Faculty Careers

How do you prepare for a faculty position?

There are different kinds of faculty positions and they require different training

Faculty positions

Higher education institutions exist on a spectrum from teaching-focused (T) to research and teaching-focused (RT) to research-focused (R). At all of these institution types, both tenure-track (TT) and non-tenure-track (Non-TT) positions exist. There are many kinds of non-TT positions, and some are transitional while others are more permanent. The research components of non-TT positions at R and RT institutions often rely on soft money, which means the salary comes from a non-permanent source of funding, like a grant, instead of a permanent source of funding. At T institutions, these positions may be called "Lecturer" or "Instructor". Our resources below will support you in identifying which type of faculty position is right for you, and then guide you in preparing, applying, interviewing, and negotiating for that position.

Prepare

Exploring and preparing for faculty positions

What's in this section?

The different kinds of academic institutions in the U.S. have different priorities regarding teaching and research. They also look for different qualifications when hiring faculty. Understanding what types of institutions you want to apply to and what skills you must demonstrate is critical to receive a faculty position offer. Find out how to use the Academic Career Readiness Assessment tool to present yourself as a competitive candidate for a faculty position.

Ready to learn more?

Learn about teaching at a primarily undergraduate institution from our short interview with Janet Yang, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at USF.

listen or download interview with Janet Yang

Watch the Preparing for Faculty Positions short video series

Resources for Preparing for Faculty positions

Apply

Resources for Applying for Faculty positions

Interview

Using the interview to avoid a bad fit

What's in this section?

How can you frame questions and assess a workplace, lab, clinical setting or workplace to help you determine if a job, postdoc or residency is a bad fit for you or toxic? How can you get accurate information when current staff might not be motivated to be candid with you? Come to this interactive workshop and we'll show you how to use your interview effectively. *Note: This workshop is for interviewing for different types of positions, including but not exclusively for faculty positions.

Get materials for using the interview to assess fit

Resources for Interviewing for Faculty positions