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Job outlook for associate professors in the United States
Associate professor job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected associate professor job growth rate is 12% from 2018-2028.
About 159,400 new jobs for associate professors are projected over the next decade.
Associate professor salaries have increased 2% for associate professors in the last 5 years.
There are over 223,022 associate professors currently employed in the United States.
There are 30,083 active associate professor job openings in the US.
The average associate professor salary is $103,292.
Are associate professor jobs in demand?
Associate Professor job and salary trends over time
Associate Professor jobs over time
Associate Professor job growth rate over time
| Year | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 223,022 | 0.07% |
| 2020 | 228,188 | 0.07% |
| 2019 | 232,954 | 0.07% |
| 2018 | 230,534 | 0.07% |
| 2017 | 228,170 | 0.07% |
Average associate professor salary over time
Associate Professor salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $103,292 | $49.66 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | $103,055 | $49.55 | --0.6% |
| 2023 | $103,692 | $49.85 | +4.5% |
| 2022 | $99,201 | $47.69 | --2.5% |
| 2021 | $101,750 | $48.92 | +5.1% |
Associate Professor jobs by state
Most common states for associate professors
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 186 | 27% |
| 2 | Alaska | 739,795 | 91 | 12% |
| 3 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 918 | 11% |
| 4 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 573 | 10% |
| 5 | Vermont | 623,657 | 61 | 10% |
| 6 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 348 | 8% |
| 7 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 145 | 8% |
| 8 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 81 | 8% |
| 9 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1,323 | 7% |
| 10 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 449 | 7% |
| 11 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 62 | 7% |
| 12 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 361 | 6% |
| 13 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 252 | 6% |
| 14 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 197 | 6% |
| 15 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 118 | 6% |
| 16 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 465 | 5% |
| 17 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 339 | 5% |
| 18 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 248 | 5% |
| 19 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 161 | 5% |
| 20 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 143 | 5% |
Most common cities for associate professors
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Lansing | 36 | 74% | $102,735 |
| 2 | Gainesville | 55 | 42% | $111,149 |
| 3 | Tuscaloosa | 16 | 16% | $109,861 |
| 4 | Amherst | 6 | 16% | $115,703 |
| 5 | Ames | 9 | 14% | $88,711 |
| 6 | Aurora | 43 | 12% | $93,368 |
| 7 | Washington | 57 | 8% | $96,190 |
| 8 | Coral Gables | 3 | 6% | $102,764 |
| 9 | Fort Collins | 9 | 5% | $91,052 |
| 10 | Atlanta | 17 | 4% | $101,899 |
| 11 | Lawrence | 4 | 4% | $80,803 |
| 12 | Baltimore | 17 | 3% | $97,351 |
| 13 | Jacksonville | 14 | 2% | $109,588 |
| 14 | Denver | 5 | 1% | $93,271 |
| 15 | Detroit | 5 | 1% | $103,346 |
| 16 | Miami | 4 | 1% | $102,933 |
| 17 | Los Angeles | 6 | 0% | $139,697 |
| 18 | Chicago | 4 | 0% | $79,531 |
Associate Professor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of associate professor experts
University of Nebraska - Omaha
University of Nevada - Las Vegas
The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
Oklahoma State University
Gannon University
University of Georgia
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Tiffin University
Christopher Newport University
Kean University
North Carolina State University
Northern Michigan University
Sam Houston State University
University of Maine
Ferrum College
Skidmore College
Lehigh University
Ashford University
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Alex Holte PhD: My advice for someone new to the field of academia is to learn time management skills early and learn what type of service work you find interesting and would like to contribute to. From there, learn how to say “no” to opportunities that may not align with your goals as well. I feel a lot of new professors tend to find the need to be involved in everything, which can result in burning out later in their career.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Alex Holte PhD: I would say being able to work with AI may be something that is more important in the next 3-5 years. Right now it’s a new technology and people are just now learning how to integrate it in the workplace, but I feel it is possible the future workforce of tomorrow will necessitate some form of being able to use AI technology.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Alex Holte PhD: When you are starting out at any career, it is important to negotiate your salary. Many candidates feel that they have to accept their first offer, but in reality, at many jobs, there is some room for negotiation. Be mindful however, to not request a salary that is much higher than what is being offered as they may feel like a compromise would not be possible and move on to the next candidate.
