How To Become An Assistant Professor Of Psychology: What It Is and Career Path

What is an assistant professor of psychology and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Fabio Lanza,

Christopher Was Ph.D.

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior of humans and animals. If you are an Assistant Professor of Psychology, you will use your knowledge and experience for researching projects conducted by staff and students. You will also be actively involved in curriculum development, teaching, researching projects, training new staff, community service programs, documentation, and other activities required by the institution.

You will need to follow the procedures and policies of the institute where you work, and you will also be expected to take care of all the additional responsibilities assigned. You will also resolve questions from students during lectures and presentations.

As an Assistant Professor of Psychology, you will instruct students in research methods, motivate students to pursue a specific topic of research, and assist them as they do research. You will also give guidance to the students to apply specific procedures.

To be an Assistant Professor of Psychology, you will need a doctoral degree and a specialization in a certain area of psychology. You may need to have previous experience as a teacher or psychological researcher. Assistant Professors of Psychology draw an annual salary (beginning) of $55,000.

What general advice would you give to an assistant professor of psychology?

Fabio Lanza

Professor, Ashford University

I tell them not to expect that they can achieve the same, old-style academic career (like mine, for example). A tenure-track job in a research university to be clear. Those jobs exist but they are becoming rarer and rarer. I also tell them that if they forecast incurring in serious (or even non-serious) debt in order to get a PhD, they should not do it. They should not pursue that path at all. In the program, they should take all the chances they have to learn new skills, including skills that don't seem directly related to an academic career.

ScoreAssistant Professor Of PsychologyUS Average

Salary

5.0

Avg. Salary $63,645

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.4

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 11.21%

Black or African American 7.32%

Hispanic or Latino 10.41%

Unknown 4.96%

White 65.82%

Gender

female 52.23%

male 47.77%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an assistant professor of psychology

Explore assistant professor of psychology education requirements

Most common assistant professor of psychology degrees

Bachelor's

52.2 %

Doctorate

28.7 %

Master's

16.5 %

Start to develop specific assistant professor of psychology skills

Skills	Percentages
Clinical Psychology	17.00%
Research Methods	14.46%
APA	9.08%
Social Psychology	6.52%
Developmental Psychology	6.47%

Complete relevant assistant professor of psychology training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New assistant professors of psychology learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an assistant professor of psychology based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real assistant professor of psychology resumes.

Research assistant professor of psychology duties and responsibilities

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Create companion website for classes with PowerPoint presentations, online assignments, and lecture notes.
Prepare the course outlines and syllabus for the courses updating information, adjusting requirements and changing course materials as needed.
Maintain student progress throughout semester.

Prepare your assistant professor of psychology resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your assistant professor of psychology resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an assistant professor of psychology resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable assistant professor of psychology resume templates

Build a professional assistant professor of psychology resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your assistant professor of psychology resume.

Apply for assistant professor of psychology jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an assistant professor of psychology job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average assistant professor of psychology salary

The average assistant professor of psychology salary in the United States is $63,645 per year or $31 per hour. Assistant professor of psychology salaries range between $44,000 and $91,000 per year.

Average assistant professor of psychology salary

$63,645 Yearly

$30.60 hourly

How do assistant professors of psychology rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Assistant professor of psychology reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2023

Cons

The low pay which is often offered

What is an assistant professor of psychology and how to become one

What general advice would you give to an assistant professor of psychology?

Assistant professor of psychology career paths

Key steps to become an assistant professor of psychology

Explore assistant professor of psychology education requirements

Most common assistant professor of psychology degrees

Start to develop specific assistant professor of psychology skills

Complete relevant assistant professor of psychology training and internships

Research assistant professor of psychology duties and responsibilities

Prepare your assistant professor of psychology resume

Choose from 10+ customizable assistant professor of psychology resume templates

Apply for assistant professor of psychology jobs

How did you land your first assistant professor of psychology job

Average assistant professor of psychology salary

How do assistant professors of psychology rate their job?

Assistant professor of psychology reviews