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College and University Faculty

(D.O.T.  090.227-010)

Nature of the Work

College and university faculty teach and advise over 14 million
full-time and part-time college students and perform a significant
part of our Nation's research.  They also study and meet with
colleagues to keep up with developments in their field and consult
with government, business, nonprofit, and community organizations.

   Faculty generally are organized into departments or divisions, based
on subject or field.  They usually teach several different courses
in their department algebra, calculus, and differential equations,
for example.  They may instruct undergraduate or graduate students,
or both.

   College and university faculty may give lectures to several hundred
students in large halls, lead small seminars, and supervise students
in laboratories.  They also prepare lectures, exercises, and
laboratory experiments, grade exams and papers, and advise and work
with students individually.  In universities, they also counsel,
advise, teach, and supervise graduate student research.  They may
use closed-circuit and cable television, computers, videotapes, and
other teaching aids.

   Faculty keep abreast of developments in their field by reading
current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in
professional conferences.  They also do their own research to expand
knowledge in their field.  They experiment, collect and analyze
data, and examine original documents, literature, and other source
material.  From this, they develop hypotheses, arrive at
conclusions, and write about their findings in scholarly journals
and books.

   Most faculty members serve on academic or administrative committees
which deal with the policies of their institution, departmental
matters, academic issues, curricula, budgets, equipment purchases,
and hiring.  Some work with student organizations.  Department heads
generally have heavier administrative responsibilities.

   The amount of time spent on each of these activities varies by
individual circumstance and type of institution.  Faculty members at
universities generally spend a significant part of their time doing
research; those in 4-year colleges, somewhat less; and those in
2-year colleges, relatively little.  However, the teaching load
usually is heavier in 2-year colleges.

   College faculty generally have flexible schedules.

Working Conditions

College faculty generally have flexible schedules.  They must be
present for classes, usually 12 to 16 hours a week, and for faculty
and committee meetings.  Most establish regular office hours for
student consultations, usually 3 to 6 hours per week.  Otherwise,
they are relatively free to decide when and where they will work,
and how much time to devote to course preparation, grading papers
and exams, study, research, and other activities.  They may work
staggered hours and teach classes at night and on weekends,
particularly those faculty who teach older students who may have
full-time jobs or family responsibilities on weekdays.  They have
even greater flexibility during the summer and school holidays, when
they may teach or do research, travel, or pursue nonacademic
interests.  Most colleges and universities have funds used to
support faculty research or other professional development needs,
including travel to conferences and research sites.

   Part-time faculty generally spend little time on campus, since they
usually don't have an office.  In addition, they may teach at more
than one college, requiring travel between their various places of
employment.

   Faculty may experience a conflict between their responsibilities to
teach students and the pressure to do research.  This may be a
particular problem for young faculty seeking advancement.
Increasing emphasis on undergraduate teaching performance,
particularly at small liberal arts colleges, in tenure decisions may
alleviate some of this pressure, however.

Employment

College and university faculty held about 812,000 jobs in 1992,
mostly in public institutions.

   About 3 out of 10 college and university faculty members work part
time.  Some part-timers, known as adjunct faculty, have primary jobs
outside of academia in government, private industry, or in nonprofit
research and teach on the side.  Others want full-time jobs but
can't find them.  Some work part time in more than one institution.

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement

Most college and university faculty are in four academic ranks:
Professor, associate professor, assistant professor, and instructor.
A small number are lecturers.

   Most faculty members are hired as instructors or assistant
professors.  Four-year colleges and universities generally hire
doctoral degree holders for full-time, tenure-track positions, but
may hire master's degree holders or doctoral candidates for certain
disciplines, such as the arts, or for part-time and temporary jobs.
In 2-year colleges, master's degree holders often qualify for
full-time positions.

   Doctoral programs usually take 4 to 7 years of full-time study
beyond the bachelor's degree.  Candidates usually specialize in a
subfield of a discipline, for example, organic chemistry, counseling
psychology, or European history, but also take courses covering the
whole discipline.  Programs include 20 or more increasingly
specialized courses and seminars plus comprehensive examinations on
all major areas of the field.  They also include a dissertation.
This is a report on original research to answer some significant
question in the field; it sets forth an original hypothesis or
proposes a model and tests it.  Students in the natural sciences and
engineering usually do laboratory work; in the humanities, they
study original documents and other published material.  The
dissertation, done under the guidance of one or more faculty
advisors, usually takes 1 or 2 years of full-time work.

   In some fields, particularly the natural sciences, some students
spend an additional 2 years on postdoctoral research and study
before taking a faculty position.

   A major step in the traditional academic career is attaining tenure.
Newly hired faculty serve a certain period (usually 7 years) under
term contracts.  Then, their record of teaching, research, and
overall contribution to the institution is reviewed; tenure is
granted if the review is favorable and positions are available.
With tenure, a professor cannot be fired without just cause and due
process.  Those denied tenure usually must leave the institution.
Tenure protects the faculty's academic freedom the ability to teach
and conduct research without fear of being fired for advocating
unpopular ideas.  It also gives both faculty and institutions the
stability needed for effective research and teaching, and provides
financial stability for faculty members.  About 60 percent of
full-time faculty are tenured, and many others are in the
probationary period.