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Yanssel Garcia: Be useful, solve problems, and be aware of your worth. Transition to roles where you are compensated appropriately. Philosophy graduates' flexibility and problem-solving skills make them valuable in various disciplines, leading to potential job growth.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Yanssel Garcia: The ability to reason creatively and go beyond limited datasets will be crucial. Philosophy graduates excel in critical reasoning, analysis, and synthesis, making them well-equipped to tackle new challenges.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Yanssel Garcia: My advice is simple: use the skills you have developed in reasoning, problem-solving, and clear communication. Offer your insights, be confident, and contribute novel solutions to any team you join.
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Dr. Todd Jones: When you graduate with a philosophy major there is often the feeling that there is really nothing that one is qualified to do except teach philosophy. But this is absolutely untrue. It sounds cliché, but philosophy gives you very good preparation for an enormous range of fields. In philosophy you learn to evaluate evidence and to give arguments that this or that is what’s most likely true, or would be the best thing to do. These are good skills to have in almost any field. I would advise people to lean into their unusual major. When prospective employers see that someone was a philosophy major, they get very interested. They realize they have someone here who does not just follow the comfortable common path and is likely to have a great deal of intelligence.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Todd Jones: There will be a tremendous need for people to think through all kinds of things regarding the ethics of AI. When is an AI assisted document plagiarism? Will jobs inevitably be lost to AI? What kind of jobs, and what new jobs should AI help create? When should and shouldn’t we trust the analysis given by an AI. When should and shouldn’t AI’s be allowed to make military decisions. How should we regard AI generated art? Will there ever be a time when we should regard AI’s has having rights? These are questions that we will really need to be thinking through in the next couple of years. And no other discipline is as well set up to think about them as philosophy.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Todd Jones: First, Zippia, remember that few philosophy majors go into the discipline because they are thinking about their salary potential. They go into philosophy because they are intensely interested in ethical, epistemological and metaphysical questions. That said, if a philosophy major’s aim is salary maximization, then they should apply to jobs with the highest starting salaries and think about how their skills will be helpful there. If the job is in high tech, remember that philosophers usually intensely study logic – the foundation of programming. If one is interested in law, the philosophical study of how to and how not to argue helps people be superior lawyers at every level. And philosophy gives a lot of practice looking at the strengths and weaknesses of big overarching visions, something that is highly valuable for any sort of executive position.
Sherah Basham Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Criminal Justice Online CoordinatorThe University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
Criminal Justice And Corrections
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Sherah Basham Ph.D.: 1. Specialized career paths - Criminal justice salaries will vary significantly by level (federal vs local), location, and specialty. Developing specific skills such as cybercrime investigations, forensic or crime scene investigations, data analysis, or speaking a foreign language can leverage higher salaries for specialized positions. 2. Education - Master's degrees, specialized certificates, and professional training can increase earning potential. Education can assist with increasing base salaries or bonuses. It can also help with the placement and selection of specific roles. 3. Explore non-traditional roles - Consider career opportunities outside of traditional law enforcement or corrections agencies. Private security firms, corporations, research institutions, and consulting firms can offer competitive salaries in criminal justice.
