What You'll Do

  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as criminal law, defensive policing, and investigation techniques.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
  • Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
  • Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.

Essential Skills

Speaking 4.75/5
Active Listening 4.12/5
Critical Thinking 4.12/5
Reading Comprehension 4.0/5
Writing 4.0/5
Active Learning 4.0/5
Learning Strategies 4.0/5
Instructing 4.0/5
Monitoring 3.88/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.62/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.12/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.12/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.
  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.

Common styles

Dependability, Intellectual Curiosity, Integrity, Social Orientation, Achievement Orientation

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Oral Expression 4.12/5
Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Written Comprehension 4.0/5
Written Expression 4.0/5
Speech Clarity 4.0/5
Inductive Reasoning 3.88/5
Deductive Reasoning 3.75/5
Problem Sensitivity 3.5/5

Technologies & Tools

Blackboard Learn Blackboard software Calendar and scheduling software Collaborative editing software Course management system software Desire2Learn LMS software Distance learning software DOC Cop Email software Google Docs Image scanning software iParadigms Turnitin Learning management system LMS Microsoft Access Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Dependability (High importance: 4.61/5)
  • Intellectual Curiosity (High importance: 4.58/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.57/5)
  • Social Orientation (High importance: 4.49/5)
  • Achievement Orientation (High importance: 4.36/5)

Want to see how YOUR strengths align with this career?

Take Free 15-Min Assessment →

How to Become One

This career requires extensive preparation, typically including a graduate degree (Master's or Doctoral) and several years of experience. Most professionals in this field have invested significant time in education and training.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Adjunct Criminal Justice Instructor Adjunct Instructor Adjunct Professor Assistant Professor Associate Professor College Faculty Member College Professor Criminal Justice Adjunct Instructor Criminal Justice Assistant Professor Criminal Justice Associate Instructor Criminal Justice Faculty Member Criminal Justice Instructor Criminal Justice Professor Criminal Justice Specialist Criminology Lecturer Criminology Professor Criminology Teacher Digital Forensics Instructor Instructor Justice Professor Penology Professor Penology Teacher Police Academy Instructor Professor University Faculty Member

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.