What Does a Professor Do?
Professors instruct at colleges and universities, develop curricula, conduct research, publish papers, and advise students.
Professor Salary by State
Select your state to see the adjusted professor salary based on cost-of-living differences.
How to Become a Professor
Education: Doctoral degree (PhD)
Certifications: No standard certs; publications essential
1. Earn a bachelor's degree.
2. Complete a master's degree.
3. Earn a PhD (4-7 years).
4. Gain teaching experience.
5. Publish and apply for tenure-track positions.
AI & Professor: What's Actually Changing in 2026
Teaching in 2026 means managing 25-35 unique learners who all need different things at different times — an impossible task without technology. The Professors getting the best outcomes aren't anti-AI or pro-AI; they're using AI strategically to differentiate instruction, automate grading on lower-order assignments, and reclaim the hours they need for the high-impact work only a human teacher can do: mentoring, motivating, and building relationships.
The Honest Risk Assessment
AI will not replace Professors — but it is changing what the job looks like. The administrative and content-creation parts of teaching (lesson planning, worksheet creation, basic grading) are being automated, while the human parts (relationship-building, motivation, social-emotional development, classroom management) become more central. The Professors most at risk are those in pure lecture-and-test roles; the ones most secure are those who teach critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration that AI can't replicate.
What This Means For Your Pay
Professors with demonstrated edtech and AI integration skills are increasingly recruited for curriculum design, instructional coaching, and edtech specialist positions that pay $10,000-25,000 more than classroom teaching. District-level technology integration roles are among the fastest-growing positions in education.
Professor AI Playbook: Tools, Tactics & Career Moves for 2026
Specific tools, real-world tactics, and actionable steps used by the highest-performing Professors right now. No generic advice — everything here is tailored to how this role actually works.
🛠️ Tools That Top Professors Are Using
AI tutor built on Khan Academy that gives students personalized explanations, Socratic questioning, and practice problems — like having a patient tutor available to every student 24/7
Quick start: Assign Khanmigo as an optional homework helper for one unit. Students who use it for practice problems get immediate, patient feedback without waiting for you — and you can see what they struggled with in the dashboard.
Generates reading passages, worksheets, and assessments at any reading level from any source material — differentiation that used to take hours now takes minutes
Quick start: Take your next reading assignment and run it through Diffit at three reading levels. Distribute the appropriate version to each student group. This single tool can save 3-5 hours of differentiation work per week.
AI-assisted grading that groups similar student responses, enables rubric-based assessment of handwritten work, and provides analytics on which concepts students are mastering vs. struggling with
Quick start: Upload a class set of your next short-answer assessment. The AI groups similar responses so you grade one type of answer at a time — cutting grading time by 50-70% while maintaining consistency.
AI teaching assistant that lives in your browser — generates lesson plans, creates assessments aligned to standards, writes feedback on student work, and translates materials to other languages in seconds
Quick start: Install the Chrome extension and use it to generate a standards-aligned assessment for your next unit. Then use it to write individual feedback on three student papers — you'll see how it drafts specific, constructive comments you can personalize.
Identifies AI-generated content in student submissions — not to punish, but to open conversations about when AI use is appropriate and when it undermines learning
Quick start: Use AI detection as a conversation starter, not a gotcha. Review the detection report with students who trigger it — the goal is to teach them when AI helps learning and when it replaces the learning they need.
Creates classroom materials, presentations, infographics, and visual organizers from text descriptions — professional-quality materials without graphic design skills
Quick start: Create an infographic for your next complex topic using Canva's AI. Students retain visual information better, and AI-generated materials look more professional than hand-drawn anchor charts — which matters more than we admit.
⭐ What Sets the Best Apart
Use AI for differentiation at scale — generating reading materials at multiple levels, creating scaffolded assignments, and providing individualized practice. This is the work that's impossible to do well manually for 30 students and that AI handles in minutes
Automate grading on knowledge-check assessments (multiple choice, short factual responses) and spend your grading time on the work that requires human judgment: essays, projects, creative work, and discussions
Use AI-generated feedback as a first draft, then personalize it. AI can write 'Your thesis statement needs a more specific claim' for 30 papers in 60 seconds — you add the 'I noticed you have strong evidence in paragraph 3 that could become your thesis' in 30 seconds each
Teach students to use AI as a learning tool, not a shortcut. The students entering the workforce in 4-10 years will need AI fluency — the teacher who shows them how to use AI for research, brainstorming, and revision (not for avoiding thinking) is teaching the most relevant skill of the decade
📋 Your Action Plan
A realistic, role-specific plan you can start this week:
Week 1: One AI tool
Pick ONE tool from this list and use it for your next lesson. Diffit for differentiated reading, Brisk for assessment creation, or Khanmigo for student practice. Master one tool before adding more.
Weeks 2-3: Grading efficiency
Use AI-assisted grading on your next batch of formative assessments. Track time spent vs. your normal grading process. Reinvest the saved time in giving richer feedback on one class's major project.
Weeks 3-4: Student AI literacy
Introduce students to appropriate AI use with a structured lesson. Show them how to use AI for brainstorming and research (good) vs. having AI write their essay (not learning). This prepares them for the world they'll actually work in.
Ongoing: Build your portfolio
Document every AI integration with before/after data — time saved, differentiation achieved, student outcome improvements. This portfolio is your ticket to instructional coaching, curriculum design, or edtech specialist roles.
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Get Your AI Career Plan →Professor Salary by Experience
Estimates based on BLS percentile data and industry surveys. Actual salaries vary by employer, location, and individual qualifications.
Top 10 Highest-Paying States for Professors
| # | State | Annual | Monthly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $99,568 | $8,297 | $47.87 |
| 2 | California | $97,037 | $8,086 | $46.65 |
| 3 | New York | $97,037 | $8,086 | $46.65 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $94,506 | $7,876 | $45.44 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $94,506 | $7,876 | $45.44 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $92,818 | $7,735 | $44.62 |
| 7 | Washington | $92,818 | $7,735 | $44.62 |
| 8 | Maryland | $91,130 | $7,594 | $43.81 |
| 9 | Alaska | $88,599 | $7,383 | $42.60 |
| 10 | Colorado | $88,599 | $7,383 | $42.60 |
State salaries estimated using BLS national median adjusted by regional cost-of-living factors.
Compare to Related Jobs
| Job Title | Median Salary | Hourly | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professor | $84,380 | $40.57 | — |
| Teacher (K-12) | $62,360 | $29.98 | $-22,020 |
| School Counselor | $61,710 | $29.67 | $-22,670 |
| Librarian | $64,370 | $30.95 | $-20,010 |
| Psychologist | $92,740 | $44.59 | +$8,360 |
| Lawyer | $145,760 | $70.08 | +$61,380 |
| Special Education Teacher | $65,910 | $31.69 | $-18,470 |
Job Outlook
The BLS projects +8% growth for professors through 2032, which is faster than average compared to the average for all occupations (3%).
Frequently Asked Questions
Methodology and data sources
Salary data is based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) program. National median, 10th percentile, and 90th percentile figures are sourced from the most recent BLS OES release. State-level salary estimates are calculated by applying regional price parity adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to the national median. Job growth projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program. Education and certification requirements are based on BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook descriptions. All figures are approximate and updated periodically.