Shannon Spaulding PhD
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Associate Department Head (though if you run the story after July 1 it will be 'Professor of Philosophy, Department Head')Oklahoma State University
Philosophy
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Shannon Spaulding PhD: Think creatively about the kind of field you want to start in. Philosophy majors thrive in jobs that require abstract thinking and good communication skills, and these jobs can be lucrative. Philosophy majors find success, for example, in the tech industry because they excel in 'thinking outside the box.' They thrive in law school and as attorneys because they are well trained in critical thinking and communication.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Shannon Spaulding PhD: Philosophy majors go on to have success in a wide variety of careers in numerous different fields. My advice for Philosophy majors applying for jobs and starting careers is to explain to potential employers and bosses what kind of training you have as a Philosophy Major. Philosophy majors are trained in critical analysis of complicated problems, creative problem solving, and communication skills. These skills transfer to just about any career, and communicating that you have this well-honed skillset is crucial. At most jobs, employers will teach you the specific concepts, systems, and procedures you need to know to work there. What they need are employees that are critical thinkers, problem solvers, and good communicators.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Shannon Spaulding PhD: With the increasing prevalence of AI that completes much of the 'grunt work' of white-collar jobs, skills like critical thinking will become even more valuable. Being able to reason critically at an abstract level will become more and more crucial as more and more tasks get outsourced to AI.
Bryan Prior
Assistant Director of Student Accountability & Prevention Education/Deputy Title IX CoordinatorGannon University
Philosophy
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Bryan Prior: When it comes to a career in Philosophy, I feel like now more than ever the job market is looking for open minds and creative thinking. These are valuable tools indeed, and with a Philosophy background you are one step ahead of the game. Part of studying philosophy is being both a master of your study and a seeker of new knowledge and wisdom. So do not stop learning, growing, and exploring all the things that interest you. Use your development and approach to philosophy to harness these new experiences into your field of study. Philosophy IS everywhere, and you may have to be the one to show others that, but in time it gets easier to see it.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Bryan Prior: Now, with all that being said, it is true that there are those schools of thought out there that are going to “scoff” or “dismiss” the concept of philosophy as a degree, but that school is dwindling in the changing times we find ourselves in. The candidate with a philosophy degree and a diverse background of experiences can easily find themselves at the top of the pile so to speak. So, take pride in all you have done that has brought you to where you are and use that degree as the culmination of a background geared towards learning, exploring, and developing your knowledge. Show those you are applying to that your philosophy background allows you to handle not just the tasks they see you handling, but what will also come in the future. The candidate/employee who says “that is not in my job description” is on the fast track to dismissal in this market, so being able to say “I will figure it out.” DEFINITELY will improve your earning potential. Following the money and applying where it is does not hurt either. Be creative in how you market yourself and let the employer see you are looking to expand their idea of the perfect candidate. You will be surprised how many opportunities come from just taking a chance. Be bold. Be wise. Be YOU!
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Bryan Prior: When I think of how a “philosopher” could separate themselves from the job market “these days”, I cannot help but look to the growing field of AI. If it is in programming, business, education, or law, the field of AI and philosophy will definitely be merging. It will take someone with the ability to look at things in a new way to truly harness the world of AI. What ways can AI be made better? How will we prevent AI from affecting things like plagiarism in education? How can schools USE AI to improve learning? Where will the legal boundaries be drawn as AI becomes more prevalent? None of these questions have answers, but you can bet businesses, schools, and firms, are looking for someone who can get them the answers they need. The philosophical approach will be key, and you will be a step ahead of the rest.
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Piers Stephens PhD: The challenge, joy, and strength of philosophy is precisely that learning how to do it well has broad application, especially in terms of reasoning skills, a fact that almost certainly contributes to both the high levels of satisfaction that employers report with philosophy graduates and the great breadth of careers in which philosophy graduates have excelled. You will find philosophy graduates in prominent positions from Hollywood to the clergy, from Silicon Valley to art galleries, from engineering to law, from politics to hospitals, from journalism to museums and national parks.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Piers Stephens PhD: Philosophy teaches how to inquire into seemingly simple but often timeless questions in a systematic and logical way. Philosophy is the discipline that has given birth to almost every area of knowledge on the curriculum. All the natural sciences, all the social sciences, and almost all of the critical side of the humanities, such as literary criticism, are forms of inquiry that historically evolved from philosophy.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Piers Stephens PhD: Philosophy graduates have excelled in various careers due to the broad application of reasoning skills taught in philosophy. The discipline has contributed to the development of almost every area of knowledge on the curriculum, leading to high levels of satisfaction among employers with philosophy graduates.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Prof. Patrick Lin: While money isn’t everything, it’s also not-nothing in the real world—especially in America—where you’re largely on your own. To boost your salary potential, I would advise students to be flexible with career plans since those plans can change and the world will change, too.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Prof. Patrick Lin: I’d say that the only true “philosophy job” or “career in the field” here is being a philosophy teacher/professor or researcher, and you basically need to win the academic-job lottery for that, which is harder than getting into any college—there are literally hundreds of applicants for every open faculty position. But just about any job can be a “philosophy job” if you know how to connect the dots back to the discipline.
