How To Become A Computer Science Professor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a computer science professor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Professor Wen Hsin,

Yenumula Reddy

The average computer science professor salary is $89,803. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an computer science major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a computer science professor. Computer science professors with a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 12% and produce 159,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a computer science professor?

Professor Wen Hsin

Professor of Computer Science, Park University

If you want to maximize the salary, move to either the East coast or the West coast. The salary there tends to be higher than that of the Midwest. But don't forget that the living expense will be higher there as well, presenting a tradeoff. Also consider the stock options and benefits that a company offers. Look at the entire compensation package as a whole, rather than rely on salary alone. To maximize the salary potential, I would stay abreast of the current technology and demonstrate additional values that I can bring to the company, whether they are soft skills or hard skills. Be sure to stay connected within the professional networks. So, when an opportunity falls through, you can transition to others quickly.

ScoreComputer Science ProfessorUS Average

Salary

7.0

Avg. Salary $89,803

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 14.03%

Black or African American 7.08%

Hispanic or Latino 10.10%

Unknown 4.92%

White 63.60%

Gender

female 21.94%

male 78.06%

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

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a computer science professor

Explore computer science professor education requirements

Most common computer science professor degrees

Bachelor's

54.2 %

Master's

27.4 %

Doctorate

9.5 %

Start to develop specific computer science professor skills

Skills	Percentages
Artificial Intelligence	14.48%
Java	13.04%
Python	10.81%
Curriculum Development	10.76%
Software Engineering	8.53%

Complete relevant computer science professor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New computer science professors 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 a computer science professor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real computer science professor resumes.

Research computer science professor duties and responsibilities

Develop Perl scripts to automate debugging processes
Involve in displaying and storing the vast teaching and learning resource material into database and accessing through PHP.
General instruction, class syllabus prep, testing, grading/implementing curricula while submitting quarterly reports on students progress to management.
Conduct tours and CCSD in-class Anatomy/Physiology presentations.

Apply for computer science professor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a computer science professor 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