| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Education and Teaching |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Head of Department (College) |
| Direct reports | None |
| Experience | Fresher with NET or a PhD, or up to 5 years of college teaching |
Assistant Professor job description template
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Job title: Assistant Professor
Department: Education and Teaching
Reports to: Head of Department (College)
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An Assistant Professor holds the entry faculty post in Indian colleges and universities. The role teaches undergraduate and some postgraduate courses, prepares course files, sets and evaluates internal assessments, mentors a group of students and starts building a research record through publications and projects. It reports to the Head of Department. A good assistant professor gives well-planned lectures, completes the syllabus on time, publishes steadily and takes on department duties such as timetable, exam cell or NBA coordination.
Key responsibilities
- Teach the assigned theory courses and practicals as per the department timetable, following a lesson plan shared at the start of the semester.
- Prepare course files with the syllabus, lesson plan, notes, question banks, assignments and course outcome mapping.
- Set internal assessment papers, assignments and quizzes, evaluate them before the deadline and upload marks to the college portal.
- Run laboratory sessions, check lab records every week and hold practical exams with the lab instructor.
- Mentor a group of 20 to 30 students on attendance, academic difficulties and career choices, and meet parents when needed.
- Publish research in peer-reviewed journals and present papers at conferences.
- Complete a PhD if not already held, within the timeline agreed with the institution.
- Update subject knowledge through faculty development programmes and online courses such as NPTEL or SWAYAM.
- Take up department roles such as class advisor, timetable in-charge, exam cell member or NBA criterion coordinator.
- Carry out invigilation and central valuation duties for university exams when assigned.
Requirements
- Postgraduate degree in the relevant subject with 55 percent or more
- UGC NET, SET or SLET qualified, or a PhD
- For engineering colleges, an M.Tech or ME in the relevant branch
- Fresher with NET or a PhD, or up to 5 years of college teaching
KRAs and KPIs for a Assistant Professor
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Teaching delivery | Lectures delivered as per lesson plan, with full syllabus coverage before exams |
| Student feedback | Feedback score of 3.8 or above on a 5-point scale in every course |
| Course results | Pass rate of at least 85 percent in each course taught |
| Research | At least one paper in a peer-reviewed journal each year |
| Course documentation | Complete course file submitted to the HoD before the semester ends |
| Professional development | At least one FDP or MOOC certification completed every year |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Moodle or another learning management system, College ERP, PowerPoint, NPTEL and SWAYAM, Plagiarism detection software, Subject software such as MATLAB or AutoCAD.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Associate Professor, Head of Department (College)
Interview questions for a Assistant Professor
- Teach us one concept from your subject in ten minutes, as you would to second-year students.
- How do you write course outcomes and map them to programme outcomes?
- Half your class failed the first internal test. What do you change?
- What is your research area, and where do you plan to publish in the next two years?
- How do you handle a student who keeps disrupting lectures?
- Which department responsibility would you like to take up, and why?
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What is the role of an assistant professor?
An assistant professor teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses, prepares course files, sets and evaluates internal assessments, mentors students and builds a research record through publications. They also handle department duties such as timetable, exam cell or accreditation work. It is the first rung of the faculty ladder in Indian higher education.
What is the eligibility for assistant professor in India?
The usual requirement is a master's degree in the relevant subject with at least 55 percent marks, plus UGC NET, SET or SLET, or a PhD. Engineering and technical colleges follow AICTE norms, generally an M.Tech or ME in the branch. Check the current UGC or AICTE regulations and the advertisement for exact criteria.
What is the difference between a lecturer and an assistant professor?
In most universities and colleges, the post once called lecturer was renamed assistant professor, so the work is largely the same: teaching, assessment and early research. Many private colleges and polytechnics still use the lecturer title, often for posts that focus more on teaching and less on research.