How do I become a chemistry teacher/professor?

polarscribe
Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:39:27 +0000

Tenure is granted at the associate professor level at just about every university in the United States. Most departments have very few “full professors.”

The ladder is thus:

Assistant Professor (new hire, no tenure)
Associate Professor (tenured, usually 3-7 years after hire)
Professor (Mid-career promotion recognizing advanced responsibilities)

There is no guarantee that an assistant professor will be tenured. That is up to a faculty committee, which judges the candidate on research, teaching and service. If the candidate is not selected for tenure, their contract expires.