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How to Become a College Professor

Jul 22, 2026

Short answer: to teach full time at a four-year college you typically need a doctorate, which took a median of 7.3 years from the start of graduate school in 2024, and many scientists add a postdoc before their first faculty job. Community colleges often hire faculty with a master's degree and at least 18 graduate credits in the subject. Pay grows with rank: assistant professors averaged $97,232 in 2025-26 and full professors...

Postdoc Salaries and Benefits in 2026

Jul 15, 2026

Short answer: the National Institutes of Health (NIH) sets the benchmark: $63,480 a year for a new postdoc on one of its training grants or fellowships, rising to $77,076 with seven or more years of experience. Many universities pay more; the University of California's minimum for a new postdoc rose to $71,491 on October 1, 2026. Benefits and taxes depend on whether you are hired as an employee or paid as a fellow. By the...

Nursing Faculty Jobs: Pay, Demand, Paths

Jul 08, 2026

Short answer: nursing schools need more teachers than they can find. In an October 2025 survey of 863 schools, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) counted 1,588 unfilled full-time faculty positions , and in 2025 programs turned away 93,176 qualified applications , partly for lack of faculty. Nursing instructors at colleges earned a median of $80,250 in May 2025, less than the $97,550 median for registered nurses, and...

Clinical Faculty Jobs: Pay and Promotion

Jul 01, 2026

Short answer: clinical faculty teach through professional practice. They see patients or clients and supervise students and residents where the work happens, usually on renewable contracts rather than the tenure track, and they are promoted mainly for teaching and clinical excellence rather than research. Health specialties teachers at colleges, the federal job category for faculty in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, therapy and other health...

From K-12 Teacher to College Instructor

Jun 24, 2026

Short answer: K-12 experience counts most in teacher education, special education, literacy, community colleges and dual enrollment. To teach a college course in a subject such as English or mathematics, you usually need a master's degree with at least 18 graduate semester hours in that subject. Schools of education hire experienced teachers with a master's for clinical and instructor roles, and look for an EdD or PhD on the tenure track....

Higher Education Jobs Without a PhD

Jun 17, 2026

Short answer: most staff jobs at colleges and universities, and many teaching jobs, do not require a doctorate. Admissions, advising, student affairs, financial aid, IT, research administration, fundraising, athletics and facilities all hire people with a bachelor's or master's degree, or a professional license. On AcademicCareers.com, administrative positions are the largest job category, with 287 live jobs in October 2026 , ahead of...

How to Become a Dean

Jun 10, 2026

Short answer: most deans rise through the faculty: tenured professor, then department chair, then associate dean, then dean, with a record of managing budgets, people and programs at each step. Leadership programs such as the ACE Fellows Program and the HERS Leadership Institute can prepare you for the jump. Postsecondary education administrators, the federal job category that includes deans, earned a median of $104,590 in May 2025, and...

National Library Week - There's More to the Story

Apr 07, 2023

During National Library Week all of us at AcademicCareers.com salute you and your colleagues for encouraging, supporting, and educating young minds through your work as librarians, library staff, and library science educators. And, "There's More to the Story." We are supporting your efforts with a vibrant library and library educators job market through cost effective library job postings, including the Diversity...

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