Dr. Stephanie Opfer
Associate Professor of English, Assistant Dean of the School of Creative and Media ArtsTiffin University
Visual And Performing Arts
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Dr. Stephanie Opfer: Because of the state of higher education in our country today, teaching in higher education can be a difficult field to break into. However, most colleges and universities still hire adjunct instructors (part-time instructors). Students shouldn't be afraid to teach as an adjunct for a while to get some experience and decide if teaching is for them.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Stephanie Opfer: Flexibility and adaptability will be the biggest skills instructors will need. The state of higher education is changing, and the 'ivory tower' is going away. Colleges and universities are starting to focus more on career-oriented programs, which include practical and application skill sets. In order to stay relevant, the focus of humanities classes like art and film should be on teaching students analysis, synthesis, and other critical-thinking skills. The content becomes less important and becomes only the vehicle for teaching these skills.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Stephanie Opfer: Unfortunately, teaching as an adjunct does not pay well. Students should keep their full-time jobs and teach part-time until they find a full-time job at a college or university. That part-time teaching provides them valuable experience and connections that make them more competitive candidates for full-time positions because they'd also be competing with candidates who have PhDs. So adjunct work is more of a long-term investment rather than an immediate return. Also, even full-time teaching jobs don't pay particularly well, so they'll really need to love teaching if they want to do it full-time. If they don't like teaching as an adjunct, they won't like doing it full-time.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Mike Levine: Academia is most definitely not a career for those that want to get rich quick. It can take 5–6 years before your salary really starts to pick up steam (getting tenured, in other words). To get tenure: publish, publish, publish, while teaching and mentoring. Do some service to your department or college as well, but not so much that you get burnt out. As in any career, being seen and working with other people in your discipline, school, and area is key. So go to as many conferences as you can find funding for, and meet and work with as many people as you can. The 'cultural currency' you'll get from these interactions will come a lot sooner than actual currency will, but in academia, these two areas are often one and the same.
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Mia Fiore Ph.D.: First, I would tell all students that it is VERY different from teaching k-12. Unlike K-12, you are not placed in a school with a teaching job upon graduation; teaching in higher education is one of the most competitive fields, period. The next difference is that you are expected to be an expert/ master of your field. If you're also willing to accept that you will likely have to work as an adjunct professor (for low pay) first, then go for it! Teaching in higher education is the most rewarding job, especially for people who love learning.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Mia Fiore Ph.D.: Awareness and familiarity with technology has become more important, and it will continue to be more important in the next 3-5 years. With everything from peer-reviewed journals available online, to AI, technology is an important part of higher education.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Mia Fiore Ph.D.: Maximize your salary potential by teaching at a state school- if you do you can join the PSLF program and after ten years, your student loans will be forgiven.
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Justin Whitehill Ph.D.: Perseverance pays off. Its worth it to pursue the career you want and not settle and be unhappy.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Justin Whitehill Ph.D.: In the area of genetics and genomics, the identification of areas of the genome that can be CRISPR’d and used to add an immediate benefit is going to be very important as every cropping system races to make genome editing a reality. AI will likely play a huge role in predicting genes/regions of the genome that will provide the biggest benefits.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Justin Whitehill Ph.D.: I wouldn’t know, I’m a professor.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Juan de la Puente Herrero: - This may not be a secret to anyone, but you need to reach out and talk to as many people as you have the energy for. I feel like people underestimate how competitive languages and linguistics can be in the professional world, so the more you know about how others 'went through it', the easier it will be for you to take the punches when they come. And they will come!
