Assistant Professors

[lelick1234]

Hello, 

I am sure this has been discussed before, so point me to the right direction for this issue. 

1) What role can assistant professors play in your graduate studies? 

2) I like a graduate program because of an assistant professor.  Would it be a waste to apply to it? 

--Leo

[MathCat]

Not a waste, but there's risks in working with somebody not yet tenured. An assistant professor can be your advisor, but if they happen to get denied tenure, you can be in a bit of a pickle...

[TMP]

Also, they are not very established in their fields (yet).  You'll need to get another professor with a bigger name and stronger reputation to write the second letter of recommendation for bigger fellowships and clout in the department for funding.

[spellbanisher]

Rarely are they the primary advisor, but they do usually serve on dissertation and comps committees. The chances of you getting accepted into a grad program with an assistant professor listed as your person of interest is not very good, as they no seniority in the department. I've been told even applying to work with associate professors can be iffy for departments with larger pools of applicants. 

Edited April 23, 2015 by spellbanisher

[truthfinder]

On the associate level, this is very dependent on the university (and I think also the country).  In Canadian universities, associate professors can be very well involved in their field and direct lots of students.  You can always contact the assistant prof and discuss the concern - they may suggest another POI or co-supervise (they may also be on the verge of tenure).