Did You Know?
A single professor can teach thousands of students over the course of a career, and the ideas and ways of thinking they pass on can ripple outward through those students into medicine, law, policy, art, science, and other corners of public life.
The Numbers Behind the Career
There were about 1,415,600 postsecondary teachers active in the U.S. in 2024.
About 114,000 openings for postsecondary teachers are expected each year through 2034.
The 2024 median annual salary for postsecondary teachers in the U.S. was $83,980.
Where This Career Is Headed
Over the next decade, the landscape of higher education will shift significantly as online and hybrid learning models mature, the student population's demographics diversify, and institutions face growing pressure to demonstrate the practical value of a college degree. Professors who can work effectively across in-person and digital environments, connect their research to real-world applications, and engage students from a wider range of backgrounds will be increasingly valued. At the same time, advances in AI are beginning to change how research is conducted, how writing is taught, and how knowledge is assessed, creating both new tools for professors and new questions about what higher education is fundamentally for. The core of the profession, original scholarship and the mentorship of developing thinkers, is unlikely to change, but the context in which that work happens could look meaningfully different by the mid-2030s.
As online degree programs continue to mature and gain legitimacy with employers, professors who can build rigorous, engaging learning experiences for students they will never meet in person will find demand for their expertise extending well beyond the geographic reach of a single institution.
Interdisciplinary research is accelerating as the most pressing problems in science, medicine, and society require expertise from multiple fields, creating new collaborative opportunities for professors willing to work across traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Community colleges and regional universities are investing in expanding their faculty to serve growing and diversifying student populations, opening pathways into the professoriate that do not require positions at elite research universities.
Education & Certification
Becoming a professor typically requires a doctoral degree in your field, which itself follows a bachelor's and usually a master's degree, and takes an average of five to seven years to complete beyond undergraduate study. In most disciplines, a PhD is the terminal degree and the standard credential for faculty positions, though in fields like fine arts, architecture, and some professional areas, a master's degree or equivalent professional credential may suffice. After completing a doctorate, many aspiring professors spend additional years in postdoctoral research positions or visiting faculty roles before securing a tenure-track appointment. The tenure process itself typically involves a six-year probationary period during which faculty must demonstrate excellence in research, teaching, and service before being evaluated for permanent appointment.
To Prepare...
Take the most rigorous courses your school offers in the subject you are most passionate about, since an academic record in your area of interest is one of the strongest signals doctoral programs look for in applicants.
Seek out any opportunities to do original research or independent inquiry, whether through a science fair project, a history research paper, or an extended independent study, since the habit of asking original questions and pursuing answers systematically is the foundation of academic work.
Read widely in your field of interest beyond what your courses require, including academic journals, scholarly books, and the public-facing writing of researchers whose work you admire, to develop a genuine sense of what questions are alive and unsettled in the discipline.
