One of several things is an associate professor. This could be a university professor, a four-year college professor, a community college professor, or a post-graduate institution such as law school. Some doctors who work in hospitals and participate in teaching programs at those hospitals may be referred to as associate professors. What a professor does will vary depending on where they work, but one of their main responsibilities is to assist in the teaching of students.
The term associate professor is commonly used to distinguish itself from the term professor. In the majority of teaching situations, full professor status entails tenure. Tenure usually indicates that a person has a high level of job security and is unlikely to lose their job if they want to keep it and do it well. In many cases, people are hired as associate professors first and work for many years before being promoted to tenured professors.
Associate professors will design curriculum and teach classes in their areas of specialization as part of this work. They may also serve as academic advisors to students and may hire students as teachers, teaching assistants, or researchers at the graduate level. They’ll need to be interested in the department’s activities, attend meetings, and work in whatever capacity is required in this area. Courses may be assigned, or some associates may be able to design and propose their own courses, which they then teach.
Depending on the type of work environment, an associate professor’s course load may vary. Teachers at community colleges typically have more course responsibilities than those at four-year or graduate institutions. The emphasis on research and publication is one of the reasons for this. Tenure is more likely for professors who publish frequently in the latter environment, whereas it can depend on a variety of factors at the community college level. In all but the community college setting, a focus on tenure tends to result in a lower course load, as the associate professor is expected to spend some of his or her time preparing publishable works.
This means that anyone interested in becoming an associate professor should expect a job that combines research/writing and teaching. The nature of the work also has a shaky degree to it. It’s not quite the same as taking a part-time job with no benefits, but it doesn’t provide the same level of job security as a full professorship. The majority of assistant professors are well aware of this and will work hard to earn tenure after demonstrating their expertise in their field through research and publications.