I also want to mention how I am younger compared to most of my colleagues (I'm 24), but I have noticed that there is a pattern among the professors who tend to be more popular inside and outside of the classroom: all of them have interests (not necessarily academic) that they pursue in their free time, and it does not matter what it is exactly; cooking, literature, acting, music... I think that it is extremely important to 'feel like a student' on a regular basis in order to let your students know that they are not the only ones making mistakes on a regular basis: you do, too. I don't think that this is an attitude that you can fake.
Jane Kuandre
Associate ProfessorWhat general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Jane Kuandre: My advice for someone looking to pursue a career in academia would be to focus on building a strong publication record, developing a network of collaborators, and continuously seeking opportunities for professional development.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jane Kuandre: Some essential skills for success in academia include critical thinking, effective communication, time management, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Jane Kuandre: Networking is crucial for career advancement in academia as it allows individuals to establish collaborations, gain access to resources, and stay updated on the latest research trends.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Heather Alaniz-Salas Ph.D: Please let me know a convenient time for you to discuss further or if you have any specific questions that I can address.
Dr. Elizabeth Neiman
Director of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies ProgramUniversity of Maine
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, And Group Studies
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Dr. Elizabeth Neiman: Students interested in enhancing their program of study with a WGS minor just 3 additional courses to take in WGS so as to complete a minor. Nursing students who have taken advantage of this opportunity report to me that they are excited about the perspectives that WGS studies provides them and that they feel more prepared than ever to begin a career in Nursing.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Elizabeth Neiman: I can reflect better on how I'd guide students to think about the work they do at UMaine in Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies so as to prepare for potential careers.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Elizabeth Neiman: Rather than answer your questions, I'll give you some background information: Since becoming Director of the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies program at UMaine in fall 2022, I have been doing a great deal of outreach to faculty in other departments across the university.
Carl Franklin JD, PhD
Chair, School of Business and TechnologyFerrum College
Criminal Justice And Corrections
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Carl Franklin JD, PhD: The best way to maximize salary potential is through higher education and training. One then uses these new skills to move into steadily improving tracks of supervision and management.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Carl Franklin JD, PhD: Until a decade ago, language skills in most local and state law enforcement were a luxury to have, but as our population rapidly changes, these skills are becoming more mainstream and necessary. Start to build language skills in the areas that make the most sense for your geographic area. Those skills will make you a better criminal justice professional. In addition, returning to the behavioral sciences for a strong foundation in criminal justice skills is once again a requirement to become a true professional in the field. Understanding culture, social organization, psychology, criminology, and many other disciplines improves the effectiveness of criminal justice professionals at all levels. This return to the roots of the original criminal justice programs has created a full-circle balance from those times when behavioral sciences were abandoned in favor of business, STEM, and related disciplines. The simple truth is that we need to understand people more often than how a computer works.
Aurelie Matheron
Assistant Professor of FrenchSkidmore College
Romance Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Aurelie Matheron: Present yourself as a professional in your cover letter and interviews. The people who interview you will look at you as a future colleague and not a student. Use the past “I” to show what the future “I” will do. Meaning: in your interviews, say “I have developed X courses/projects and I have acquired X skills useful for a collaborative project at your institution. For instance, one project I will develop is XYZ.” You show your experience/expertise and how you will be using your skills. Don’t dwell too much on the “past I” and, I’d say, don’t use the past “we” => “at my former institution, we would do X or Z.” => this shows that you still view yourself as part of that community and don’t project yourself at your new institution. Once you have the job: observe the dynamics of your new work place. Meet with colleagues who also recently got a job at your institution. They will help you navigate the first year.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Aurelie Matheron: Leadership: you will be in positions of leading a program/department. Learn from current chairs by observing their own skills during meetings and moments of decision. Collaboration: develop interpersonal and interprofessional relationships that will allow you to build collaborative projects (interdepartmental courses, for instance).
