The position of assistant professor is typically reserved for colleges and universites, and due to the large variety of courses offered at this level of education, there are often many positions open. Assistant professors are in charge of teaching and lecturing students in a classroom setting, grading papers, helping to plan school events, and generally helping with the school's main focus, educating students. There are generally three types of professors at a university, an assistant professor, an associate professor, and a professor. All generally perform the same functions, but the farther you advance at a university that more clout you generally have. The big difference between these positions is tenure. Tenure is a guarantee to not have a position eliminated without just cause. Tenure can quickly raise the average assistant professors salary, since tenure is the primary difference between an assistant and associate professor. It usually takes between 5 and 7 years to gain tenure and become an associate professor, then the university will appoint associate professors to full professors. All are still in charge of teaching students, but the higher ranking associate and full professor will have some say over things like curriculum, the direction of a department, and may even have the potential to become the head of a department.

Many assistant professors go in to teach a specific area or a subject. For example, this could be a special area of literature, but the assistant professor will normally be placed into basic literature courses, generally moving into the teaching more specific classes.