How To Become A Senior Lecturer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior lecturer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Rebecca Sarver

Senior lecturers work for higher education institutions, preparing classes and giving lectures or seminars. They design course material, create syllabuses to plan courses and classes, and deliver material in an engaging manner to adult students above age 18.

You might teach at any time of the day, often including the evenings. Supporting students in their academic progress will be a part of your job, as well as doing research in your area of specialization, publishing your findings in academic articles, or in giving presentations at academic conferences. As a senior member of the academic staff, you will be entrusted with partaking in the strategic planning of the activities of your department.

A degree in the subject you teach will be necessary here, with a master's being the minimum requirement. Depending on the level of the institution you work for, a Ph.D. might be expected as well. A passion for your field, great communication and presentation skills, and a love for working with people will be essential here. Salaries you can expect filling this role average around $65,441 a year.

What general advice would you give to a Senior Lecturer?

Rebecca Sarver

Lecturer in Human Services Studies, Elmira College

Listen more than you talk. There is so much to be learned from clients, seasoned human service workers, and the community that you work within. By listening and observing versus always feeling compelled to speak, you will learn job skills, people skills, and your clients' needs.

ScoreSenior LecturerUS Average

Salary

5.8

Avg. Salary $74,137

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.9

Growth Rate 12%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 17.56%

Black or African American 6.21%

Hispanic or Latino 8.93%

Unknown 4.78%

White 62.25%

Gender

female 39.30%

male 60.70%

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

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.6

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a senior lecturer

Explore senior lecturer education requirements

Most common senior lecturer degrees

Bachelor's

42.4 %

Master's

29.7 %

Doctorate

21.5 %

Start to develop specific senior lecturer skills

Skills	Percentages
Philosophy	17.95%
Economics	8.13%
Curriculum Development	7.31%
Undergraduate Courses	7.05%
Mathematics	6.48%

Complete relevant senior lecturer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior lecturers 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 senior lecturer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior lecturer resumes.

Research senior lecturer duties and responsibilities

Manage a database, compile, retrieve, review and analyze test scores.
Lecture under graduate courses in African politics and economics and supervise post-graduate students in international politics.
Evaluate technical seminar done by the students.
Develop syllabus, organize structure of courses, and write daily lesson plans.

Get senior lecturer experience

Prepare your senior lecturer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior lecturer 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 senior lecturer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Senior Lecturer Resume templates

Build a professional Senior Lecturer 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 Senior Lecturer resume.

Apply for senior lecturer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a senior lecturer 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 senior lecturers rate their job?

-/5

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Senior Lecturer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Pros

being able to carry research and interact with students

Cons

salary and the requirements