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Aurelie Matheron: Do some research online about how much someone earns at your stage of the career. If there is a significant gap, point out (diplomatically) that, because of your extensive experience in XYZ, you would like to get a X% increase in your salary. Be reasonable: if you want a 3% increase, ask for 5% (not 10% or more). Justify your negotiation: why should they pay me more? What experience can I show them to justify my request? If you have a higher offer from another place, you can say that “I have received another generous offer and would like to know about the possibility for matching that offer.” Salary is not the only thing you can negotiate: office space, computer/laptop, sabbaticals, course release, etc. Again, be reasonable: if you think you are entitled to XYZ requests, you also have to show why.
Dr. Floyd Beachum
Bennett Professor of Urban School LeadershipLehigh University
Educational Administration And Supervision
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Dr. Floyd Beachum: When starting your career as a new faculty member, you should first try to negotiate as high as
possible when taking your first position (be reasonable of course). This does not mean ask for
the same salary as the dean, but rather look up that institution or comparable institutions and
negotiate towards the high end of what new faculty members make. Also, if a college or
university cannot give you salary (actual dollars), try to negotiate for start-up funds. These are
college/university accounts that spend a lot like real money but they can be used for travel,
hardware, software, student support, etc.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Floyd Beachum: This advice would be for a recent graduate of a doctoral program who is interested in pursuing
a career as a faculty member at a college or university. Three quick pieces of advice I would give
include: get organized, get focused, and get moving. Get organized in terms of getting all of
their materials together as they embark upon a new position or as they look for a position. They
will need to have easy access to relevant documents, official paperwork, files, and/or work
products. Organization is the key to a better work flow. Get focused in terms of having the right
mindset to be successful as an academic. This requires that the person work diligently to
develop a research agenda in which they will have to publish articles, books, book chapters, and
present their research at academic conferences. Two major conferences in educational
leadership are the annual meeting of the University Council of Educational Administration
(UCEA) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Focus also includes
teaching various courses in educational leadership. It will take a considerable amount of time to
plan, read, coordinate, teach the course, and continuously learn while teaching. Focus also
means getting used to serving on various department, college, and/or university committees.
Service work helps evenly distribute work loads to help accomplish the goals of that college or
university. The last step, is get moving. This means that once the preliminary steps are taken,
then the person should be very purposeful as they go about doing all of the things mentioned
here. There is no time to waste because a person in the role of a new faculty member usually
has about three years before their first big review and six years before they must go up for
tenure and promotion. These decision points are high stakes because if they are productive,
then employment continues, if they are not productive, specific improvement advice can be
given and/or employment can be terminated.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Floyd Beachum: In the next three years, professors of educational leadership should look to develop skills in the
areas of technology, problem-solving, and diversity awareness. Technology, including the
proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) will surely transform the overall career landscape. In
educational leadership, faculty members should develop skillsets that will enhance their
understanding so that the technology can better support their teaching and research
endeavors. The skill of problem-solving is universal. For educational leadership professors, this
skill will better align them with the real-world issues that their students face. Being a better
problem-solver will also help build credibility with their students as well as practicing
administrators who sometimes call on professors for advice or consul. Diversity-awareness is an
important skill because the demographic landscape in the United States will become more
diverse. It is counter-productive to try and ignore, downplay, or refute this fact. School leaders
who recognize and prepare themselves to deal with diverse communities will be much better
off than those who choose not to engage.
Fabio Lanza
ProfessorAshford University
History
What general advice would you give to an Associate Professor?
Fabio Lanza: 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.
What Associate Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Fabio Lanza: To put it bluntly, if you want to make money, this is really not the career for you.
What will help Associate Professors increase their earning potential?
Fabio Lanza: Difficult to say, given how quickly things change. Digital humanities was and still is fashionable and important. Public history (museum, exhibitions, outreach). And teaching.