
Nadine Connell
Associate Professor of Criminology
University of Texas at Dallas
University of Texas at Dallas
Associate Professor of Criminology
I conduct research on school and youth violence. I also teach classes to college students on criminology.
While days vary, I spend a lot of my time reading research to keep up with my field. I write grants to help me conduct my research, which focuses on keeping students safe in school. When I am conducting research, I spend a lot of time in schools, talking to students and teachers. Then, I write up my results and publish them in academic journals. During the school year, I teach one or two classes at the university, about topics as diverse as juvenile justice, the death penalty, and policing.
Here's the first step for college students
The first step to be a professor is to start down the road of higher education. You will need a doctorate (aka: PhD) to work in any university. So once you've decided what you love (it's really important to love it - because there are days when it's really stressful), you have to find a program where you can study that topic. The quality, or ranking, of the program matters. It matters more in graduate school than for your undergraduate degree. Make friends with your professors - they will help!
"When I started my doctorate program, one professor in my master's program wrote me a very mean email telling me that I wasn't good enough to succeed and he regretted giving me a recommendation because it took me an extra month to graduate."