   Some faculty based on teaching experience, research, publication,
and service on campus committees and task forces move into
administrative and managerial positions, such as departmental
chairperson, dean, and president.  At 4-year institutions, such
advancement requires a doctoral degree.  At 2-year colleges, a
doctorate is helpful but not generally required, except for
advancement to some top administrative postitions.  (Deans and
departmental chairpersons are covered in the Handbook statement on
education administrators, while college presidents are included in
the Handbook statement on general managers and top executives.)

   College faculty need intelligence, inquiring and analytical minds,
and a strong desire to pursue and disseminate knowledge.  They must
be able to communicate clearly and logically, both orally and in
writing.  They should be able to establish rapport with students
and, as models for them, be dedicated to the principles of academic
integrity and intellectual honesty.  Finally, they must be able to
work in an environment where they receive little direct supervision.

Job Outlook

Employment of college and university faculty is expected to increase
about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year
2005 as enrollments in higher education increase.  Many additional
openings will arise as faculty members retire.  Faculty retirements
should increase significantly from the late 1990's through 2005 as a
large number of faculty who entered the profession during the 1950's
and 1960's reach retirement age at this time.

   Enrollments increased in the early and mid-1980's despite a decline
in the traditional college-age (18-24) population.  This resulted
from a higher proportion of 18- to 24-year-olds attending college,
along with a growing number of part-time, female, and older
students.  Enrollments are expected to continue to grow through the
year 2005, particularly as the traditional college-age population
begins increasing after 1996, when the leading edge of the baby-boom
echo generation (children of the baby boomers) reaches college age.

   In the past two decades, keen competition for faculty jobs forced
some applicants to accept part-time or short-term academic
appointments that offered little hope of tenure, and others to seek
nonacademic positions.  This trend of hiring adjunct or part-time
faculty should continue through the mid-1990s due to financial
difficulties universities and colleges are facing.  Many States have
reduced funding for higher education.  As a result, colleges
increased the hiring of part-time faculty to save money on pay and
benefits.

   Once enrollments and retirements increase in the late 1990's,
opportunities should improve for college faculty positions and for
tenure, and fewer faculty should have to take part-time or
short-term appointments.  Job prospects will continue to be better
in certain fields business, engineering, health science, computer
science, physical sciences, and mathematics, for example largely
because very attractive nonacademic jobs will be available for many
potential faculty.

   Employment of college faculty also is related to the nonacademic job
market through an echo effect.  Excellent job prospects in a field
for example, computer science from the late 1970's to the mid-1980's
cause more students to enroll, increasing faculty needs in that
field.  On the other hand, poor job prospects in a field, such as
history in recent years, discourages students and reduces demand for
faculty.

Earnings

Earnings vary according to faculty rank and type of institution and,
in some cases, by field.  Faculty in 4-year institutions earn higher
salaries, on the average, than those in 2-year schools.  According
to a 1992-93 survey by the American Association of University
Professors, salaries for full-time faculty on 9-month contracts
averaged $46,300.  By rank, the average for professors was $59,500;
associate professors, $44,100; assistant professors, $36,800; and
instructors, $27,700.  Those on 11- or 12-month contracts obviously
earned more.  In fields where there are high-paying nonacademic
alternatives notably medicine and law but also engineering and
business, among others earnings exceed these averages.  In others
the fine arts, for example they are lower.

   Many faculty members have added earnings, both during the academic
year and the summer, from consulting, teaching additional courses,
research, writing for publication, or other employment.

   Most college and university faculty enjoy some unique benefits,
including access to campus facilities, tuition waivers for
dependents, housing and travel allowances, and paid sabbatical
leaves.  Part-time faculty have fewer benefits than full-time
faculty.

Related Occupations

College and university faculty function both as teachers and
researchers.  They communicate information and ideas.  Related
occupations include elementary and secondary school teachers,
librarians, writers, consultants, lobbyists, trainers and employee
development specialists, and policy analysts.  Faculty research
activities often are similar to those of scientists, project
managers, and administrators in industry, government, and nonprofit
research organizations.

Sources of Additional Information

   Professional societies generally provide information on academic and
nonacademic employment opportunities in their fields.  Names and
addresses of these societies appear in statements elsewhere in the
Handbook.

   For information about faculty union activities on 2- and 4-year
college campuses, contact:

   American Federation of Teachers, 555 New Jersey Ave.  NW.,
Washington, DC 20001.

   For information on college teaching careers, contact:

   American Association of University Professors, 1012 14th St.  NW.,
Washington, DC 20005.

   Special publications on higher education, available in libraries,
list specific employment opportunities for faculty.