How To Become A College Instructor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a college instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Rodney Foster,

Quan Mai Ph.D.

Becoming a college instructor can be a very rewarding job that enables you to instruct students in a wide variety of academic, career, and technical subjects beyond the high school level. College instructors, often referred to as professors, may also conduct research and publish papers. If you decide to become a college instructor, your main job duty will be to teach courses in your specific area of expertise.

As a college instructor, you'll be expected to develop course outlines or syllabi, design course content that meets department standards, plan lessons and assignments, and grade student assignments, papers, and exams. Depending on whether you work for a small college or large university, you could end up teaching small seminars with a few students or large lectures with hundreds of students. You may also have the opportunity to teach online courses.

If you're thinking of becoming a college instructor, educational requirements will vary depending on the subject and the educational institution where you are employed. Many colleges and universities require their instructors to have a Ph.D. in their field; however, some smaller institutions and community colleges may employ instructors with master's degrees.

What general advice would you give to a College Instructor?

Rodney Foster

Instructor - Aviation Maintenance Technology Instructor - Airframe & Powerplant Technology, Orange Coast College

Orange Coast College (OCC) teaches Aircraft Maintenance Technology (AMT) and Avionics. Although the Government has dampened air travel by putting up restrictions to prevent a Covid-19 spread, there is still a certified mechanic/skilled labor shortage. I believe all our students will have permanent jobs within a six-month search. OCC AMT is listed as an essential workforce by the state of California and is back in classes full-time, Face-to-face labs, and online lectures. Our next semester registration maximum filled in two days and still has over 35 additional students per class on the waiting list.

ScoreCollege InstructorUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $50,584

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.9

Growth Rate 2%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 11.32%

Black or African American 7.05%

Hispanic or Latino 10.05%

Unknown 4.92%

White 66.38%

Gender

female 52.51%

male 47.49%

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

6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.1

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a college instructor

Explore college instructor education requirements

Most common college instructor degrees

Bachelor's

55.8 %

Master's

28.2 %

Associate

9.7 %

Start to develop specific college instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
Classroom Management	17.19%
Mathematics	6.73%
Syllabus	5.87%
Social Work	5.25%
Course Curriculum	5.22%

Complete relevant college instructor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New college instructors 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 college instructor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real college instructor resumes.

Gain additional college instructor certifications

College instructor certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific college instructor certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for college instructors include Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) and Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS).

More About Certifications

Research college instructor duties and responsibilities

Excel in achieving proficiency in teaching mathematics to students which is measured through tests ensuring accuracy of information teach.
Teach college composition and literature courses.
Provide ESL instruction to adult learners.
Serve on faculty committee to revise and restructure placement process for incoming ESL students.

Prepare your college instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your college instructor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a college instructor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable College Instructor Resume templates

Build a professional College Instructor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your College Instructor resume.

Apply for college instructor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a college instructor 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

How do college instructors rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

College Instructor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2023

Pros

The transfer of knowledge and the joy on the student's face when they understand

Cons

The low pay which is often offered