions do not accept candidates that switch disciplines and so an individual should continue with the trend of study. In addition, acquire an academic master’s degree and not a professional master’s degree course to qualify to become an associate professor. A master’s degree usually takes 18 months to complete which is the equivalent of four semesters.
- Complete an Internship
Students that want to work as associate professors are mandated to complete an internship in the college or university. During the course of this internship; you get to acquire skills that will boost your future aspirations as an associate professor. This internship offers you first-hand training on how to lecture, compute results, conduct research, and present seminar papers. As an aspiring associate professor; you also get the opportunity to meet students and mentor them. The professor you are working for may ask you to help him conduct research and publish it in a journal or academia; this will give you direct experience on how to conduct research.
- Acquire a Doctoral Program
One cannot just become an associate professor with a master’s degree; it is mandated that he or she must acquire a doctor of philosophy in his or her area of specialization. Graduation from a doctoral program implies job qualification and a necessary level of expert knowledge. In the course of your doctoral degree program; conduct research on the ongoing trend in your area of specialization and publish this research in journals or academia. Most universities lecturers or academic professors must-have publications or citations in their field of expertise. The time frame to become an associate professor can take up to 17 years depending on how long it takes to complete your Ph.D.
- Apply for open positions
Draft your resume and apply for open positions. Your resume should be very detailed and it should contain all your skills, educational qualification, and experience. Apply for open positions online or offline. It is a lecturer that later becomes an associate professor. An associate professor is a title or rank given to someone working in the university.
- Ace the Interview
For one to become a lecturer at the university which in years to come will qualify an individual as an associate professor; the university hiring team conducts an interview session to get the most qualified candidate. The interview process will test the candidate’s ability to lecture and also whether the candidate has presentation skills. As a job applicant; you need to perform excellently in the interview; use the behavioral interview techniques to answer the question. Demonstrate to the interviewer your experience as a lecturer in the past and how you handled a difficult situation. If you impress the interviewer; you will acquire your dream job.
Where can an Associate Professor work?
An associate professor can work in the University or under a full professor. An associate professor is assigned to a full professor in an office but he or she leaves the office to lecture students. The work environment is a school setting and so the environment is highly organized. The College or University is sub-divided into faculties and departments. An associate professor works in a faculty in a particular department under the full professor. For Instance, An associate professor of English Language works in the faculty of Arts; in the Department of English Language.
Associate Professor Salary Scale
The salary of an associate professor depends on the location, place of employment, and area of specialization.
- In Nigeria, the salary of an associate professor is 462,000NGN per month. Salaries range from 462,000NGN to 500,000NGN. This monthly salary includes housing, transport, and other benefits.
- In the United States, the average associate professor earns $80,000 per year or $41.03 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $58,780 per year while most experienced workers earn up to $160,000 per year. The salary depends on the college or university. The average salary of an Associate Professor at Yale is $144,000 which is nearly 30% higher than the national average.