College professor vs assistant professor

The differences between college professors and assistant professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a college professor, becoming an assistant professor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an assistant professor has an average salary of $87,099, which is higher than the $81,207 average annual salary of a college professor.

The top three skills for a college professor include curriculum development, classes taught and mathematics. The most important skills for an assistant professor are patients, public health, and pediatrics.

College professor vs assistant professor overview

	College Professor	Assistant Professor
Yearly salary	$81,207	$87,099
Hourly rate	$39.04	$41.87
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	27,390	30,531
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	4

College professor vs assistant professor salary

College professors and assistant professors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	College Professor	Assistant Professor
Average salary	$81,207	$87,099
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $166,000	Between $50,000 And $151,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	UT Medical Group, Inc.
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between college professor and assistant professor education

There are a few differences between a college professor and an assistant professor in terms of educational background:

	College Professor	Assistant Professor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

College professor vs assistant professor demographics

Here are the differences between college professors' and assistant professors' demographics:

	College Professor	Assistant Professor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%	Male, 55.5% Female, 44.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 17.4% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between college professor and assistant professor duties and responsibilities

College professor example responsibilities.

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Create and teach lessons about business management, business procedures, economics, finance, and religion
Model when creating new course work each semester.
Work as a part-time mathematics instructor teaching courses from basic mathematics to pre-calculus in the evening program.
Survey literature pertaining to health consequences in the disruption of biological rhythms, with particular emphasis on fatigue.
Administer instructional align with the collegiate level syllabus.

Assistant professor example responsibilities.

Lead outreach to community and statewide stakeholders in the PPCC entrepreneurship program.
Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Develop courses in immunology and research ethics, and develop super laboratory courses in cellular physiology and molecular biology.
Conduct research using molecular biology, genetics, histochemistry, cell biology, biochemistry.
Chair psychology and sociology departments, teach psychology classes, revise student practicum program, establish outreach mechanisms to reach alternative students
Serve as professor for humanities and sociology.

College professor vs assistant professor skills

Common college professor skills

Curriculum Development, 31%
Classes Taught, 9%
Mathematics, 6%
Syllabus, 4%
Semester, 4%
Anatomy, 3%

Common assistant professor skills

Patients, 17%
Public Health, 6%
Pediatrics, 5%
Curriculum Development, 4%
Research Projects, 4%
Professional Development, 4%

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College Professor
College Professor vs Assistant Professor

Updated January 8, 2025

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