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How Many Hours Does a College Professor Work

Article by Howard E. Rubin, Ph.D.

Some people have the opinion that being a college professor is simple, easy, and that it is not a very demanding field. Several people have asked me recently, how many hours does a college professor work? This may be an easy question to ask, however, the answer is neither simple nor straight-forward. There are several variables to be considered such as the type of work a college professor does and the specific tasks involved in this career.

Some professors are hired as researchers and do not have the burden of teaching more than an occasional course. This is usually very time intensive because in addition to the necessary research, the faculty member must also seek external funding to support his program. Other professors are hired mainly, or fully, to teach. There are three types of courses that may be offered. These are courses for undergraduate non-majors, courses for undergraduate majors, and courses for graduate students. Usually at the undergraduate level, offerings are survey-type courses with the majors courses going into much greater detail than that for non-majors. Graduate-level courses are in-depth and, therefore, are very rigorous. The greater the depth of a course, the more depth and breadth of knowledge the professor must obtain. The mentor must possess even more knowledge and insight about the course material than will be taught so that questions can be properly fielded. For graduate-level courses, this requires the professor to remain up-to-date about new developments in the field. Thus, considerable time must be spent staying abreast of new course information as well as in class preparation. Providing an on-track and interesting lecture is merely the final step in the process.

In addition to teaching college-level professors have other tasks as well. They must serve on college-wide committees, remain current in their field of interest, be active in professional societies by making presentations at annual meetings, and provide sufficient time to help students. Although these activities may occur in spurts, most professors find that the time needed to adequately prepare for their courses is very limited.

As in any field some people do a fast and dirty job while others spend considerable amounts of time to do a good job. Many professors devote more than 40 hours a week toward their careers. Time is not the paramount issue at the college level, the quality of education is.

Unfortunately, there are many problems that can stop you from being successful starting out as a professor and barriers that can prevent you from making a steady significant income. Fortunately, there is help for those who are serious about breaking-in and earning big money as a part-time professor teaching both online and onground.

Check out: http://www.adjunctteachingonline.com

Dr. Rubin holds a BS, 3 masters, a Ph.D., and was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow. For 20 years, he was an environmental scientist and then started teaching as an adjunct professor. He continuously increased the number of colleges he taught at and then started to teach online. He continued to increase his income until he reached his income goals. He has been able to maintain this income level for more than ten years.

The gutting of higher education in America has resulted in a corporate model of employment utilizing affiliate college professors who earn less than garbage men and train conductors. This exploitation is reprehensible, immoral and indefensible. This abomination solely serves the interests of college presidents, boards of trustees and administrators at the highest level, while bankrupting teachers, adversely affecting students, tuition payers and ultimately all stakeholders in the educational arena. It must end.

College Professor | Alexander | April 26, 2012 2:55 pm | Comments Off