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OK. Here's the deal. I want to be a college professor when I grow up. I'm majoring in chemical engineering. I love chemistry but I don't want to major just in the science itself. One is because it offers me some job security if I decide to work for a company and also because I'm afraid just chemistry itself would get too theoretical. I like a mix of application and theory which I think engineering will provide.

But anyways, I want to know what exactly I need to do to be a college professor. I would like to teach chemistry or anything related, maybe even a math class. I don't want to do research all day and I don't really like working for corporate America. I think a teaching job really suits the person I am.

Is it something that you can actively seek out or do you have to be lucky to get a job offer from a college or university? How hard is it to get a job at a college?

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Saturday, September 25, 2004 - 06:01 pm: Edit

You need to get a Ph.D. It also helps if you've done very impressive research. Since one needs to do research as part of one's dissertation (a requirement for the Ph.D.), the quality of one's graduate school research is one's ticket to a job in academia.

It is easier getting jobs teaching college chemistry than it is in fields like the humanities. This is because when it comes to chemists, colleges have to compete with corporations, and corporations typically pay chemists more than colleges do.

You probably can get more info by doing an Internet search and finding professional organizations for chemists and asking them about how to achieve your career goal. Another option would be e-mailing chemistry profs (or doing an Internet search to find out the backgrounds of chemistry profs) at colleges that you're interested in.

If you don't want to do research, you probably would not be able to get a tenure track teaching job at a college. You might be able to get a part-time job, but that wouldn't cover the rent. Even at colleges with a strong emphasis on teaching, profs still are expected to do research.

By Simba (Simba) on Saturday, September 25, 2004 - 08:01 pm: Edit

You can teach in a 2 yr or small college that does not require research. You may not get money and prestige.

By Baggins (Baggins) on Sunday, September 26, 2004 - 10:51 pm: Edit

Something that might help would be becoming a TA for a college chemistry class. This would be after takeing the class of course. This summer I had the pleasure of meeting quite a few chemistry TAs at Harvard in the General Chemistry class. The brother of the head TA had been the head TA for the class for quite a few years and now holds a job a Harvard. He did however write the Logan Notes which have been integrated into the General Chem curriculum. That most likely helped him aquire the job.

By Nemom (Nemom) on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 12:27 pm: Edit

Have you considered teaching at the high school level? Private schools, in particular, are always looking for teachers with degree(s) in the field and a love of the subject. PhD not required, although a Masters is good.