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College professor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a college professor. College professors usually study business, education, or elementary education. 46% of college professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 33% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,026 real college professor resumes to see exactly what college professor education sections show.
The most common colleges for college professors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online college professor courses to help get the education required to be a college professor.
What education do you need to become a college professor?
What degree do you need to be a college professor?
- Bachelor's, 46%
- Master's, 33%
- Doctorate, 10%
- Associate, 8%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a college professor?
- Business, 16%
- Education, 10%
- Psychology, 7%
- Other Majors, 60%
Most common colleges for college professors
| College professor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 13.11% |
| University of Central Florida | 6.56% |
| Boston University | 6.56% |
| New Mexico State University | 6.56% |
| National University | 5.74% |
Best majors for college professors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 15.9% |
| 2 | Education | 9.8% |
| 3 | Elementary Education | 7.5% |
| 4 | Psychology | 7.0% |
| 5 | English | 7.0% |
Best colleges for college professors
The best colleges for college professors are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Carnegie Mellon University.
A college professor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for college professors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become college professors.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
10. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
20 best online courses for college professors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for college professors
The most affordable schools for college professors are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for college professors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for college professors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
10. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for college professors
The hardest universities for college professors to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for college professors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for college professors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
6. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for college professors
The easiest schools for college professors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, wayland baptist university, and notre dame college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a college professor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for college professors.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
6. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
9. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average college professor salary by education level
| College professor education level | College professor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $74,640 |
| Doctorate Degree | $102,174 |
College professor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025